Role Of Fate In Beowulf

In Beowulf, the people believe in wyrd, or fate, and that they truly do not have control of where their lives go. As Beowulf prepares for his journey to Hrothgar, he consults the elders, who approve because the omens are good (Beowulf 116-119). Beowulf also voices this belief while speaking to Hrothgar: “God must decide/Who will be given to death’s cold grip. . . Fate will unwind as it must!” (Beowulf 174-175, 189). Wyrd can also be referred to the will of God, as Christianity plays a part in the story.
In Grendel, the characters do not hold wyrd as their sole belief, but still receives representation. During Grendel’s encounter with the dragon, the dragon introduces nihilism: “If I burn down somebody’s meadhall. . . I do not change the future”