Beowulf Trust In God

In what some might call a conceited display of pure arrogance, Beowulf renounces his weaponry to level the playing field when the time comes to battle with the monster. In a way, he is embracing the challenge from evil and asserting his confidence not only in his abilities but in his God as well. With this act, Beowulf expresses his reassurance that he is fighting for the right cause, and that, no matter what dire circumstances might confront him, he cannot be displaced with God on his side. Fate is primarily a pagan quality, as Christians believe that man was given the power to by choice disobeys God’s will “sin.” As a result from every triumphal battle Beowulf has a sense that all his strength is God given from good judgment.

The entire scene of the battle with Grendel’s mother runs parallel with Christ’s life. The pond that surrounds Grendel’s mothers murky house represents evil. Beowulf knows he is faced battling evil, is prepared for death, and forgives all his enemies. The submission into the murky pond distils Beowulf as he overcomes the evil of Grendel’s mother. He submerges from the water, just like Christ ascended into heaven. As Beowulf immerses from the battle with Grendel’s mother, he credits Christ again saying, “I’d have been dead at once,/And the fight finished, the she-devil victorious,/ If our Father in Heaven had not helped me” (310-312). As a final point, just as Christ had one last battle, so did Beowulf. The battle with the fire-breathing dragon was Beowulf’s last battle in which he came out with a victory, in that he defeated evil. Beowulf fought long and hard in his last battle with evil. Even though both Beowulf and Christ ultimately pass away in their final battles, they both were able to conquer evil. At the end of the battle he declared to Hrothgar, “If God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal.” In pointing out his successes and accomplishments to God’s help, Beowulf demonstrates how he accredits Christian beliefs.

Beowulf mentions God multiple times throughout the story and giving the glory to God. This can been seen when Beowulf battles Grendel. “…And may the divine Lord/ in His wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side He sees fit.” Therefore, with the inclination to do right in the eyes of the Lord, Beowulf’s actions are influenced by his belief and his desire to please God. However with the Greek heroes, they had many gods. The heroes’ desires were to achieve the god’s level of greatness. However, their gods were different than Beowulf’s God. Their gods

Grendel, the monstrous beast from Beowulf, is very evil, powerful, and deadly. Grendel was very negative most of the time but what if there had been a way to prevent the killing from happening. What if Grendel didn't leave his lair that night to kill all of those men?

When Beowulf first hears of the horrendous creature Grendel who slaughtered many of Hrothgar’s men He sails with his men to Herot he gets stopped at the entrance by a soldier. The soldier of course does not trust Beowulf so he asks who his father is. Whoever was your father really mattered, it said what kind of person you were because of your fathers actions. The soldier says to Beowulf “Tell me your name/ and your fathers; no spies go further into Danish/ soil than you’ve already come” (lines 165-168). Beowulf explains who his father was and his intentions in Herot. Beowulf says that he has heard of the monster and all he wants is to help them because they have suffered for too long. The soldier guarding the entrance into Herot let Beowulf and his men enter, the soldier seems to trust Beowulf and he says to him. “’ A soldier should know the difference between words/ and deeds and keep that knowledge clear in his brain. I believe your words, I trust in/ your friendship”’ (lines 200-203). Beowulf sails to Herot to kill a monster that has murdered many men. He does this for many reasons he to help, he wants everyone to see his ability, and he just wants some glory.

Throughout the story of Beowulf, the concept of religion plays a significant role. The Christianity ideology views state that man can survive and do great things through the protection of God. A strong desire of pride is also represented in the form of a hero in Beowulf, which in a sense goes against Christian morals. This clash with Christian morals in Beowulf was in the context of pride vs. humility and selfishness vs. sacrifice. In the book, Hrothgar first explained to Beowulf that pride without humility will only kill him. Beowulf struggles to find his roots as a follower of God, as well as maintaining his views and actions of Paganism.

Beowulf killed Grendal's mother just like Grendal. He fought again with no regards of the possible outcomes. He did it for the glory he would receive from the kill. Hrothgar compliments Beowulf after killing Grendal's mom by saying "forever you will be your people's mainstay and your warriors helping hand”. (Beowulf,1707-1709). Hrothgar is one who tries to understand a man's mortality. He informs Beowulf that he should "learn true values and he has wintered into wisdom”. (Beowulf,1722-1724). He alerts Beowulf to the notion that one day he will die. Hrothgar tells Beowulf that no amount of treasure or victories can gain a man's immortality. Beowulf is advised to not act as Heremod once did. Heremod's rule only brought "death and destruction to the Danish people.’(Beowulf,1712-1713). He killed his “fellow comrades” and vented rage on any who wrong him. (Beowulf,1713-1715). Hrothgar does not want Beowulf to be absent minded and ignore the "shape of things to come."(Beowulf,1752). It appears that Hrothgar wants Beowulf to be cautious of his actions. He tells Beowulf to choose "eternal rewards" and not "give way to pride."(Beowulf,1760). That is Hrothgar's approach to Beowulf about having and representing Christen behaviors. The course of all the advice given by Hrothgar was because he wanted Beowulf to accept his mortality. He told Beowulf that although his "strength is in bloom it will fade

