The Influence of Religion and the concept of Fate in Beowulf
The influence of Religion and the Concept of Fate The concept of fate and religion are abundant throughout both The Iliad and Beowulf. Although Christianity is not clearly mentioned in either of the two poems, Christian ideals are often used. Sacrifice, evil, respect for higher powers, and respect for the dead are all issues that the two poems deal with and hold in high regard. In the Iliad, superiority of higher powers is often a focus of the mortals. Agamemnon, a Greek war hero "...Sacrificed... a fat bull of five years" and prayed to the gods for success in the war against the Trojans. It can easily be assumed that if the sacrifice had not been made that the Greeks would not have done as well as they did in the war. Furthermore, while Agamemnon was praying the Achian soldiers "Prayed to be spared from death in the maul of war." The idea of prayer to a higher power in order to seek glory and to avoid or prolong the fate that comes with fighting in a war (death) is constantly being practiced. It is clear they the fate of war is thought to be death because "The god of war is impartial: he hands out death to the man who hands out death." (Book 18, page 293) An example of a time where t
Ideas of proper burial for the dead, sacrifice in one's life for the greater glory of god, respect for one another, and the evil of sin are all surface issues of Christianity. In the beginning of the book Beowulf must go on a trip to find and kill Grendel. When Achilles finally kills Hector at the end of the epic, " First he slaughters Hector, he rips away the noble prince's life then lashes him to his chariot, drags him round his beloved comrade's tomb. Also, Christianity believes that humans have a free will, so it could be said that humans can make their own fate, but at the same time is acknowledged that all must die and that if the will of God is carried throughout one's life, then they will end up in heaven. Beowulf swims down (also the idea on the location of hell) through the infested water until he reaches Grendel's mother. Goodly armor from Hephaestus" (Book 18 page 288). He then has to rely upon his God given talents in order to survive. The second idea being that once evil is defeated, everything becomes clear and nice the way it is supposed to be. In the Iliad it is believed that all mortals will go to the same place no matter what unless they achieve great fame and glory in an honorable why throughout their life. " The gods then begin to question, " But why, I ask you? What good will it do him? What honor will he gain? Let that man beware, or great and glorious as he is, we mighty gods will wheel on him in anger - look, he outrages the senseless clay in all his fury!" Book 24, lines 58-65. In Beowulf it is believed that humans create their own fate by what they do with their lives on earth.
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