Christianity And Paganism In Beowulf

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.

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

Have you ever wanted to be worshipped? Have you ever wanted to have super strength? Have you ever wanted to be a savior? Well, that is every day for one epic hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic poem about good versus evil written by an anonymous Christian monk. Paganism was the Geats first religion, and once Christianity became introduced, the religion slowly shifted from paganism to Christianity. Beowulf has successfully exhibited the transition from paganism to Christianity. The epic poem has a shift from Christianity to paganism throughout the poem. There are many symbolic examples that successfully display the transition from paganism to Christianity in the Geat culture. Beowulf displays both Christianity and paganism using several

Christianity arrived in Northern Europe over one thousand years ago. This is evidenced by some of the earliest pieces of literature that we have. The epic poem, “Beowulf”, shows many references to the influence of Christianity on English culture. There are many parallels between characters in “Beowulf” and characters from the Bible. Many Christian themes and virtues are also portrayed in “Beowulf”. Throughout “Beowulf”, the theme of Christianity manifests itself through Christ-like images of Beowulf as well as his strength in God allowing him to ward off monsters of paganism.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.

The poet used Christianity and paganism as a tool for his poem. “It is through such a blending that there was available to a poet who set out to write a poem,…. on a scale and plan unlike a minstrel’s lay, both new faith and new learning (or education), and also a body of native tradition (itself requiring to be learned) for the changed mind to contemplate together. The native ‘learning’ cannot be denied in the case of Beowulf.” (Tolkien 26).

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

Beowulf has both pagan and Christian influences. Throughout the story there are many elements of Christian teachings: that man survives only through the protection of God, that all earthly gifts flow from God, and that the proper bearing of man is to be humble and unselfish (csis.edu, 2011). While many pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian overtones are more prevalent, exhibiting many elements of Christian heroism in the poem. An example is when Beowulf says “God must decide who will be given to death's cold grip” (Norton, lines 174-175).   He knows that God has already created an ending to this battle with Grendel, and he is lavished with peace. He shows true Christian character, bravery, and faith in the manner in which he

Beowulf is an epic poem combining different stories consisting of contrasting elements, such as paganism and Christianity. Within these stories of Beowulf and the followers of Beowulf, as well as the enemies, paganism actually played the role of the largest religion practiced versus that of Christianity. The stories that make up this epic go by their own titles like, The Wrath of Grendel, The Coming of Beowulf, The Battle with Grendel, The Monster’s Lair, The Battle with Grendel’s Mother, The Last Battle, The Spoils, and The Farewell; all of these stories consist of the comparing and contrasting of paganism and Christianity. Within each of these stories, Christians take on the emotions and behaviors of paganism.

In the poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, shows two types of religion Christianity and Paganism. The poem Beowulf can be described as a prospective on Paganism through the eyes of a Christian. But the poem leaves room for your own thoughts about the religion it has. I think the poem has both Christianity and Paganism perspective’s in it. Christianity and Paganism are evident in Beowulf through beliefs, cultural, and practices.

The Beowulf epic has its roots and connections to paganism, but by the time this poem was written, almost all Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity which provides tension leading to frequent asides about God, hell, and heaven. Towards the beginning of the novel when the narrator described Grendel as, “a powerful demon” (Heaney 86). The reader is able to connect the Christian belief that a demon is referred to a monster originating from hell. However, after the narrator described Grendel's actions, he continued to claim, “how the Almighty had made the earth/ a gleaming plain girdled with waters;/ in His splendour”(ll. 92-94). The fact that the narrator uses the title, “Almighty” instead of God displays

Beowulf is the title of a heroic epic poem that was written by an unknown author in old English. It is believed to have been written between the eighth and the tenth century. It is one of the major works of Anglo-Saxon literature (North, p.2). The writer of the poem focused on the story’s hero, Beowulf, where the events in the story revolve around him as he fights against an unnamed dragon and a monster named Grendel. Believes and religion concerning the people who lived at the time and place of the setting of the poem has been explored in the story. Paganism was the major religion of the Danish people referred to in the poem. The author incorporates various elements of Christianity and paganism through different characters, beliefs, and habits to indicate how people in the society react in different situations relative to their religion. This essay seeks to describe the interweaving of the religious values, of the warriors' society, which was pagan and those found in Christianity linking them to the characters and events in the heroic poem, Beowulf.

The heroic poem, Beowulf, is a reflection of many Anglo-Saxon ideals and concepts. This work was written after the Anglo-Saxons were already Christianized, but there will still acts of pagan culture at the time. This conversion from paganism to Christianity mixed a lot of the elements. Many Anglo-Saxons still had pagan beliefs, but tried to connect these beliefs with Christianity. Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The poem uses portions of Paganism and Christianity. Even though many Pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian influences override them. Beowulf should be considered not as a pagan text but rather a Christian one because Christian values are considered the mainstay of this literary work.

Beowulf can be referred to as the mother poem of England. The true origin of the poem is unknown. However, it is believed to be written by a monk around the time of 700 A.D. near the modern-day West Midlands of England. Regardless, the author expresses their knowledge of Christianity and paganism throughout the poem. The two beliefs are very different from one another, but the author was able to tie them together to build the story. The paganism reflects past memories of the beliefs that the people in the land shared. Christianity gives reference to the new beliefs and values the people were following at the time the poem was written. Even though the author of Beowulf is unknown, he/she has done a well job of expressing the poem with Christian values, Pagan beliefs, and the conflict between the two.

The epic story of Beowulf is bursting at the seams with examples of paganism and Christianity, the presence of religion in Beowulf is extended throughout the epic, it can be seen through kennings, characters, symbolism, and events. During the time of the Anglo Saxons, when Beowulf was written, Christianity and paganism coexisted while Christianity was changing thoughts throughout Europe. The Europe of the past maybe distant in time but not by morals, Both present-day Europe and the Europe of the past are Christian based societies with pagan tendencies. The unknown author was most likely a Christian monk recording a primarily pagan story, in which a beautiful blend of religions was created that come together to forge an epic poem. From the late 6th century towards the end of the Anglo Saxon period, through monasteries and missionaries, Christianity spread north and westward. By the time Beowulf was written down, the religion was well-established in England. Nevertheless, Beowulf himself embodies characteristics of both, occasionally his actions say he is one more so than the other. Religion can be seen throughout this piece making itself present through the actions of characters, diction chosen by the author, and symbolism between Christ and main characters such as Beowulf and Grendel, as well as the soldier's religious beliefs.