Beowulf and Christianity
The author of Beowulf writes in order to provide a link between the Christians of 8th century England and their pagan ancestors. Throughout the poem he allays to the reader the mystical war-laden world of the Anglo-Saxons, where a great hero fights for his people against several terrible foes. However, throughout this mystical pagan story, filled with pagan values like revenge and self-righteousness, there are numerous examples of the Christian morals and values widely known across early medieval England. Through close analysis of the poem it is clear that the author intends to use this age-old pagan story intertwined with his own Christian values and morals, to produce a story which both entertains his audience and provides a meaningful history for the English people. The tendency for cultures to bridge the gap between the old pagan ways and the emerging Christian world, and create a history for themselves worth believing in, was prevalent throughout medieval Europe. In England, with its conglomerate of both contrasting and similar cultures, from the Anglo-Saxons of which the poem is based, to the warrior culture of the Celts, to the nature worshipping societies of the ancient Druids, this tendency is very evident. Even
When he battles Grendel, Beowulf exhibits a sense of fairness when he refuses to use a weapon. Superhuman feats also appear in the fight with Grendel's mother, which takes place in almost dream-like environment at the bottom of the murky lake. " Yet at the same time epic poem reemphasizes to its original audience, that of medieval England, the importance and value of the Christian way of life. " The author of Beowulf uses elements of both Anglo-Saxon pagan and English Christian societies to provide a story "unique among heroic poems (Mitchell and Robinson 37). Grendel lives in an underworld as Satan lives in hell. Both Christ and Beowulf fought hard in their last battles with evil, and although they both ultimately died in their final battle, they both were able to conquer the evil before they died. He grabs an enormous sword made by giants, mysteriously given to him by the "Lord of Men. Though we may never know the exact motives of the author in writing this epic poem, we do know that its effect was and continues to be well received among many audiences. He prepared as though he were preparing for death. He knows he is faced with a greater challenge than before. He drinks excessively and has a tendency to kill people and other creatures. Beowulf's fight with the dragon is a realization of the story of salvation where Beowulf, like Christ, gives his life for his people. Tolkien, "deliberately [portrays] ancient pre-Christian days and [emphasizes] the nobility of the pagan Germanic world (Mitchell and Robinson 37).
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Acceptance Essays
