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 afterlife‚
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Gousia Shoukat English 1B Professor Ritz 12/05/2011 Response to “Pagan’s Night” Kate Braverman’s “Pagan Night” is a story about a young woman named Sunny who departs with her boyfriend after their band breaks up. They are living in a van and have an unplanned child. Sunny attempts to give it a name‚ however she is unable to do so. Throughout the story she has urges to kill the baby and make her boyfriend content as he had not wanted this child in the first place. This story is reflective of the
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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
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"hero" becomes a hero by overcoming some "bad" qualities or bad in themselves. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight‚ Gawain battles within himself. Sir Gawain is faced by the challenge of the Green Knight. The Green Knight appears in King Arthur’s court and gives an open invitation to anyone there "to strike one stroke for another" (Weston‚ 4) with his well made axe‚ a challenge Gawain takes to save Arthur‚ but the Green Knight is not the biggest enemy that the "hero" must overcome. The hero is generally
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Pagan vs. Christian The holy Catholic Religion had a drastic Christian like impact on the barbarian‚ Viking Pagans of the Anglo-Saxon Age in England (Elements of Literature 11). The Catholics evolved the aggressive Pagan Vikings into a peaceful society (Williams). Also‚ the Catholics substituted their warlike religion and after-life to a more holy and Christian like religion (Chaney 197-217). Along with the altering of the Pagan society and religion‚ the Catholics also transformed the Pagans
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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
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Beowulf is an epic poem with pagan origins‚ yet it is rife with Christian elements. The second quotation from the first part assigns fate as the ruler of all men‚ a distinctly non-Christian view. Additionally‚ the gaining of earthly treasures as rewards for virtuous conduct‚ here the spoils from a defeated enemy‚ is not heroic in any Christian sense. Christians advocate the advancement of spiritual rather than worldly treasure. By seeking worldly fame rather than eternal salvation‚ Beowulf
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Heroes‚ small or epic have had an impact on literature through the ages and have shaped classic Characters Such as Macduff from The Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare‚ Beowulf from Beowulf‚ and Sir Gawain from Sir Gawain and the green knight by Pearl Poet; Going over parts of their stories might explain the influence heroism has had on literature from the past. First‚ MacDuff from the tragedy of Macbeth. MacDuff the mighty hero who stood up to their tyrant for his loved ones and for the country he
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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 in a way in which destruction shall never knock at his door. Thus‚ setting the stage for Grendel’s annihilation. His strength is categorized as a pagan element because with this strength‚ he does not need anyone else to help
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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
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