Beowulf In the story of Beowulf‚ written by an anonymous writer between 700 and 1000 A.D‚ there are many references to Paganism and Christianity. People believed that the writer of this poem was indeed a Christian even though he held strong Pagan views. Many ask the question is Beowulf a Pagan or a Christian hero‚ but the real question to be asked is what is the true religion behind this English epic poem? Although there are many Christian references in the poem‚ they are only used in order to
Premium Christianity Beowulf Paganism
Having read the epic‚ Beowulf‚ this question came up: Is Beowulf a fundamentally Christian or pagan story? Many may argue‚ but the epic‚ Beowulf‚ is most definitely a Christian story. Pointing out what makes up a Christian or pagan story will explain this most clearly. In a Christian story‚ it must have these elements: First of all‚ the story must have at least one of the characters believe in the one true God. Christ founded the Christians so the Christians must believe in what He says. Since
Premium God
Beowulf: Christian or Pagan Beliefs? Beowulf is one of the longest and oldest epic poems written in English‚ it may have been composed more than twelve hundred years ago. Beowulf has been spoken orally for hundreds of years. It was not thought to be written down until 750 A.D. It is widely believed that Beowulf is the work of a single poet‚ who was a Christian and the poem reflects a well established Christian tradition. The poem is said to have Christian beliefs but have a pagan theme throughout
Premium Virtue Epic poetry Beowulf
mourn" (45). Christian and pagan ideals are the motivation for vengeance in "Grendel’s Mother’s Attack." It is hard to ignore the Christian and pagan elements of Beowulf. These elements‚ that have been so uniquely combined in the poem‚ define the heroic warrior‚ Beowulf‚ and the evil menace‚ Grendel’s mother. The reader is introduced to Grendel’s mother through her lineage. "From [Cain] sprang many a devil sent by fate"(43). From this quotation alone we can see the fusion of Christian and pagan elements
Free Beowulf Grendel Christianity
Beowulf‚ an epic poem from around 1000 AD‚ has a mixture of Christian and Pagan ideas. Both of these elements combine together to make this a coherent poem. There are some aspects of Beowulf from a Christian standpoint‚ such as him being a good man and acts as if he is fearless and noble when fighting for his people. He also shows points from a Pagan view like craving the amounts of fame he will receive when he defeats another monster. The poem shows both sides when Beowulf refers to his victory
Premium Christianity God Jesus
Cara Chards CHRISTIAN AND PAGAN ELEMENTS IN BEOWULF The poem Beowulf is full of Pagan and Christian elements‚ this combination gave place to many discutions about the origin of the poem. On the one hand some scholars have said that this is the result of a transcription made by some monks where they added the christian elements‚ on the other hand it is believed that the poem was written in a period in which the Anglo-Saxons were being converted from their worship of Germanic Pagan gods to the Christian
Premium Beowulf Anglo-Saxons England
Though Beowulf is almost entirely Pagan there are certain unexplained christian references that seem out of place. While there are no actual references to Jesus Christ there are some references to god that don’t seem to go along with the rest of the story. Scholars have several different theories as to why these references show up in Beowulf but no one knows for sure. Beowulf was most likely written down after the Anglo-Saxons had been christianized. But the actual story of beowulf was likely around
Premium Paganism Beowulf Grendel
"Beowulf" is an exhilarating epic poem about a hero with superhuman strength who has overcome many creatures‚ creatures who were thought to be invincible. The battle between good and evil is constantly illustrated throughout the poem. Good overcomes evil and Beowulf is still portrayed today as both a pagan and Christian hero. First‚ Beowulf is portrayed as a pagan hero. Beowulf is known to have superhuman strength and he is "greater and stronger than anyone in the world" (110-111). He is illustrated
Premium Hero Good and evil Beowulf
past events. Written down in approximately 1‚000 A.D. by an unknown author‚ Beowulf‚ originally a pagan fable‚ became a Christian allegory upon its transcription by Christian monks. However‚ as scholars have debated over the religious context in Beowulf‚ the attempts by the monks to turn the epic poem into a Christian parable ended merged‚ including both original and Christian aspects. Throughout Beowulf‚ the epic combines pagan ideals of fate or wyrd and the will of God‚ the similar concepts of the
Premium Beowulf
September 2014 The Pagan Saint‚ Beowulf Beowulf‚ the first epic‚ was a story of honor‚ tradition‚ and faith. The poem was originally a pagan oral tradition‚ being passed along from one to another by word of mouth‚ and never being written. Later on it was written down by monks who felt the need to Christianize the story‚ and remove some pagan elements. In later years‚ the old manuscripts were translated into English by Seamus Heaney. Beowulf seems to have characteristics of pagan beliefs‚ but also
Premium Paganism Beowulf Christianity