Representation Of Christianity In Beowulf

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.

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

Many Christian elements and values create the disposition of Beowulf. The author of Beowulf creates a character who seen as a Christ- like figure in that he possesses the Christian value of self-sacrifice and assists in the fight against evil. Beowulf is willing to die and defend his people, in this case

   In Beowulf the Christian element, which coexists alongside the pagan or heathen, sometimes in a seemingly contradictory fashion, is many faceted.

They praise sir Beowulf, thanking him greatly. Yet little did this town or Beowulf know the agony yet to come. Grendel was indeed a monster, but a monster who was the spawn of a cruel creature. The slain monster’s mother, a she-wolf would be the hero’s next challenge. He would travel to the home of the monster’s mother, to yet again engage in the act of battle. They shall meet in the deep depths of the marshy hell. Beowulf would try to defeat the she-wolf with his sword but would not be enough. As he begins to become beaten, and weak, he sees a sword that may be to his advantage. “A heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed by their magic, the best of all weapons but so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length” (page 54 line 530-535) He raised thy mighty sword and struck the devil in the neck, cutting the entire head off. Hrothgar’s men watch the monster’s lake filled with blood. Thinking all hope and gone and mighty Beowulf had been killed. Yet as the old men begin to whisper the mighty hero rises from the lake, only holding the she-wolfs head and the giant’s sword. The Beowulf would return with the head and place the monsters head in front of the

Immediately following this passage, it goes on to explain the history of Creation. Included in this description is how God made light and dark, land and ocean, plant and animal, and finally the ultimate creation, man. God gave the gift of free will to all of His children. Beowulf relies on God’s will and his own strength in his three battles. Beowulf’s first battle is against the evil monster, Grendel. “Beowulf trusts in his own strength as much as in God’s grace in his battle” (Chickering 272). After his first battle, “A pang of mortality strikes Beowulf as he looks back at the splendid neck-ring he has been given by Hrothgar as part of his reward for victory over Grendel”(Price 25). Beowulf was showing humility because he knows that he is human and could have been killed. The Bible speaks about humility in numerous books. For example, 1 Peter 5:5 says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Nearing death, Grendel realizes that he “once the afflicter of men, tormentor of their days—[knew] what it meant to feud with the Almighty God” (Beowulf 490-492). This passage shows Grendel

Christianity is shown through Beowulf being like Christ in his sacrifice and deeds. Although Beowulf was not the Son of God, and Christ was not the most powerful warrior in the world, there are many similarities between the two. Both Beowulf and Christ give up their lives to save everyone: “Seeing him stretched on the ground … A torn and bloody corpse. But Beowulf’s Killer was dead, too,” (Line 2823\ Line 2825) This parallels Christ dying to save humanity from sin. The dragon is symbolic of the devil because in the same way that Christ defeats the Devil through his sacrifice, Beowulf defeats the dragon through his sacrifice. There are other symbolic parallels between Christ and Beowulf like the twelve apostles and the twelve mourning Geats: “And then twelve of the bravest Geats Rode their horses around the tower, Telling their sorrow, telling stories Of their dead king and his greatness…”(Line 3169\

Beowulf relies on both God’s will and his own strength in his three battles which demonstrates a heavenly connection to what is considered to be good. Beowulf’s first battle is against the evil monster, Grendel and he claims to trust in his own strength as much as in God’s grace for his battle. Beowulf was showing humility because he knows that he is human and could have been easily killed. The Bible speaks about humility in 1 Peter 5:5 which states that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Beowulf’s actions can be seen as Christ-like just as Grendel and his mother provide a sense of Satan.

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.

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.

Beowulf begins with a conflict that symbolizes the hostility of nature, Grendel’s acts of terror are

Beowulf is seen as a christian figure sent in to rid the land of the evil monsters such as grendel who is seen to have a lucifer features. After grendel attacks the Herot killing 30 men,

In addition, Beowulf exemplifies many features that define him as a Christian hero as well by specifically resembling a Christ figure. The monster Grendel instills an overall feeling of fear of death on the citizens of Heorot. When Beowulf arrives and defeats Grendel, he subsequently and momentarily releases the people of these bonds of fear, much like Jesus releases the people from the fear of death by dying for their sins and ensuring an eternally ideal afterlife. Additionally, the author portrays Grendel as an incarnation of the Christian devil throughout the story. Many of his characteristics resemble those of Satan. This includes the fact that he belongs to the lineage of Cain and the fact that his and his mother’s home provokes images of hell. However, another enemy of Beowulf also resembles Satan: the dragon. The bible describes Satan as “the great dragon…the serpent of old”. This description draws an interesting comparison between Beowulf’s battle with the dragon and Jesus’ experience in the garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:36-56, Jesus tells his eleven disciples not to fight the people that capture him and willingly sacrifices himself for the good of the people despite the betrayal by Judas, one of his own. Similarly, eleven men follow Beowulf when he faces the dragon. Just like Jesus knew his predetermination to die for his people, Beowulf recognizes his mortality and knows his time on earth is ending. Beowulf slays the dragon, but the cost is his life. While