Religious effects in Beowulf
Beowulf was written during the 18th century, although no oneknows when it was composed or by whom. This poem gives us a viewof a society changing from Paganism to Christianity. Christianity andPaganism are known to have coexisted during the period that Beowulfwas set to take place. Christian influences were known in early folklore, and heroic legends of dramatic tribes. The Christian elements arealmost without exception so deeply ingrained in the fabric of the poemthat they cannot be explained away as the work of a reviser or later The pagan elements in the poem are shown in the superhumanabilities of the charactors. Beowulf is depicted as a superhero. Whenfighting with Grendel, Beowulf chooses not to use any weapons, herelies only on his super strength. During this fight, Beowulf's strengthoverpowers Grendel and he is able to rip one of the monster's arms outof its socket. Superhuman feats also show up in the fight with Grendel'smother. When Beowulf enters the water he swims downward for anentire day before he sees the bottom. He does this without the use ofoxygen. During the fight with Grendel's mother he grabs an enormoussword made by giants, almost too heavy to hold and slashes through the
Like Satan who is jealousof the happiness and joy that Adam and Eve have in the Garden of Eden,Grendel is jealous of the happiness and joy in Heorot. Grendel who is described as a descendant of Cain is a very hatefulcreature. Beside Christian elements, the poem has many Christian parallels. "They could see the water crawling withsnakes, fantastic serpents swimming in the boiling Lake, and sea beastslying on the rocks. Death will besofter leaving life and this people I've ruled so long , if I look at the lastof all prizes. The dragon in Beowulf spits fire with such intenseheat that it melts Beowulf's shield to his body. Grendel is also seen as a superhuman monster. This superhero strength continues into the battle withthe dragon. Grendel lives in an underworld as Satan lives in hell. The technique ofcombining two different ideals made the poem Beowulf very interestingto read. In conclusion, the author of Beowulf was very effective incombining pagan and Christian ideas in his poem. More parallels are evident in Beowulf's preparation and descentinto the lake where Grendel's mother lives. Beowulf's fightwith the dragon is a realization of the story of salvation where Beowulflike Christ gives his life for his people. Beowulf understands the plight of the Danes thatare being oppressed by the evil monster Grendel just as Christ knew ofthe oppression of the Jewish people. These battles areexamples of epic folklore during pagan times.
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