A Clash of Cultures and Mythoi

When two civilizations as disparate as the Celts and Anglo-Saxons collide, the ideas and perceptions of one will inevitably affect the other. These cultures had 600 years to interact with each other until the Normans came A.D. 1066, and the mix of the Celts’ Christianity and the Anglo-Saxon’s pagan belief system intermingled to create many interesting literary works. Perhaps most notable of these is Beowulf. With its blended Christian/pagan mythos and epic fight scenes, it has been a topic of discussion for centuries. Beowulf’s most impressive feat, however, is its ability to incorporate two very distinct ideologies without distorting either too heavily. From its gripping start to its morose ending, Beowulf maintains a consistent tone that balances Christianity with the Germanic heroic code.

The poem’s eponymous protagonist is the best example of this. His daring boasts and fearlessness in battle demonstrate his qualities as a hero, but his references to God throughout the story show his beliefs to be more complex than that of a pagan’s. After boasting about fighting the demonic Grendel with his bare hands in lines 264-269 of the poem, he claims that, “God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip.” Later in the story, Beowulf is directly compared God during the battle with Grendel when Grendel discovers “what it meant to feud with Almighty God.” Then, during the epic’s second battle, the story claims that God, along with Beowulf’s chainmail armor, protected him from a potentially fatal blow. Not only is Beowulf protected by God, but it could be said that Beowulf is the deliverer of God’s vengeance to the malevolent Grendel and Grendel’s vile mother.

However, there are just as many indicators that Christianity was not t...

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...e found within many parts of Beowulf, from Beowulf’s implicit role as messenger of God’s vengeance to Grendel’s portrayal as a being of pure evil. It is this mix of two very separate ideologies and mythologies that give Beowulf such a unique appeal. From these two very dissimilar cultures, the Celts and the Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf gleaned the best traits of each and created a hero that is as fascinating as he is complex.

I can only speculate as to the intent of Beowulf’s author. Whether he simply wanted to write an epic or longed to create something with more depth and complexity is unknown to me. It is possible that these conflicting ideologies are merely a product of a developing society; a society still searching for spiritual guidance wherever it can find it, but I find that unlikely. Beowulf was not written carelessly, and details were not included haphazardly.