Paganism In Beowulf

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.

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

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

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.

Beowulf is one of the most important and influential pieces of writing in history. One of the reasons for this is that some of the themes discussed in the story are still applicable in today's extremely different society. The warrior society within the story has high regard for its heroic code valuing pride, courage, and honor. Christian philosophy is seen through Beowulf’s belief of protection by God and achievements given through God. There is a certain amount of blend and conflict between the values of the Scandinavian warrior society and the elements of Christian philosophy throughout the story. The blend may not be perfect, but it works in a special way.

The idea of fame and fate was also evident in Beowulf. After 50 long years of nothing, Beowulf just sat at his throne with fame, but he knew this fame wasn’t the same as it was back in the past, when he killed Grendel and his mother. He wanted this fame back which becomes one of the reasons to go and slay the dragon, later on in the story. When the dragon destroyed much of Beowulf’s land, Beowulf became angry and hostile towards the dragon. He desired for revenge and vengeance, which again is another reason for his action to slay the dragon. In a way he used fame and vengeance to motivate his plan to slay the dragon. All these things were influenced as pagan ideas. Throughout the story Beowulf struggled with his Christian ideology while Pagan ideas clouded his judgment. Since he was human it was difficult for him avoid the pagan ideas as they were so easy to practice, while following God’s righteous yet restricted path.

The significance of Paganism and Christianity are both present in Beowulf. Beowulf was written between the 8th and 10th century’s, when the Anglo-Saxon society was beginning to change from Paganism to Christianity. Many believe that this is essentially a pagan work since the Christian faith hadn’t fully arrived in the Anglo-Saxon society. However, according to Douglas Wilson, “The poet could easily have known individual Christian Anglo-Saxons who had converted from paganism”(page.31); this showing how the author would have been able to retrieve information about the customs and morals of Christianity. Christianity is a religion based upon monotheistic beliefs, belief in one personal and transcendent God and based through Jesus’s teachings. This religion teaches that God has a path for everyone, that people may choose to follow and live by him. The epic poem through the years, has been based upon Christianity but still contains a good deal of Pagan elements. Paganism is a religion founded before Christianity, having no belief in a personal god and based more on the concept of fate, that people do not have control over their life. In Beowulf, God is praised for all of his works by Beowulf himself, and the other characters. While also believing that fate controlled the character’s lives.

In Beowulf the differences between Heorot and Grendel’s swamp are personified through setting descriptions, religious context and Beowulf’s heroic traits compared with Grendel’s anathematic characteristics by highlighting the major conflicts between Christianity and Paganism, emphasizing the contrast of man against monster.

"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)

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

Beowulf is based on the old pagan warrior culture with the influences of christianity. Beowulf has a lot pagan themes and values but the poets also tried to add many christian values to influence christian readers. Some christian values that were added into Beowulf are: people can not survive without God's protection, all earthly gifts come from God, and that we have to be humble in front of God. All of these christian values were just words and were not properly used or shown in Beowulf because they would contradict the christian values throughout the poem.

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

In the epic poem of Beowulf there are many pagan and Christian elements displayed. The poem was written in a time period when paganism was more common then Christianity. The blending of both religions allows the poem to appeal to a greater audience. Although the poem portrays many Christian elements, the character ultimately reverts to paganism.

Beowulf was obviously, in its origin, a pagan text. There are several examples of pagan elements throughout the story. The belief in wergild, a term meaning man-price, is one of the strongest of these ideas. It also incorporates the pagan ideas of fate, the fashion in which lords are buried, and symbols of paganism. The text is clearly one that tells a Germanic heroic narrative, which is not acceptable to the Judeo-Christian ideals.

The heroic epic poem, Beowulf, is a reflection of many Anglo-Saxon ideals and concepts, but it also contains many clear references to Christianity. By 690 A.D., Christianity had spread to Anglo-Saxons throughout Great Britain, creating an overlapping of pagan and monotheistic beliefs. During the Dark Ages, the pagan religion of the Anglo-Saxons was marked by their belief in fate and scarred by their bleak, short, and violent lives. The Christian religion offered a new perspective of hope, that suffering would lead to eternal life in heaven. Originally written down in 1000 A.D. and passed down by oral tradition, the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, is an allegory that uses a folk story