Paganism: An Analysis Of Religion In Beowulf

The author uses analogys to compare ones happiness to a sinners sadness without God. "How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see many others feasting while you are pinning and perishing! To see many other rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn and sorrow of heart."He uses this analogy to make people want to be with God and have salvation. Also these qoutes make people afraid of

Grendel’s description, according to the narrator, is that of a “demon” (Raffel 101) who “made his home in a hell/ not hell but earth” (Raffel 103). According to the narrator, the beast was also “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain” (Raffel 105). By making a connection between Grendel and Cain (the first murderer in biblical history) the Danes are able to find to justify and comprehend Grendel’s evil nature. If Grendel was evil enough to “[snatch] up thirty men”(Raffel 123), and eat them, then, the narrator reasons, he must be kin of the bible’s most infamous killer. By relating Grendel to Cain, and relating the words of negative connotation such as “demon” and “hell” to Grendel, the Anglo-Saxons are able to fully explain Grendel’s evil nature. Along with God causing all the evil in the world, the Danes also reflect how God creates all good that is in the

Cain and Grendel are both very similar traits and personalities. One of the things that they have in common is jealousy. They are both very envious of their surroundings which has caused them to kill others. Cain was very envious of his brother because he had the love of God, which drove him to kill his brother and lied to God that he did not kill him. While Grendel hated to see other people in the hall being happy and partying. “In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient, As day after day the music rang”(Beowulf pg. 4l line#2,3). He grew impatient of hearing everyone having a good time, which caused him to kill them. Also, they both don't have the protection of God. “Cain was put under God’s curse” (Genesis 4:11 pg 4), he lied to God so this caused him to get the ultimate punishment from God of pain, despair and later death. Grendel never touches anything that is protected by God, an

The expression “Jesus take the wheel” is quite common in today’s world, but just because it is a modern saying does not mean that it did not have any relevance in earlier time. Throughout the story of Beowulf, a comparison between Christianity and paganism had always been a topic discussed both within the text and spoken aloud in the classroom. Likewise, in this instance, man-made issues serves as a mirror of paganism and trust in God becomes Christianity. Many factors throughout section three revert to paganism rather than Christianity because there was no trust in God. Details such as pride, arranged marriage, and death are the major aspects of man-made issues in this section.

In the story Beowulf, there are a few different religions that are represented by the author. All the religions are portrayed in the story through the author’s eyes and his beliefs. The author makes clear what religion he believes in and his views. Some instances in the story also relate to the conflict between Christianity and the code of warriors. Throughout the story, the author is faced with the challenge of trying to portray his beliefs with a character whose actions are in conflict with his beliefs. Beowulf, in this story is based on the total opposite of the author’s beliefs and there are instances when his behavior is shown, and after there is symbolism of Christianity, to show its conflict with his behavior.

As explained in the Bible’s book of Genesis, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, both gave offerings to God. God was pleased by Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Cain became jealous of his brother, Abel, and chose to kill him. Because of Cain’s act of murder, God cursed Cain and Cain’s future descendants, who are all considered to be monsters. Grendel discovers that he is one of these monstrous descendants of Cain from the Shaper’s tales. Grendel states, “He [the Shaper] told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. And I, Grendel, was the dark side, he said in effect. The terrible race God cursed” (Gardner 51). While Grendel did not have a choice in this curse of God, his curse originated because of an evil murderous action, not an act of kindness. The power of God’s curse on Grendel is evident when Grendel says, “when the harper’s lure drew my mind away to hopeful dreams, the dark of what was and always was reached out and snatched my feet” (Gardner 54). Through this statement, John Gardner emphasizes evil’s powerful influence on Grendel by personifying the darkness. Even when Grendel attempts to wonder about hope, one of life’s good aspects, his predestined evil is too influencing for him to embrace the good thoughts. Perhaps it is difficult for Grendel to embrace good ideas because he was

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.

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

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

"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)

Throughout the text, multiple characters, such as Hrothgar and Beowulf, acknowledge God, however, these references often have a sense of being an addition, or an after thought. One of these occurrences is when Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, is giving praise to Beowulf after the defeat of Grendel. Hrothgar briefly acknowledges “the Lord’s assistance,” (Beowulf, 939) yet immediately returns to praising Beowulf’s human accomplishments. In addition to this, the narrator, rather than the characters themselves, provides a large number of these Christian allusions. One of the most prominent allusions is the comparison of Grendel to Cain, from the biblical story of Cain and Abel.

The unknown author of Beowulf uses examples throughout the poem that suggest the story comes from an "oral" tradition. In the poem Beowulf, a Germanic scop, or bard, recites poetry orally, or in a song, usually telling stories about historical triumphs and adventures. These poets were referred to in this epic poem as "carriers of tales..., traditional singer[s] deeply schooled in the lore[s] of the past" (Beowulf 50). This was common in Germanic culture. Scops would keep folkloric heroes alive in the "oral" tradition. They passed down stories orally from one generation to the next.

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

Scholars have argued about the religious stance of the epic poem Beowulf for centuries. Although the man who put the poem down on paper, known as the Beowulf poet, was a devout Christian, the actual poem itself is pagan. There are many clues in the epic that lead us to this conclusion such as the numerous references to pagan symbols, namely the symbol of fate. Also, the central idea of revenge in the poem opposes the ideas of Christianity. The poem also contains many breaches of the Ten Commandments, which prove that the story is not Christian. However, the biggest clue to the paganism of Beowulf is the scene that contains the burial of Beowulf and the building and idolization of the tower, all of which go directly against the

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