For many centuries, Literature critics have constantly debated on whether it was more inspired by Pagan or Christian beliefs. These said critics have constantly been trying to differentiate between the symbolism used to describe the Pagan symbols and Christian symbols within the halls of Horathgar and the Castle lived in by the King of the Geats. These symbols can be argued to symbolize Pagan or Christian symbolism due to the fact that they can either describe the beliefs of Pagan or Christians. These include but don’t exclude; the heroic might of an epic hero, being portrayed as a Christian or Pagan hero. Examples of Pagan beliefs will include the following of Wyrd the Pagan belief in fate. Examples of Christianity will be Beowulf’s dislike …show more content…
The king of the Geats, Beowulf is portrayed as the son of a great military leader who is respected and well known for his and his father’s valor in battle. The tale of Beowulf in a race with a man from another country in the ocean is one of Beowulf’s personal victories against a creature that is clearly unable to be taken down by a single man. The seas creatures were attacking Beowulf and yet he still slew them; however he lost the race for the other man continued leaving Beowulf to the sea monsters. This just enunciates the fact that Beowulf is a clear and set epic hero. The traits of an epic hero can be aligned with a figure of faith within either Pagan or Christian belief. The creatures could be seen as the sins that keep man-kind from living a full and sin free life, these creatures (sins) that stopped Beowulf from winning the race (a sin free life), this could easily be a representation of the temptations of everyday life only expressed in a more grotesque and terrifying form. The creatures are terrifying yet are beat able. Beowulf’s strength could be represented as faith, for those with strong faith could possibly overcome these temptations that haunt everyday men and women. The faith to overcome the challenges of temptation is a religious belief that sins are a manifestation of the devils ability to coerce you into the wrong path, sending yourself to him, rather than to god. This belief generally is not followed strictly simply because man has decided not to because we are mortal and what point would we have these thing if the religion people follow cause you to lead a less fulfilling life. Religious people argue that faith creates a fulfilling life, yet there are so many thing that a single person could complete before their time comes. The progression of Christianity and Pagan beliefs within Beowulf are contradictory of modern belief
In the epic Beowulf, the reader can clearly find the very distinct conflicts, although some go unnoticed. This poem came to be around the birth of Christianity and the dying out of paganism. In Beowulf, the battles between the monsters and the warriors are interpreted as a battle between the old way of faith and the coming of Christianity. Beowulf himself comes across many conflicts of his own. A literary critic, Alfred Bammesberger, analyzed the person who gives Beowulf the idea to go to Herot and fight Grendel, “.... Beowulf wanting to fight single-handed and challenge Grendel based on the information he had given to his uncle, the Great King Hygelac” (Bammesberger). The Danish king asks not for help however, Beowulf goes anyways. While he has many physical battles with enemies, he also has internal conflicts that seem to hold heavy in his mind. These conflicts include but are not limited to, “Battle of Grendel”, “The Battle with Grendel’s Mother” and “The Last Battle.”
It is common opinion that Beowulf was written by a Christian poet. This was probably true because at the time when it was written, most of the few people who knew how to read and write were in the clergy. There are various references within the poem to elements of the Christian religion. However, the story is about Pagan people and certain aspects of their culture are even glorified. The ambiguity of Beowulf’s religious content has caused confusion as to what significance religion had in inspiring the author and in what manner the author meant to inspire or influence his audience. I do not think that Beowulf is a Christian allegory because Beowulf had very little in common with the Biblical figure of Jesus Christ. I think that religion was not the primary thematic concern of the writer. Although there are discrepancies between the two styles of thinking, Beowulf seems to praise values which were considered moral and good among all humanity, both Christian and Pagan.
Beowulf Authors often use events and things to symbolize stages in someone's life. Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing meaning of significance to objects, events, or relationships. In the anonymous epic, Beowulf, Beowulf fights Grendel, the monsters of the ocean and Grendel's mother. Beowulf's battles with theses three evils symbolize the youth and adulthood of Beowulf's life.
The use of religion in the story alludes to the fact that Beowulf is a Christ figure by showing the reader that God has sent Beowulf to defeat Grendel, similar to how Jesus was sent to Earth to absolve people of sin. In the following quote, Beowulf is fighting Grendel and the narrator describes God’s impact on Beowulf. “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him/ But Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength,/ The wondrous gifts God had showered on him:/ He relied for help on the Lord of All,/ On His care and favour. So he overcame the foe, /brought down the hell-brute” (Beowulf 1269-1274). The “ wondrous gifts” that God had bestowed upon
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 Christian religion.
