The Irony in the Ideal Hero

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.

Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.

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

In the poem Beowulf demonstrates to be an epic hero with morality, bravery, and selflessness as he shows that one must fight for the good of mankind not for the good of oneself. “Beowulf arose with his men around him, ordering a few to remain with their weapons” shows Beowulf arriving to the Danes. (Line 134-136) He is there to assist them in defeating the beast of all evil, Grendel. Grendel has converted the

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.

must decide who will be given to death's cold grip” (Heaney 38). He knows that God has already created an ending to this battle with Grendel, and he is lavished with peace. Beowulf holds a Christ-like behavior through his good heart and contributions. Beowulf understands the Danes oppression by the evil monster Grendel; just as Christ knew of the oppression of the Jewish people. Both set out to free and save their people from the burdens of hardship. To free themselves from the monster, the Danes needed a savior, and Beowulf, through his desire to end their suffering, comes to save them. A strong sense of heroic pride within Beowulf is also seen in conflict with Christianity. He knows that wealth, collected through the elegance of God, must be shared selflessly. Like many stories and poems written during this time, paganism and Christian values are disheveled. Beowulf moves flawlessly back and forth between the two worlds, which shows he was living comfortably among the two separate worlds. The Christian influences are easiest seen in the main characters dependence on God, even though he relies on his own strength to overcome his enemy, which is characterized as a pagan influence. The idea that Beowulf is this heroic man who had fame, fate, and revenge revolves around paganism itself. But deep inside the fame and vengeance, there are

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

The poem of Beowulf is supposedly about stories of dreams and legends, of monsters and of god-fashioned weapons. This poem gives a great example of good versus evil, basically between Christianity versus paganism comparisons. Beowulf gives much heroism by being brave, confident, and being bold to anybody who he meets; besides to his enemies. Beowulf knows that it pays to be loyal to good people, especially to the people who he saves. However, the man-eating monster named Grendel is described as a demon, a fiend, and just pure evil.

Originally written around the year 1000, and composed closer to the year 800, The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. It is assumed most people in the area had already been converted to Christianity, which provides the best explanation for why Beowulf contains a large number of Christian influences for the story to have taken place when it did. Beowulf contrasts from other medieval poems, as they tend to be either exclusively Christian, Pagan, or be secular in views. However, Beowulf did not directly fit into any of these molds, as it depicted a fusion of Pagan and Christian virtues. Some see the story of Beowulf as one that portrays Pagan customs, and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and Pagan elements in the poem to depict Beowulf, and the monsters he faced; Beowulf utilized some Pagan customs, though was willing to die for his cause, using the help of God.

In the essay, The Symbol of Good Is Used in Both Grendel and Beowulf, Beowulf’s character is compared to God and Beowulf himself acts as his champion. Because of this, Beowulf is made out to be the good hero. Beowulf is considered the Christian ideal of a good and noble hero. He uses God as his strength to help him through trials. Beowulf is even compared to Jesus Christ, though it is never made directly in the text.

Some may believe the poem Beowulf is mostly Christian, that stemming from the belief that the author is an anonymous Christian monk. Others, however, believe it is a pagan poem while reading the ideologies it possesses. Beowulf is one of the first known English works, and is an important literature piece for cultures all over. When originally written, it was in Old English and has been translated to modern day English, and other languages for many to read. This epic poem treats and develops universal ideas. Some of these include heroes and heroism, the Christ-like figure Beowulf represents, the holiness Hrothgar possesses, and the battle of good and evil. This poem is a great example of the coexistence of ideas, and how to bring them together.

The poem, “Beowulf,” is one of the earliest poems that is still in existence today. It was written by a Christian monk, based on an Anglo-Saxon story. Although there are many contrasting pagan elements in the story, there are many Christian aspects as well. Christianity is presented in Beowulf through the character of Beowulf, the suggestion of God as the reason for success, and the references to stories of the Bible.

The author writes about the values of Christian morals through his individuality. Beowulf is depicted as a superhero. Beowulf’s fearlessness and belief can be seen throughout the entire poem. The author presents what the other characters opinion of Beowulf in (Lines 114-119), “None of the wise ones regretting his going, much As he was loved by the Geats: the omens were good, And they urged the adventure on”. Beowulf can be represented as a biblical hero. Beowulf defatted many difficult problems that others would not even plan to take on.

Beowulf is not just a poem, but an ancient masterpiece that gives the reader an insight into the foreign Anglo-Saxon culture of the Fifth Century. Beowulf tells the story of a warrior, of the same name, that proves his valiancy and heroicness through his actions in particular situations. Several other characters of greatness prove characteristics that were pillars of the culture at that time. These events, in the epic poem involving Beowulf and the people around him, establish several key values in this ancient culture including reputation, generosity, and bravery.

Man can only survive with the protection of God. With the arrival of Christianity, our society has made many changes to accommodate its demands. This requires putting all of one’s faith in Him otherwise, we would have no purpose. Not only have our lifestyles adapted to this shift, but it has also affected our literature. Christianity's values, morals, and beliefs have influenced much of history's literature and continues to have an impact on today’s as well. This can be clearly seen in the heroic epic of “Beowulf”. By including Christian references in the poem, Beowulf is able to highlight the key characteristics of Christianity such as faith, loyalty, and courage.