Throughout literature, many writers have alluded to stories in the Bible. Whether it's from the Old Testament or the New Testament, writers have paid references to Biblical stories. In literary analysis, this is called an allusion. The Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary defines an allusion as a reference, especially a covert, or indirect one (37). In the case of Beowulf, the allusion is referring to instances in the Bible. The specific references are to stories told in the Old Testament. During the time period of the poet of Beowulf, there were many Anglo-Saxon pagans. The pagans are people not subscribing to any of the major religions of the world. At this time, the new religion of Christianity also came about in this region. Religion, therefore, is taught through stories, such as those of the Old Testament. The Beowulf poet incorporates Old Testament allusions in order to teach the Anglo-Saxon pagans about the new religion.
             The first Biblical allusion told in the epic poem is about Cain. Cain was a character in the Old Testament who committed the first murder. He had grown so jealous of his brother that he murdered him. In the Judeo-Christian world, he represents the first real evil act committed by man against another man. This is alluded to by the story of the Grendel monster. For many years, the Grendel monster terrorized the people of Herat. He came in and killed the inhabitants by slashing and even eating some of them. This act is much like the act that Cain committed and therefore Grendel's actions can be traced back to Cain. Grendel is a descendant of Cain because he committed the same act of murder. The Grendel monster also did not have a very promising life. His life contained no positive outlooks. He lived in his abode only to go out of it to kill and plunder for treasure. These living conditions help establish a reason for his killings. He still committed these acts against man and became evil for them. Grendel c...