Biblical Allusions In Beowulf

Pagan ideas and values were a large influence in the creation of Beowulf due to the period it was created in. As the narrative was passed down by mouth Christianity views were slowly developed into the story. The poem was written after Anglo-Saxons were Christianized, but it is evident that pagan views were still in their mindsets. With these ideals still present, paganism and Christianity were woven into the story, and we see a mix of heroic ideals and self-sacrificing virtues that create a story filled with religious influence. Fame, fate, and revenge are concepts tied with paganism that are shown throughout Beowulf alongside Christian values of loyalty, humility, sacrifice, and the negative consequences of greed and pride. No matter how

While many pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian overtones dominate. Many of the characters exhibit Christian characteristics. Beowulf has a Christ-like behavior in his good-heartedness and charity. Beowulf understands the plight of the Danes that are being oppressed by the evil monster Grendel just as Christ knew of the oppression of the Jewish people. Both set out on a venture to save their people. To free themselves from the monster, the Danes need a savior, and Beowulf, through his desire to disperse their suffering, comes to save them. When Beowulf battles Grendel, he exhibits a sense of fairness when he refuses to use a weapon. The idea throughout the poem of living right, of loyalty, and of being a good leader can all be seen as traits of Christ. Just as Beowulf exemplifies Christ, Grendel mirrors Satan. Beowulf and Grendel represent the Christian beliefs of good verse evil. Grendel is referred to as a descendant of Cain, whom Satan tricks into sinning and committing the first murder. He is the image of a man fallen from grace through sin. Like Satan who is jealous of the happiness and joy that Adam and Eve have in the Garden of Eden, Grendel is jealous of the happiness and joy in Heorot. Grendel, as with Satan, is an adversary of God and poses a great challenge to Beowulf. Grendel lives in an underworld as Satan lives in hell. Grendel is referred to in the poem as "the guardian of

Beowulf and Grendel are images of the Christian beliefs of good versus evil. Grendel is acknowledged as a descendant of Cain, whom Satan tricks into sinning and committing the first murder (Block, 2008). He is the image of a man fallen from grace through sin. Like Satan who is jealous of the happiness and joy that Adam and Eve have in the Garden of Eden, Grendel is jealous of the happiness and joy in Heorot. Grendel, like Satan, is an enemy of God and is one of the greatest challenges to Beowulf. Grendel lives in an underworld as Satan lives in hell. Grendel is referred to in the poem as the guardian of sins (Norton, 2009). Grendel, the descendant of Cain, is a very hateful creature. He stalks the people and terrorizes them because he is jealous of their joy. Grendel’s stalking of the Dane’s is similar to the devil when he was cast out of heaven and the joys that were there. More parallels are evident in Beowulf's preparation and descent into the mere where Grendel's mother lives. While Beowulf is preparing to enter the water, he is pondering the evils that inhabit the pond. He knows he is faced with a greater challenge than before. He prepared as though he were preparing for death (Norton, 2009). Christ knew before his death that he was facing a great challenge, and he forgave his enemies. Beowulf's descent into the mere is similar to a baptismal rite. Going into the water purifies him, giving him the upper hand over his enemy,

Beowulf would be an extremely different poem without christian references. As the geats await Grendel's arrival in the mead hall the author makes it clear that God rules all. Beowulf claims that, “The truth is clear: Almighty God rules over mankind and always has.” Allowing the reader to understand that all things are decided by God. This poem would lose the ability to reach a reader's beliefs without the christian references. Not only do they reach out to readers but God helps Beowulf throughout the poem. Instances of this are shown when the magical sword used to slay Grendel and his mother appears, or the strength Beowulf was gifted. Beowulf also makes many references to God being his protector and friend. Not only does Beowulf refer to God,

The embodiment of envy. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel exemplifies envy therefore he is discontent with the happiness of others. The infusion of Biblical ideas helps form Grendel's character. As a relative of Cain, the first person recorded in the Christian Bible to murder another, Grendel is perceived as a monster. “On the kindred of Cain the Lord living ever awreak’d the murder of the slaying of Abel. In that feud he rejoiced not, but afar him he banish’d, the maker, from mankind for the crime he had wrought,” (108-111). Since Grendel’s ancestor is Cain, Grendel has been banished from the earth. Making Grendel a hell born creature with human emotions and instincts. With Grendel comes the allusion of Cain killing Abel given the time period. Grendel kills the celebratory warriors of Herot because they exuded happiness. Cain killed Abel because he felt God gave Abel more attention. Grendel’s emotions brought him to envy, so he, like his ancestor before him, killed another. Unlike Cain, Grendel killed thirty men every night for twelve years, devolving his monstrous character into an immoral character.

