Cultural Differences Between Beowulf And Grendel

When the reader is first introduced to Beowulf they may notice the Christ-like qualities shown through his actions, victories, and his personality. Beowulf was very well respected and loved, just as Jesus was. To most, Beowulf was a hero and was worshiped for his defeats. These similarities are evident just as the novel opens up, and all throughout the story as well. One particular line stuck out to me while comparing Beowulf to Jesus, “ Hell’s captive caught in the arms of him who of all men on Earth was the strongest (Cantos11, 225-230)”. That line in Beowulf is a perfect example of how highly the people of Geatland view Beowulf, and how Beowulf can be compared to Jesus. Here, the author is describing Beowulf as the strongest man on Earth, something that we Christians believe Jesus is and always has been.

In Beowulf he is not interested in being Christian or following the Christian morals, Beowulf is stuck in between his Christian backbone to help the people and his selfish prize of paganism. Even though he wants respect from Christians he has a passion and drive for fighting.

Christianity was still in a transitional stage and Beowulf illustrated certain Christian values. "Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none / Nor will I” (Beowulf 168). Beowulf wants to battle at an equal level against Grendel which shows he is fair and

One theme worth investigating in the Epic Poem of Beowulf is the aspect of tensions and rivalries between the Pages and the new formed religion of Christianity. During the Anglo-Saxon period, the war between Christianity. During the Anglo-Saxon period the war between Christianity and Paganism was extremely divided. Beowulf expresses this tension through the use of its characters. In Beowulf, who is Giddish, is a Pagan. However, the monsters and other characters in Beowulf, were of Biblical Characters. Some even say that the writer of Beowulf was a Christian. This topic is worth investigating because it highlights the struggles and context in which Beowulf was written. This was a time in which where violence and conflict were rampant because

Of all the great heroes in epics and movies alike, each one of them has his or her great traits as well as fatal flaws. Unfortunately, our hero’s fatal flaw is losing faith in God and he loses his life because of that. In the epic Beowulf, many references to Paganism and Christianity are found throughout the tale due to the author’s belief that faith in God assures victory whereas faith in paganism assures defeat.

There are many religious influences and implications in Beowulf, ranging from the characters, to their journeys and their religious beliefs. One of the main religious implications is Beowulf himself, in the text Beowulf appears as a “Christ-like” figure.

The audience will agree that Beowulf is a warrior of generosity, courage, and hospitality which practically defines the Anglo-Saxon heroic code. However, the audience will realize that he is a man of God if they reflect upon his reason which ensures those values. It is understood that Beowulf is as selfless as they come during a time of fear and despair. Beowulf contains an undisclosed characteristic known as fear and employs the courage required to defeat the demons that people have become apprehended to. Of course, others would argue that Beowulf is simply a new follower of Christ and that his morals fall along the lines of Paganism. However, the audience ought to realize that his death from fighting the dragon proves his humanity and that

In Beowulf, the author implements Christianity throughout the novel to express their strong beliefs on Christianity. Therefore religion’s role in the novel is to attempt to convert readers, which is shown through the character’s actions, thus creating religious symbolism. This is shown in the novel in various ways: before anything is done, God is always put first; and where Grendel and his mother live symbolizes separation from God. When Beowulf goes and fights Grendel’s mother, and Beowulf himself dies saving the people of his land, are just a few symbols of Christianity in the novel. The author placed such Christian emphasis into the epic to show how important religion was in people’s lives back then, and their

The names of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. are known worldwide. They have lead many fighting what they believe in. One man many people think of when being a leader to fight for his beliefs of the people is Jesus Christ. Jesus is loved by many and hated by the powerful, just like these three other men, but their is one comparison that has been made to a certain protagonist of ancient times. In the epic poem ,Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, is a leader who fights for the betterment of society while being the one that many look up to. Beowulf is a Christ-like figure because of his selfless leadership to protect others, not for himself. Beowulf is seen as a Christ-like figure because he is unearthly . Jesus and Beowulf are leaders who make loving decisions and

The story began as a cultural fable, and as time went on, its message was tainted more and more by Europeans. In doing so, they hoped to accomplish two tasks: the first of which was spreading the message of the Catholic church, and the second of which was to increase its size. The listeners of the story of Beowulf had no choice but to be completely manipulated by a fabricated truth added to the story by Christian monks. To give the Europeans credit, they did believe that they were saving the Scandinavians from themselves, and it did not take much to absolutely flip the culture of people who are illiterate. However, the absolute inversion of Scandinavian culture is a sad and relevant example of how people believe that their convictions are the only ones that matter. Upon examination of the story of Beowulf, as is, it is simple to see that the influence of Christianity was heavy at the time. To this day, it plays a pivotal role in the storyline, and for that reason, we, as literary researchers, will never know how the original story of Beowulf was

elements found in Beowulf and how this depicted culture in the early medieval ages. Broadly

Beowulf is an archetypal character within a legendary piece of text. He embodies the conglomerate of many Anglo Saxon values expressed throughout his heroic journey. Contrived by the mighty Northern Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is the manifestation of the Anglo Saxon ideals. This work of art helps us identify and analyze Beowulf’s ideals in a way that lets us deduce the values of the Anglo Saxon society. Examination of this poem lets us familiarize ourselves about a society obsessed with religion, vengeance and war-lust beings. They idolized the warrior code, an abundance of warrior like traits that portrayed you as noble as can be, a fundamental aspect of life for the Anglo Saxons. So let us leap into the fabric of time and take a peek into the Anglo Saxon civilization.

Not surprisingly, in the poem Beowulf, the characters of Grendel and Beowulf showed the significant role of religion. Biblical allusions were scattered throughout the poem. The alienated character Grendel was a descendant “of Cain (who was) punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death.” Due to their blood connection to Cain, Grendel’s parents were “murderous creatures banished by God.” God has exiled all monsters; shunned them away from the prosperous lives of humans. This made Grendel an outcast to the society of God worshipers. Unlike the Germanic tribes that roamed the earth above him, Grendel lived with the sole purpose of “opposing the Lord’s Will, and again and again defeated.” Meanwhile, as he was born human, the heroic character Beowulf was considered to be a descendant of the Lord. He was also a firm follower of God, always believing in His mysterious ways. Beowulf’s devotion and fate to the Lord above was especially evident when he believed that God was the one who showed him the sword made by the Giants, which he used to defeat Grendel’s mother. The portrayal of someone who constantly defied the will of God by the alienated character Grendel and the embodiment of the heroic character Beowulf as someone who greatly admired the Lord show the value of practicing religion in the Anglo-Saxon

Beowulf is an epic story that relates well to the time that it was presented by having the stories of the epic fights and the thrashings of beasts that kept everybody engaged amid this time. Beowulf presents its audience with extremely intriguing characters, topics, and images that help show us lessons that are particularly required in today 's general public. Beowulf shows us strength through the various characters, for example, Beowulf himself that are consistent with his pledge and fearless, and it likewise indicates us images that give a picture of God and the trust that he conveys to the general population that demonstrate his strength.

Stop and think for a moment, what is your idea of a hero? What characteristics make up this hero? When reading the story Beowulf it can be discovered that a hero has strength, loyalty, and courage to endure all of their battles. With these qualities it made the story have a more Christian aspect, such as when he gave thanks to God when he safely crossed the sea, the character Grendel is a descendant of Cain, and Beowulf is a Christ like figure.