Heroism Main Theme in Beowulf

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

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 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 Anglo-Saxon period of British history was one swarming with uncertainty, woe, and misfortune. With such a bleak quality of life, many people of the time believed that death would be the same way, and that there was nothing they could do about it. This outlook was known as fatalism. However, some had a much brighter hope for the future, and practiced the well known religion of Christianity. In the Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, this religious ambivalence of the times is a major theme. References to fatalism, or a fatalism-Christianity hybrid are often made, while at other times, Christianity is seen as the ultimate truth.

In the story of Beowulf you get a glimpse of many different themes throughout this epic. Those themes range from good and evil to those of death and glory. The story itself depicts a period in history when life was lead "blind" through the teachings of the book of the lord and his spoken words. At this same period in history traditional pagan religious practices and beliefs have slowly given way to the ideals and philosophy of Christianity. Many of the themes held within the pages of Beowulf stem from the proverbs and fables recited and practiced in the Old Testament, while concurrently adding pagan beliefs of monsters, demons, and multiple gods. The most striking of these biblical comparisons is viewed between Grendel

Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude.

There are numerous references of God inside Beowulf these included: The Almighty Judge, High King of the World, Eternal Lord, Ruler of Men, etc. A noticeable biblical event is the very history of Grendel: Cain's murdering of Abel. Cain is envious of his sibling and butchers him. Characters relate themselves to God in a steady sense: God's gift of wellbeing is wished on line 315, they shout out that God ought to prevent Grendel from assaulting in line 475, they wish for glory by the beauty of God in 685, and so on. God is said such a variety of times all through this lyric that it is unavoidable to perceive that the creator is plainly faithful to God. He has his characters tending to God in every aspect of the story. Pagan practices inside of

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,

Religious undertones are prevalent in the literary texts of times past. The writers of that time often penned those stories specifically to teach a moral lesson based on his or her religious beliefs. Beowulf is no exception to that. Though not all scholars believe Beowulf’s author to have been a Christian himself, it is undeniable that Christianity influenced the text. At one point in the epic, Cain, Eve’s son, is directly referenced. With deeper analysis, one can see parallels between the monsters in the story and Satan. It’s also possible to draw similarities between Beowulf and Christ, Himself. There are numerous other examples of Christian undertones scattered throughout the text, and all of them have a cumulative effect that influences the entire epic. Such influences include prompting the reader to approach Beowulf as if it were an allegory (that is, to treat all elements of the story as a potential symbol representing a Biblical idea), indirectly alluding to Biblical stories, and encouraging introspection on the reader’s part by illuminating potential negative traits they may have.

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.

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.

Beowulf shows a battle between religions in the hero as he deals with the battling major conflicts and his last final battle. The unknown author does an extraordinary job characterizing Beowulf as brave and loyal,plus other values that heroes shown. This develops the epic describing the Christianity versus paganism comparisons that is shown by Good versus Evil. Beowulf foretold as a warrior one of the greatest of the Geats, we have Grendel, his Mother, and the dragon, that are symbols of evil. Grendel is described as a demon, a fiend, just pure evil, Grendel’s Mother is pictured as a “greedy she-wolf”, the dragon symbolizes evil itself. The epic begins with celebration stirring the monster known as Grendel. Grendel awoken by them and set out during night, snatched up thirty men leaving Hrothgar and the rest of his men to mourn. Beowulf hears this and starts the journey to assist Hrothgar and his men. In this literature piece, the author uses much symbolism and references towards Christianity and paganism, thus creates an spiritual battle between these two religions through the entire epic and intertwines the two religions and the conflicts through the hero Beowulf.

He is nearly beaten by the monster's mother until he wields the famous old sword of the giants which had magical power to save him. While he is not as heroic in his second battle, Beowulf still displays many of the virtues essential for heroism and even survival. He was required to use ingenuity rather than strength in his battle and was required to go through an extremely difficult process in order to get to the monster's lair, almost like an initiation. However, he came out of the whole ordeal wiser and greatly rewarded. This first two battles also, surprisingly, represented what may have been an influence of Christian values on the culture. While the Christianity is not quite the same as we would expect in a more modern setting, it was just beginning to gain some influence in Europe at the time of this story. This was a period of a conversion of the paganistic beliefs into something that more closely resembled Christianity. Many of the principles and ideals of the two were combined to create a more familiar understanding view of Christianity for the predominantly pagan population. The Christianity in the story is more closely tied in with Moses' Old Testament teachings of revenge and equality than Christ's teachings of peace, love and forgiveness. Grendel's mother attempts to avenge the death of her son while at the same time Beowulf is

Overall, Beowulf contains many pagan themes and concepts, but yet it also contains many clear references to Christianity. It is an Anglo Saxon work with a peculiar spiritual atmosphere. However, although the means through which men gained fame may seem to conflict with certain elements of Christianity, the author reconciles this fame with many references to God. Although strength and heroism may not necessarily be Christian concepts or virtues, the author attributes both of these to God through the speech of his characters. This ties Beowulf's prowess and fame back to God, and mixes in a pagan concept to Christianity.

There are disagreements on ideology. Thus, as the world is challenged with change, many will search for stability and something or someone to reassure one's self everything will be alright. The assumption that is often made by many, in the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, is that due to the Christian elements within this poem it is not just powerfully influenced by Christian beliefs, but also projects an overall Christian theme and accordingly condemns the Anglo-Saxon's pagan belief system. However, there are also pagan elements within the poem that challenge the intent of the epic and how it is conclusively depicted with a full Christian theme. As the reader embarks to discover whether or not Christianity is cloaked throughout the epic poem, one must examine the tale of Beowulf; alongside the character Beowulf, his characteristics and the distinct qualities that he possesses in which seem to be parallel with Christianity, as well as Jesus Christ.