Since humans first emerged into the intellectual sphere of literature, extravagant tales of mystical lands, bloody wars, and gallant heroes spread far and wide. All treasured tales transpire time, From trespassing viking warlords, to poetic french vineyards, and indian tribes across the sea, each culture remains coated in these tales. In the twenty first century there is no need for memorizing stories, however in times gone by stories were circulated by tune or voice until christianity began to spread worldwide. Beowulf, written by an anonymous christian monk, possesses a timeless approach of a classic fight for love and glory; a case of do or die to audiences across the span of a lifetime with intricate tones,

When Cain killed Able, he ignited the eternal flame of a cursed family. From Cain's blood came "the curse of his exile and sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants too" (Beowulf. Pg. 35), darkness entailed is legacy and evil embodied his future. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, so he shares Cain's exile from all that is good and light. Cain may have been the first displaced person after Adam and Eve, but he was not the last. Grendel shares his ancestor's punishment, he is exiled not only from whatever land or wealth he would have had if he were "human", but he is also abandoned by God and all who followed and indulge in his faith and grandeur. It is this abandonment that causes Grendel to destroy and murder. "The treasure seat, he was kept from approaching; he was the Lords outcast" (Beowulf pg.36), since he cannot approach the throne of the Lord like the rest of mankind, he chooses to attempt to destroy it. He has no love for God and his children if he can not be with them "hand in hand". However, unlike Cain and his parents, Grendel is doomed from

The story of Beowulf deals with life, death, violence, kings, and monsters. Written around 800 CE, and then picked up hundreds of years later to be rewritten by a monk, it is written well after the coming of Christ. It could be simply read as an action adventure, filled with conquests and elaborate feasts, as were common of Old English tales. The story is not that simple though, and gives us a peek into a culture going through some drastic changes. Once built upon a Pagan belief system void of Christ and saturated with values such as revenge and violence, the Anglo-Saxons did not immediately adopt all of Christianity. There was a lengthy time in which both sets of beliefs were muddled and weaved together haphazardly, where no one religion was distinct. Beowulf is an example of these cultural influences crashing together. While Christianity in Beowulf, the Old English epic poem, looks different than the Christianity we recognize today, the story is built with Christian values.

   In Beowulf the Christian element, which coexists alongside the pagan or heathen, sometimes in a seemingly contradictory fashion, is many faceted.

Christian symbolism in Beowulf within the poem Beowulf, the poet utilizes the Christian religion to symbolize the elements of good and evil and Heaven and Hell. Beowulf is the oldest known English epic poem. The manuscripts date back to about 1000 A.D., when two scribes wrote it down for posterity. The poem was handed down from the Anglo-Saxon period, and through the retelling of the poem, it changed a little each time. The poem creates an oral depiction of an epic hero who strived to fight against the forces of evil. There really was a “historical” Beowulf who helped the Geats and Danes fight off pirates, but he was neither King of the Geats nor Danish hero at any time. In fact, he was not considered a man of any extraordinary qualities,

A merger of pagan and Christian beliefs that occurs in the poem, “Beowulf” is the representation of Grendel. Grendel’s ancestry and evil denote Christian beliefs. Grendel is a descendant of

Grendel is the main antagonist in Beowulf, and he is described as Cain’s descendent, “…he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan…” (line 104-106). This allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel brings a reference point to Grendel’s evil. The evil of Grendel is comparable to killing one’s brother, like Cain did (Genesis 4 NIV). Another example of Christianity is the use of the Christ figure archetype.

The narrator of “Beowulf” introduces us to the monster that is Grendel in the very first lines of the poem. The speaker describes “a fiend from hell” and speaks of “a cursed creature” whom God has condemned as he is “the kin of Cain”. Grendel’s description immediately aligns him with sin and the darkness of human nature found in the old biblical tale. As the poem goes on Grendel attacks Hrothgar’s hall because of the singing of praise to God. Grendel cannot bear to hear the praise as he is said to “live in the land of monsters since the Creator cast them out” (pg. 39).

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic that was transmitted verbally for hundreds of years before it was written down. Around the time of its composition, Christianity was beginning to gain prominence in England and was quickly replacing the animistic religion of the Celts. As a result of the dueling religions of the time, the poem includes influences from both Christianity and paganism, leaving its readers to wonder which religion had the most sway over the poet. Beowulf is a fundamentally more Christian epic on account of Beowulf’s resemblances of Jesus Christ, its allusions to the Bible, and its intimation of a supreme, monotheistic religion.

The figure of Grendel, while originally an ordinary troll is conceived as an impersonation of evil and darkness, even an incarnation of the Christian devil. Grendel is a member of the race of Cain, he is a creature dwelling in the outer darkness, a giant and cannibal. When he crawls off to die, he is said to join the route of devils in hell. The story of a race of demonic monsters and giants descended from Cain. It came form a tradition established by the apocryphal Book of Enoch and early Jewish and Christian interpretations of Genesis 6:4. Many of Grendel's actions are unquestionable epithets of Satan such as "enemy of mankind," "God's adversary," "the devil in hell," and "the hell slave." His actions are represented in