In this religion, Christians believe that: no one can survive and be protected without the faith of believing in God, that the son of God is to be humble and unselfish, and that the life that one life and happiness was given to them by God. Beowulf a New Telling was originally written in Paganism then converted to Christianity. Christianity and Paganism are very close religions. There are many discussions rather Beowulf has Element of Christianity or not. People say that Beowulf represents God through his leadership, and risking his life for the peoples benefit, much like God did. Although others believe that Beowulf's heroic pride for defeating the demons, comes in conflicts with the Christian values. When Beowulf is taking on the monster, he says “Grendel, child of Cain, come down into Heortot. I am Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. I am Beowulf, not afraid of you. I am Beowulf, come to kill you!”(Nye 69). As people know too much pride in oneself will lead to a decline in the person's life. Beowulf is continually referring back to God as his savior in this book, Beowulf talks about his battle with Grendel's mother and says that he would have died if it wasn't for God guarding him. People thrilled of the win, “His men were too astonished to rise a cheer. Some fell on their knees and offered thanks to God” (Nye 122). Meaning with someone’s dedication to the faith of God, with his protection you will be safe. Much like God, he sacrifices to die on the cross for his people and the future, Beowulf sacrifices his life while fighting the dragon for his
is a human attribute that will apply to any time period anywhere. In the incident with Unferth, for example: "angry that anyone in Denmark or anywhere on earth had ever acquired glory and fame greater than his own"(236-238) tries to belittle Beowulf’s claims to bravery, and, by doing so, adds realistic qualities to his character. Belief Divine or supernatural notions are also tendencies of human nature. The poem reflects this ageless concern through references to "that Shepherd of Evil" (432) and "[sacrifices] to the old stone gods" (90). These are both conflicting allusions to the two prominent religions of the time. One pertains to Christian ideology; i.e. "The Almighty God" (493), and "the Almighty making the earth" (8), and the other relates to Anglo Saxon religious beliefs; i.e., "the omens were good" (118) and "fate will unwind as it must," (189). The poem alludes to Christianity, a monotheistic religion that rejects ideas of fate.
Beowulf wants to help Hrothgar because he realizes that despite current rivalries, he has a commitment to serving humankind. He also wants a chance to show off his prowess more people, and wants the admiration.Hrothgar is able to save face because Beowulf comes to him asking permission to slay Grendel. When worded this way, it makes it seems as if the king was the mastermind behind the operation, and was the one who made the decision to have Grendel slain.The number twelve has many religious connotations, including, but not limited to, the twelve days of Christmas, the twelve apostles, and the twelve tribes of Israel. By using the number 12, the transcriber is able to pay homage to his christianity.Beowulf wants to stay inside to fight Grendel
Beowulf is one of those stories that make the reader think. Although the unknown author of Beowulf develops the main protagonist to represent both paganism and Christianity, the ideals conflict and create a unique epic poem. Throughout the story, the reader sees a mix of Christian and pagan ideals telling a story of an epic hero. Because the reader cannot decipher whether he is pagan or Christian, it is only logical to assume he represents both. The author develops Beowulf to speak as if the two religions work together to create one. Although it is hard for the reader to understand, Beowulf seems to understand exactly what he believes in. The author clearly knew what he was doing when he wrote Beowulf into life. Beowulf's beliefs made him into the great epic hero that he is.
These lines use vivid detail to show symbolism to Christianity by specifically stating how Grendel was born from the first murderer of Christianity. In addition to using characters from Beowulf as a symbol of Christianity, the epic uses various situations to symbolize the Christian beliefs of the Anglo Saxons. One example of the way Beowulf uses situation as a symbol of Christianity is when Beowulf decapitates Grendel and uses the head of his malevolent victim as a token of his combat. Staver reports, “In the Bible there are examples of trophy heads, like the stories of Goliath an...
One of the first literary work studied by our class was “Beowulf,” the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The poem is packed full of Christian and Pagan elements that are constantly fighting for the dominant position. In order to understand these thematic elements portrayed throughout “Beowulf,” we must first discover
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
to have been composed between 700 and 750. "No one knows who composed Beowulf ,
Beowulf has been estimated to have been written over twelve hundred years ago. According to The Norton Anthology Of English Literature, “It is now widely believed that Beowulf is the work of a single poet who was a Christian and that his poem reflects a well-established Christian tradition,” (37). This conclusion was likely drawn by accounting for the time at which Beowulf was written and factoring in most people in the area of where it was believed to be written had already been converted to Christianity. In a way, this provides the best explanation for why Beowulf contains a high level of Christian influences for the story to have taken place when it did. Dr. J. Michael Stitt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas says that, “Much of this epic poem is dedicated to conveying and exemplifying the heroic code which values such attributes as strength, courage and honor. Conflicting with this ideology are other factors such as Christianity, and these tensions affect the lives and decisions of the narrative's characters.” If the one of the main focuses in Beowulf is the heroic code and the heroic code convicts with the authors beliefs than why did he write it? This is not to say that authors do not write about things that they ...