The Importance Of Heroism In Beowulf

The characters in Beowulf, as Streissguth says, are enveloped in a completely pagan atmosphere. Their belief system follows mythology much more closely than Christianity. By making the characters praise the Christian one true God and making multiple references to Him and to the Biblical view of Heaven, the Roman Catholic’s of the time period hoped to, as with relating Grendel to the Biblical Cain, convert the pagans to Christianity.

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.

One of the main reasons the Movie and other versions of Beowulf differ from the original is due to the time or Era they were made in. It was repeated in different languages and changed throughout history. Even the book version confined to English Textbooks has changed; Due to the original it is based off of. Even if it isn’t the first being told by Monks. So they added a bit of their own opinions and fractions of their religion into it. They changed the original story to fit their view and their Religion. Taking out Beowulf’s religion and those around it and warping it to Christian beliefs. Changing the original belief in

The literary work of Beowulf is believed, by many, to contain numerous attributes of Christian propaganda. Throughout the story of Beowulf, there are several circumstances and coincidences that distinctly relate to the Christian belief system. One can only imagine that these ideas of Christian propaganda; which include the use of Christian themes and beliefs in works of literary art, were strategically placed throughout the story of Beowulf to help the conversion from the old world pagan religious belief system to the Christian beliefs of the new world.

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.

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.

Throughout the story of Beowulf there are many an allusion to Christianity, Jesus, and God. This was not in the original oral story, as the original story had a more Pagan influence, especially with its incorporation of the Heroic Code. It is blatantly obvious the distinct and plentiful clashes the story has with itself, as it tries to keep elements of the Heroic Code as well as implementing elements of Christianity and the Bible. The shifts from Heroic Code to Christianity and vice verse aren’t even spaced out evenly within the poem, or gradually hinted at throughout. This first quote comes from the beginning of the story and it says, “So his mind turned / To hall-building: he handed down order / For men to work on a great mead-hall” (l. 67-69). Almost directly after this you see the clash of Christianity, with the poem saying, “It would be his throne-room and there he would dispense / His God-given goods to young and old--” (l.71-72). Right before the hall being built by Hrothgar was even mentioned there is another example of the Heroic Code’s influence, with the poem saying, “The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar. / Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks, / Young followers, a force that grew / To be a mighty army…” (l.64-67). Telling about how to be a great king and how to gain your fortune through war is a classic part of the Heroic Code, but Christianity must make its way into the story somehow with the reference to his fortune while being gained through war, it was

As a result of this, Christian missionaries may have decided to create a manuscript of Beowulf with slightly Christian tones as a method of helping to slowly facilitate the spread of Christianity through northern Europe. Someone with little or no prior knowledge of Christianity, especially the Old Testament stories, would be oblivious to these subtle references. Alternatively, it is possible that this manuscript was transcribed intentionally altered so as to coincide with some of the legal principles within Europe; here I am referring to Charlemagne and his rampage and slaughter of anyone he thought was pagan. Charlemagne lived from approximately 740 CE to 814 CE, putting him just within our dating constraints. There is no way to tell whether the version of Beowulf containing Christian themes is the original or if it is a manipulated version of a pre-existing

There are several references to God and Christianity in Beowulf. For example, when Hrothgar says that Grendel cannot touch the throne because it is protected by God (Beowulf: A pagan Christian fusion) Then there are instances when Beowulf acknowledges God. Beowulf admits that without the help of God he could have never defeated Grendel’s Mother (Beowulf:A pagan Christian fusion) The way he killed Grendel and Grendel’s Mother suggests that he called on a higher power to defeat the monster. First he is just a regular human being and then he rips Grendel’s arm off and kills him. What normal human being could do that without the help of God. Then he travels to the lair of Grendel and Grendel’s mother to try and kill his mother and end the suffering of Hrothgar and his people for good. He travels there and kills grendel’s mother with a giants sword (The war against monsters) He killed both of them, but only with the help of

The time at which Beowulf was written also suggests that it could be a Christian story. This poem was written during the same time period Augustine converted King Ethelbert to Christianity. Beowulf was made to help Ethelbert’s followers better understand the Bible. The poem was written in a way that the people could relate too and because almost everyone was pagan, it makes the most since to write it pagan themed. Many

In the story of Beowulf, there are many elements of Christian philosophy. We frequently see themes such as fate and fame, which are strong pagan beliefs. Though also, these themes are references to God and the power of the Lord in Christian life. Beowulf contains several biblical references. References to Cain and the flood are the most direct, but Beowulf also frequently references praying to God and a savior. Examples such as man survives only through the protection of God, that all gifts are presented from God, and that a Godly man is to be humble and selfless, are in this Pagan work of literature. However, there is also a theme of pride within Beowulf which is at times causes disputes with Christian values in the text; pride vs. humbleness and sacrifice vs. selfishness. He also teaches the lessons of Christian philosophy: that wealth, accumulated through the grace of God, must be shared unselfishly. Throughout the story Beowulf repeatedly acknowledges God as his protector. When Beowulf relates his battle with Grendel's mother, he states “If God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal.” (1657-58). Further exemplified by the powerfully stated “But the Lord of Men allowed me to behold - for he often helps the unbefriended.“ (1661-62), there is a sense of faith regarding all of

Religious influences and connections are a huge part of Beowulf. There are two types of religion involved in this story, these religions are Pagan and Christian. Paganism is a religion concentrates on specific traditions, practices, or elements such as ecology, and witchcraft. Christian is a religion in which people believe that Jesus is the Son of God. An example from the story of Pagan would be Grendel. Grendel is created by slim of dead brother killed by another brother. An example of Christian would be a divine right, which is a king appointed by

While reading Beowulf, more so the modern English remake, one would not think in depth about the similarities that can be seen between the Bible and Beowulf. Fortunately for my fellow readers I have found an article titled, Beowulf, the Old Testament, and the Regula Fidei, that points out the many references of the Old Testament in Beowulf. According to Christopher M. Cain’s article, the poet of Beowulf was Christian and was utilizing the well-recognized legacy of epics to persuade Pagans into converting to Christianity.

Beowulf is actually a Christian and puts his faith in God in the story. In fact,

The heroic poem, Beowulf, is a reflection of many Anglo-Saxon ideals and concepts. This work was written after the Anglo-Saxons were already Christianized, but there were still acts of pagan culture at the time. This conversion from paganism to Christianity mixed a lot of the elements. Many Anglo-Saxons still had pagan beliefs, but tried to connect these beliefs with Christianity. Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The poem uses portions of Paganism and Christianity. Even though many Pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian influences override them. Beowulf should be considered not as a pagan text, but rather a Christian one because Christian values are considered the mainstay of this literary work.