Beowulf also appears to be very religious and, unlike other proud warriors, he always puts his faith in God and gives Him the credit of his victories. Before facing Grendel, Beowulf exclaims to the others in the hall, "... Let God in his wisdom/ Extend his hand where he wills, reward/ Whom he chooses" (lines 685-687). In addition, after his fight with Grendel's mother, Beowulf returns and tells Hrothgar that he would have died if God had not helped him, "...I'd have been dead at once/ And the fight finished, the she-devil victorious,/ If our Father in Heaven had not helped me" (lines 1656-1658). Even at the very end of his life, Beowulf proclaims to Wiglaf that everything he had acquired had been through the will of God, "For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank/ Our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth--/ For all of this, that His grace has given me..." (lines 2794-2796). Up until the end, Beowulf demonstrates

Beowulf relies on both God’s will and his own strength in his three battles which demonstrates a heavenly connection to what is considered to be good. Beowulf’s first battle is against the evil monster, Grendel and he claims to trust in his own strength as much as in God’s grace for his battle. Beowulf was showing humility because he knows that he is human and could have been easily killed. The Bible speaks about humility in 1 Peter 5:5 which states that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Beowulf’s actions can be seen as Christ-like just as Grendel and his mother provide a sense of Satan.

Shortly after Beowulf and his men arrive, Beowulf and his men sat anxiously in Herot to destroy Grendel once and for all to save Hrothgar and his people. At night, Grendel approached Herot. Before him, he saw many sleeping soldiers. Grendel picked one up and ripped him apart, slowly killing him with no one awake to help (Beowulf 421-425). In This chapter friendship is lost. Beowulf let Grendel kill one of his men and did not save him. This act could change others perspectives and their faith in their friendship. Beowulf could have defeated Grendel without sacrificing a life. This reflects upon Beowulf and the lengths he would go for fame, carelessly setting his friendship aside. After one of his loyal soldiers is eaten, Beowulf then conducted a surprise

"How the Almighty had made the earth a gleaming plain girdled with waters; in His splendor He set the sun and the moon to be earth's lamplight, lanterns for men and filled the broad lap of the world with branches and leaves; and quickened life in every other thing that moved."(Line 92)

The character Beowulf embodied the Pagan heroic code (comitatus), but he also exhibited Christian values. Overall, he was a warrior and a hero who sought fame and reputation. Most of his actions were motivated by his desire to be remembered after his death as a courageous and loyal warrior. When Beowulf hears about Hrothgar’s trouble he goes to help him. He wants to help him for a few reasons, all of which relate to the comitatus. He wants to acquire fame and he wants lifelong honor. By beating Grendel he would receive honor and his reputation would be enhanced. Also, Beowulf wants to repay Hrothgar for settling a feud for his father years before. Beowulf is willing to do battle for the old king even though it means that he could die.

Through the lens of Christianity,Beowulf demonstrates how one's character faith gradually descends throughout each rigorous challenge the character faces in this story while the number of preparation increases during the course of each battle. In the first battle between Grendel and Beowulf. Beowulf prepares for the battle by boasting and saying that he will not use a weapon to conquer this demon because Grendel himself does not use a weapon. Which to show that he is confident and honorable and has faith that God will give him this victory and this works out for him during the battle

Though Beowulf was god-like and he was able to be successful when faced with decisions and adversity, he eventually succumbed to the destructive forces of nature and threw his nation into conflict. As aforementioned, Beowulf’s battle with the dragon depicts unpreventable death and destruction that afflicts everybody, his last battle also symbolizes that even the most seemingly perfect people are chained to hostile acts of nature and fate. Beowulf’s death is not a product of pride, it was a result of his altruistic nature to do good, however, his death forecasts war in his country as described by Wiglaf when ordering a messenger to tell the Geats of Beowulf’s death, “And this people can expect fighting, once/ The Franks, and the Frisians, have heard that our king/ Lies dead.” (Beowulf 2910-2913). Beowulf’s main purpose was to do good, and though killing the dragon was an act of goodness, he traded in his life for an act of good, however his death brought the large possibility of war to his

Beowulf is always seeking to help his enrich his image. This flaw in his character, as well as his feeling of invincibility leads to his downfall later in life. “Again and again the angry monsters made fierce attacks, I served them well with my noble blade, as was only fitting. Small pleasure they had in such a sword-feast, dark things in the sea that meant to eat me, …I had chanced to kill some nine sea-beasts. I never have heard of a harder night-fight under heaven’s vault, or a man more oppressed on the ocean streams.”(Beowulf p83) It is very apparent here that Beowulf is extremely proud of what he had accomplished, and was not going to let some other person who had done no major heroic deed try to put him down. In fact, he goes on to say that no one in the world has fought such a hard fight as he did that night.