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.
Through the epic Beowulf, the reader realizes the author’s use of paganism and christianity is to reflect the idea that putting faith in worldly things and not putting faith in God leads to a person’s ultimate demise. It is through God that Beowulf had such a successful and blessed life. It is through ungodly things that Beowulf ended up dying a tragic death as the epic
Beowulf found out the dragon had been awakened by a thief, and that the dragon was roaming around Geatland harming people and destroying buildings including Beowulf’s home. “Then Beowulf was given bad news, a hard truth: his own home, the best buildings, had been burnt to a cinder, the throne-room of the Geats” (2324-2327). Beowulf did not want the dragon hurting any of his people so he took it upon himself as king to protect his people even if he knew that he would probably not make it out alive. Everything Beowulf did was for his people, “I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been allowed to leave my people” (2795-2797). By Beowulf getting this treasure and dying by killing the dragon is almost similar to how Jesus died on the cross to save everyone, Beowulf also saves his people.
He also suggests that the poem reflects the preChristian past [Tolkein, 1936]3. The text further gives evidence of it being a Christian poem when after slaying the slave, Beowulf presents to Hrothgar the hilt of his sword on which was engraved the slaying of giants as depicted in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 6:4, Beowulf, lines 1690-950)[Bodek,2004]. The question of whether Beowulf is a Christian or pagan poem is still largely debated. However, this confusion does not take away the central characteristics of the poem, which is its epic descriptions of war, its vivid imagery and glorifying of a hero which later acted as a style for poets and dramatists to personify their
This story follows how the narrator of Beowulf struggles between the Christian beliefs and values of the narrator and the Pagan activates done by the charterers in the story. The narrator however does say he believes that Beowulf would have been Pagan, but still thinks that the trust Beowulf has in God makes him a Christian. There are many references to God in this story. For example in Beowulf it states “Afterwards a boy-child was sent to Shield, a cub in the yard, a comfort sent by
The Wyrd Cross between Christianity and Fate in Beowulf/Grendel The poem Beowulf, authored by an anonymous person, remains to be one of the oldest epics in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The poem serves as an important influence for later literature; the novel Grendel by John Gardner is one example. The settings of Beowulf and Grendel are a result of the assimilation of Christianity into the Anglo-Saxon pagan religion. Not only did the Anglo-Saxons belief in spiritual predestination but also in fatalism. As a result of the combination of pagan and Christian beliefs in Beowulf and Grendel, the characters are heavily influenced by the concept of "fate.” This belief system describes all things as being predetermined and known to occur.
Beowulf is an epic poem written many centuries ago about a legendary Anglo-Saxon figure named Beowulf. The epic tells of his struggles and battles as well as his life story. Beowulf is an example of a stereotypical Anglo-Saxon hero; this is shown through the qualities of his character, such as his physical strength and his moral fiber. Beowulf demonstrates the qualities that are deemed as important by the Anglo-Saxon people, such as compassion, strength, honor, glory, and courage. These qualities in Beowulf can be used as lessons that can be transferred to modern life; these lessons, such as the importance of integrity, loyalty, and courage, are still applicable to everyday life in the modern world.
The movie Beowulf and Grendel takes the classic Beowulf, which mentions God and fate frequently, and gives him a more modern ideology. The movie makes Beowulf out to be somewhat agnostic and skeptical towards God showing how our cultures have changed through time from being ardently religious and relying on fate, to religion playing a lesser role and fate not determining everything. In the epic, Beowulf speaks frequently about how God aided him in his struggles and battles. For example, when Beowulf comes back to Heorot after killing Grendel’s mother and decapitating Grendel, he begins to tell Hrothgar what happened when he was battling Grendel’s mother. He said that it was a hard and potentially fatal battle and that, although his sword Hrunting is a very tough sword, he could not use it in battle (his intense strength would break the normal sword).
Stories and life lessons have been passed on from generation to generation for years on end and. Beowulf is one story that originated in Anglo-Saxon times and was passed on through scopes to show how a thane should act and to share the traditions of their culture. Over time the story changed to fit the society it was being told to. The poem is about a valiant hero who fights with honor and dignity where the movie shows a drunken king and a lustful hero. While Beowulf, the movie, and Beowulf, the poem, share some similarities, the differences in Grendel, Beowulf, and the role of women demonstrate the values and beliefs of Anglo Saxon society and today’s society.
The Christian influence in Beowulf’s epic adds certain meaning and connotations for the events that are happening within the story. Without it, many implications written would hold no meaning, and instead appear to be completely random and without any reason. In Beowulf’s fight against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf managed to survive a fatal blow due to miracles created by God (Seamus, pg 107). If Christianity is taken out and God is removed from the story, Beowulf’s survival would’ve been very unlikely or he was truly lucky. A moment after, however, Beowulf stumbled upon a lucky encounter once again; a godsend sword that is able to slay Grendel’s mother was just hanging around the cave walls (pg.