Beowulf Biblical Allusions Essay

The heroic and inspiring figure Jesus Christ empowers readers of the Bible and is widely known among the world, and especially in literature. His persona has been around for centuries, and has never failed to leave an impression in the hearts and minds of people. Anglo-Saxons were considered to be pagan, and they focused their beliefs on “wyrd,” or fate. This was unlike the biased Christian scop who told the epic story of “Beowulf,” who often mixed Christianity with Pagan beliefs in the plot of the work. Therefore, taking Christ and comparing him to the equally gallant and exciting hero Beowulf from the poem “Beowulf,” demonstrates the ways that the two figures share numerous similar qualities. In many ways, “Beowulf” has countless connections to the well-known Christian bible. The most obvious relation to the bible that “Beowulf” has is the link that the character Beowulf shows to Jesus Christ. Beowulf functions as the Jesus Christ figure in the poem, with explicit associations between the two heroes. Jesus Christ is known to be the savior to his people. He is kind and assists those in need. Beowulf shares this characteristic with Christ. Beowulf comes to Hrothgar to offer neighborly help with no selfish intentions in defeating the monster that has brought chaos to the Danes. In many ways Beowulf has been considered a savior to the Danes, and was highly regarded. The connection with Christ and Beowulf is apparent with this presentation of Christ and Beowulf’s character. Jesus Christ and Beowulf also share common fates. When all but one disciple abandoned Christ, he was left alone to die by the crucifix. There is a connection to this biblical event when Beowulf is an elder fighting the dragon. All of his comrades left him to die, with the exception of Wiglaf. These events bond the two figured together, and further prove Beowulf’s characterization to Jesus Christ. Christ also is destined to be at a constant battle with Satan. Beowulf is similar to this with