Christianity In Beowulf

The Anglo-Saxons haven't accepted Christianity during the time period that Beowulf was alive. At that time wasn't created wasn't present in the real tale of Beowulf, Christianity was written into the story. There was a great influence of Christianity in Beowulf, even though no one believed in Christianity. In the beginning of the story of Beowulf, there was a very powerful creature named Grendel, who had destroyed the town of Heorot and terrorized it for 12 years.

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.

slime,” which is a allusion to the story of Cain and Abel. Henceforth Grendel was born into evil. Grendel was born as a monster into exile, his life was cursed because he was a offspring of Cain. According to the Bible, all of Cain’s decedents were punished by God because of him killing his brother. He was jealous of his brother because God accepted Abel's offering and not his. Therefore, Cain was thrown out of his family's land, and was an outcast. This is symbolic because Grendel is jealous of the joy of Hrothgar's people. This causes him to do evil or wrong by killing the people.. Thus Grendel symbolizes a lonely, jealous outcast like Cain. Not only is he evil in the inside but his eyes reflect his evil nature. "Grendel's eyes burn with a gruesome light". This shows that Grendel not only sees evil, but he yearns for it.

In the story of Beowulf, there is a noticeable struggle between Christianity and Paganism, and the characters personal battle between the two. Throughout the story the characters display actions that lead towards Paganism and Christianity. Contrary to Pagan belief Beowulf is seen as the epitome of good and beneficent to all of mankind. In Beowulf, the people showed their faith and love in God, however due to horrific events, paranoia caused them to look for a quick fix and turns them to Paganism.

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.

The story of Cain, and the murderous rage he inflicts on his brother Abel is one that many remember because of the curse Cain receives from God. After lying to God about killing his brother, Cain can no longer live a fruitful and successful life. He and his descendants are cursed to misery and torment for his transgression. Grendel, one of the unfortunate descendants of Cain, is a prime example of biblical allusion in Beowulf. “He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (19-23). This description of Grendel attaches a stigma to him without giving him any real characteristics. Before he has even

Have you ever wanted to kill your brother due to jealousy? Or kill people just for pleasure? Cain and Grendel have . Cain is the son of Adam and Eve. He is known for killing his brother Abel. He originated from the Bible from the book of Genesis. Grendel is a bloodthirsty monster who eats humans just for pleasure. He is also a descendent of Cain. He originated from the story of Beowulf, a Pagan Anglo-Saxons tale that was later re-written by Christian monks.

In the story Beowulf, many of the themes are derived from the proverbs and fables practiced in the old testament, while pagan beliefs of monsters, demons, and multiple gods are added. The most popular of the biblical comparisons is viewed between Grendel, enemy of Beowulf, and Cain, evil brother of Able. Grendel and his mother are both described as decedents of Cain. The figure Cain is used as a metaphor during the period to represent the disorder and evil. In the classic story of Cain and Able, Cain viciously kills his brother in a outbreak of jealously and anger. For Cain’s sin, he was banished from the Garden of Eden by God and left only to

Christian ideas are ingrained in different characters, the glorious and brave Beowulf exemplifies good Christian values, while Grendel personifies evil in a devil-like character that Christians associate with Pagans. Grendel is described as a grim demon who haunts the desolate marsh where due to his anathematic descent, is doomed to live banished among other monsters as part of “Cain's clan, whom the creator had

Many men tried to fight him. However, Grendel has the "mark of Cain. " This is a mark by God. God told Cain that he would protect him with the mark, people around them knew who he was. P.11 "so now, Beowulf, I adopt you...

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

Christianity is renowned to be the most global religion in the world, and has a very trivial history of its expansion and conversion of other religions. The story of Beowulf reflects many Anglo-Saxon ideals and concepts during a time of conversion of the mass pagan population into Christianity. This story was written down during the early days of Christianization between the 9th and 11th centuries CE, yet the pagan traditions that had dominated their lives were still present in the overall minds of the people. The events in the poem can be placed in the 5th century CE due to the presence of King Hygelac (an actual historical figure of that century) as one of the main characters. These events and the overall story of Beowulf include a mixture

The Influences of Biblical Teachings and Christian Theology in Beowulf and How They Conflict With the Original Story. The story Beowulf was originally written in a pagan time and land; however, by the time the epic was written down, almost all of the native inhabitants of it’s land had converted to Christianity. This gave the Beowulf poet the arduous task of ensuring his Christian beliefs would remain unfettered while he recorded the entirely un-Christian behavior of the poems characters. This dilemma leads to frequent analogies about God, Heaven, Hell, and many references to the Old Testament, that one can only assume are the attempted justifications to the otherwise morally defunct chronicle.

The ideas of Christianity and paganism are not usually ones that collide. Nonetheless, the epic poem Beowulf has several references to them both. This can largely be explained by analyzing the people and culture of the period. While the events of the poem take place in modern-day Scandinavia, the author and audience are assumed to be residents of England. It was written in approximately 700 A.D., during the Anglo-Saxon period. By this time, the Anglo-Saxons were already largely converted to Christianity, but there were still echoes of paganism in their society and beliefs. This is presumed to be one of the reasons why Beowulf incorporates this unlikely mix of religions. Although Christianity and paganism are generally thought to have few similarities, Beowulf’s unknown author utilizes Christian symbolism, allusions to paganism, and interaction between the two to make Beowulf representative of the period in which it was written.

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.