Comparing Beowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

Pagans Converting to Christians

Have you seen the movie Thor with Chris Hemsworth? Did you know that Thor is one of the most popular Gods in Norse Mythology. It dated back from the time “Beowulf” by Anonymous Poet was written by in the 6th century. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Anonymous Poet was written in 14th Century later on but converting to Christianity was still happening. This lead to the poem showing “Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was in each of the characters, is a struggle of inner conflict. Also, including living in those eras show the societies change and transition of leaving the worshipping of Gods, and instead having a deity that is their new heroic God. There is a similarity that these two poems

convey in their times of societal conversion. Both of these poems contain the transition of converting to Christianity and still having to respect the Chivalrous paganistic code of their ancestors.
In “Beowulf” he has a noble king Hrothgar that advises him in the passage:
His old possessions seem paltry to him now.
He covets and resents: dishonors custom
and bestows no gold; and because of good things
that the Heavenly Powers gave him in the past
he ignores the shape of things to come
Then finally the end arrives
when the body he was lent collapses and falls
prey to its death; ancestral possessions
and the goods he hoarded are inherited by another
who lets them go with a liberal hand. (Unknown Poet 1748- 1758)
In the passage Hrothgar is telling “Beowulf” that God is more eternal than treasures that you are given.

Just so you know that we all come to and end in death none of us is spared. So in the Heorot Hall the kings praise their noble knights by awarding them gold treasures, and big feasts of beer and lots of food. In the poem, that it was a transcending time because it was the introduction of Christianity. Paganism was a worship of different Gods and lineage, chivalry, and reputation was extremely important. It showed the ranks of families based on a heroic deed. Here was a deity that entered in their belief system. He was portrayed heroic warrior, in which was stronger than any other paganistic God. Beowulf couldn’t understand having an eternal life with peace. He wanted to keep on getting the gold treasure, the women, the fighting of demons or monsters that no on else can kill. In the end, when Beowulf was older in the poem he knew Hrothgar was right, and Beowulf knew his time was going to end when the dragon came and attacked. He surrrenderred himself where death was next and he no longer can protect his people. In the next section it shows how “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was also conflicted between being godly or being

chivalrous.
So in this poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Sir Gawain uses his heroic code of chivalry which was not to sleep with another mans woman. In his return, he has a sashe worn around on his neck to show that is he is guilty of not being completely honest of having a girdle of this hostess. In this passage his return to his town he explains the consequences of accepting the girdle:
The nick to his neck has healed by now;
Slantwise, as a sash, from shoulder to side,
Laced in a knot looped below his left arm,
as a sign that his honor was stained by sin.
(Unknown Poet 2484-2488)
Courtly¬-Love was used a lot in the middle ages in which Knights were not allowed to get married. So when the knights had found a lover they would usually receive a gift. Marge le Fay had told him that the girdle has special powers if accepted. So he did, and but he lied to Bertilak in which that led him to the nip on his neck and the sashay worn on him for the rest of his life as a sign of guilt. He did not know what to do at the time his inner conflict was with chastity by refusing Morgan le Fays advances towards him that was the code of chivalry. But yet, he had lied and that was contrary to the belief of being a virtous man with God. So that shows that Knight can not be exactly perfect in a time were beaheading was a game and having a lover was allowed. In the next section I will discuss the history of both of the poems combined.