Religion In Beowulf

Beowulf, a man of God who goes through trials that make him braver than any other. The epic of Beowulf, author unknown and translated by Burton Raffel, tells of the hardships throughout battles that a Geat prince goes through. With battles between a monster, the monster's mother, and a dragon, Beowulf is put to the ultimate test involving God’s helping hand in winning the battles. Within this time frame, most people live by the pagan religion. This changes when people begin to adapt to the newest religion of all mankind, Christianity. The religious symbolism throughout Beowulf is portrayed through Beowulf’s legacy.

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.

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.

Anglo-Saxon culture consisted of receiving fame, glory, and wealth through acts of vengeance and courage. “Beowulf” portrays these parts in great detail and shows how destabilizing it can be. Through acts of vengeance, a never ending war occurs.

Throughout the story of Beowulf, the concept of religion plays a significant role. The Christianity ideology views state that man can survive and do great things through the protection of God. A strong desire of pride is also represented in the form of a hero in Beowulf, which in a sense goes against Christian morals. This clash with Christian morals in Beowulf was in the context of pride vs. humility and selfishness vs. sacrifice. In the book, Hrothgar first explained to Beowulf that pride without humility will only kill him. Beowulf struggles to find his roots as a follower of God, as well as maintaining his views and actions of Paganism.

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.

Many of the texts written throughout the Middle Ages had one similar theme: Religion. Many of the texts read in the Middle Ages segment of British Literature, have all had at least one element of religion. Stories have ranged from Beowulf to The Canterbury Tales. Sources directly from the text read and from scholarly journals, both have evidence that religion was a huge aspect in readings and life during the Middle Ages time period.

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.

Warriors are considered among the bravest of men. In the Anglo-Saxon community, the warriors were of the most respected class, and made up the foundation for their way of living. Anglo-Saxon warriors would not stop fighting until either they were victorious or they were dead. Written during this Anglo-Saxon period, the epic Beowulf contains many pagan ideals, in addition to several references to Christian philosophy. Beowulf is a tale of dual ordeals; an external fight against treacherous enemies, and an internal struggle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, and betrayal. The story intertwines them with both pagan and Christian beliefs.

But still, there are similarities between the Anglo-Saxon Era and the modern times. The Anglo-Saxon had chieftains, who led men to military expeditions, which is similar with the generals of the modern time. They also had the Mead Halls, which is the home for the society’s king, which is similar with Malacanang Palace(Philippines) or the White House(US). But the Anglo-Saxons had freedom in not showing up warrants, which is different from the present time for warrants, that are still required as of today, are needed to prove that they authorized people from the government. As of to the laws of the present time that are encoded in thick books, the Anglo-Saxons’ laws were written in the vernacular. But the Anglo-Saxons had a feudal system, which is likely present till now. It is the system for people, who were found guilty, are set to a monetary value for their lives from imprisonment. It is the same with the current punishment of today, the only difference is that, wealth and status matter to Anglo-Saxons while to the present times, not

The Anglo-Saxons were an intriguing kingdom with similarities to the Germanic people, but they also develop their own culture, and government. The Saxons society was very complex, and contained a mix of many different cultures. Within Saxon society kinship was an important aspect of their government, warriorship was an important part of their religion, and loyalty to oath was an important component of their culture. Kinship was very important in Saxon government because it meant that they did not abandon their leaders without abandoning their honor. Warriorship was an important aspect of their religion because many times in battle they prayed to God to help them, or save them after death. Loyalty was an important aspect of their culture because

The history of Northumbria is unique from the other powers of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy, namely Mercia and Wessex, due to a variety of factors that forged a kingdom that was a beacon of learning in a world of darkness.

In the years following the fall of Camelot the continued struggle to unite England waged on. To the north in Scotland warring factions of Vikings continued their brutal and savage pillaging of local inhabitants. For over three hundred years up until the 9th century both England and Scotland were so divided wars and bloodshed was a fact of life. So little time for peace and prosperity and what little there was of both swiftly came to a violent and savage end. Out of this period rode a man who would change the landscape of England and Scotland. Silas Moore a Saxon noble whose own linage can be traced to the court of Charlemagne arrived in Southern England at a time when the English Saxons were constantly being threatened by Danish invaders from

The intermingling of Christian ideas and classical rhetoric has set the foundation for many centuries of literature works. The overlap of elements appeals to readers who are accustomed to Biblical language while simultaneously engaging with their imaginative experience of a secular world, an expression that is observed in the epic poem Beowulf. Commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature, the poem provides valuable insight into a culture that resembles our own societal challenges while simultaneously remaining distant from the present-day world. This analytical essay will focus on the strategic use of words and phrases and how the poets emphasis on religious association invokes the answers to many central human perplexities. Through its use of repetitive elements and various motifs within Christian and pagan values, the poet builds on the many elements within virtuous philosophy. Although many analytical dissertations interpret the influence that Beowulf’s diction has on Christian ideals, it is critical to examine how the poem s religious expression affects its pagan characters.

The Anglo-Saxon society was built on vengeance and feuds. Starting in the Fifth Century, German Anglo-Saxon warriors destroyed many towns and drove out many native residents in England. Soon, they took the crown in England and for about a decade the Anglo-Saxon people migrated to different countries, taking their blood feud with them. This meant that, with the death of a kingsman, a man was expected to avenge his death. Cite).“Life as an Anglo-Saxon Warrior.”