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Christian Faith In Beowulf

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Christian faith was slowly evolving during the middle ages in Europe. The most common principle of Christian faith in medieval Europe revolved around the belief that everything comes from God and is part of a greater plan. As the Christian faith grew more powerful in medieval Europe, forms of non-Christian religions were banned and frowned upon. “Beowulf” is an ancient Germanic story about a respected pagan hero, even though it is the work of a Christian poet. During this time, the idea of a Christian poet writing about a pagan legend seemed like a conflict of religion. Although the poet strays from the oral tradition, it stays faithful to the value of the story, and doesn’t create a clash between the two different religions. “The Dream of the Rood” is a poem portraying an Anglo-Saxon Paganistic view of Christ as he died …show more content…

The relationship between the king and thane are the fundamentals to this Germanic heroic code. The King was usually the patriarchal figure of the group, while the thane would pledge an allegiance to the lord. The Christian God is the father of his people, and his followers follow him at their mercy. Immense value was placed on the bravery of the individuals in the pagan community. All warriors had expectations they had to live up to: they must face any danger without fear, and revenge those who hurt his kinsmen. “Beowulf” shows the surviving members of his culture, what Saints are to future generations of Christians: legends. The heroic code isn’t a contradiction of Christian ideals, but it is an application of these ideals to a pre-Christian world. Many of the characters in this epic live by commonly known rules and regulations as to how a good pagan should live. The poet of “Beowulf” successfully merges two extremely different religious ideologies from two very different time periods to create a work that has impact to its

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With ancient understandings and tales in the early times, Beowulf sings of times long forgotten, the times where the only tombs men sought was the battlefield, and their legacies, glory from the most extraordinary of feats. Eras filled with monsters, demons and selfless devotion towards the Glory of God. Even the flamboyant stories from the early centuries, still ring with connections to our world today, that our

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(Beowulf 566-567) The Kenning “the shepherd of sins” is Biblical irony as it represents the Antichrist. Once again, this reiterates the idea that Grendel is from the lineage of Cane. In “Beowulf, the Old Testament, and The Regula Fidei,” Christopher M. Cain illuminates the inherent contradictions and similarities in Beowulf and Bible scripture. Cain notices that “Wyrd is used to translate both fate and fortune.

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Furthermore, this is why I am going to throw in another possible concept of the elder story Beowulf. Since the Anglo- Saxon culture began, the Pagan religion was shown among it’s people. Pagans, as referred to as Polytheism, worship many different

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The thing that stands out when reading the stories of Beowulf, Sir Gawain, and the Canterbury Tales is that the writers use Christianity to show conflicts in human nature. Also with these stories taking place in different times with writers who have different opinions about Christianity and how it has influences Society. For example, in Beowulf, the writer chooses to mash up the ideas of Christianity and paganism because during the time that the writer was transcribing the story there were missionaries trying to convert the Anglo-Saxons that lived in Britain, so the missionaries used Beowulf as a way to reach the pagans. This is also been done to other stories like in the Viking legend Thor god of thunder where at the end of the story the world

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Since it began in oral convention, the epic Beowulf has no known creator. It does, in any case, serve as a representation of the Anglo-Saxon society it begins from. As a show-stopper, it additionally fills its need of good direction, today serving as an exhibit of what qualities were essential to the Anglo-Saxon individuals. Particularly seen through the characters of Beowulf and Wiglaf, the ballad Beowulf represents three critical ethics of now is the ideal time: boldness, honor, and faithfulness. Beowulf, the saint of the lyric, shows incredible fortitude in all that he does.

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Beyond Beowulf’s role in history and its role in literature, it also plays a role in church history, as a Christian text. Beowulf is often seen as a Christian character who holds his moral and virtues above all else. The growth of the church in Anglo-Saxon England greatly influenced Beowulf; in fact, Beowulf himself is a figure of Christ in this epic poem. The conversion of Anglo-Saxon England to Christianity stands out in history.

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During the eighteenth century when Beowulf was written, only priests and high religious leaders were literate. Considering this as a main factor, Beowulf was written specifically for people of the Catholic religion. This proves to be effective because when reading Beowulf, the connection between the poem and religion was made. For example, in the beginning of Beowulf, many people fled from the land they were living, in fear of “Grendel.” “Grendel” represents the sin and evil throughout world.

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Of all the great heroes in epics and movies alike, each one of them has his or her great traits as well as fatal flaws. Unfortunately, our hero’s fatal flaw is losing faith in God and he loses his life because of that. In the epic Beowulf, many references to Paganism and Christianity are found throughout the tale due to the author’s belief that faith in God assures victory whereas faith in paganism assures defeat. Paganism and Christianity parallel the struggle of holiness and evil throughout the epic, and in many cases, faith in God is the key to Beowulf´s success as he defeats monsters and protects the village of Herot. Beowulf faces foes such as Grendel and Grendel’s mother who utilize magic spells to fight as read, “that sin-stained demon/

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In almost every story, there is a conflict; this conflict is unfortunately the main component in any attractive story. At the base of the conflict in Beowulf 's poem, there is a source of both, good and evil. Who is Good and who is evil, and why? Is there a relation Between Beowulf and Islamic religion? All of these questions will be answered through the following analysis.

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By the time this monastic scribe began his work, the stories of Beowulf were already legendary tales of this era; legends that were passed down orally. The poet cautiously uses this information to compose an epic poem while also combining the notions of the pagan wyrd (fate) and dom (worth), along with the Christian ideals of refinement and final judgement. A pagan poem in its own right, steeped in ancient Germanic culture, yet it is baptized in lax Christian comments and passages. However, while the passages are referred to as Christian, there is never any reference within the poem, to Christ Himself. When we are first introduced to Grendel, we see the first signs of Christian passages appearing: God had condemned them as kin of Cain.

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The pagan, with no idea of Christianity, faced the task of securing his own immortality, completing tasks no other mere mortal would dare take on, all for the purpose of making sure that he, as a matter of fact, did not possess the status of a mere mortal. The addition of God into the epic, replacing fate with a guiding, loving, eternal patriarch, allowed the Christian Beowulf to be more satisfied with himself, changing the mood of the poem enough to show the reader the value of Christianity. Beowulf's struggle with his own mortality, his fleeting, delicate life, lessened because of the religious promise of a Heavenly reprieve after death. He would be able to rest easier knowing that even if he became forgotten on Earth, he would live on in the uplifting afterlife. With a resolute faith, the possibility that the dying Beowulf, resting near his final trophy kill, wondered whether or not he had accomplished enough physical deeds altogether disappears.

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Beowulf is an archetypal character within a legendary piece of text. He embodies the conglomerate of many Anglo Saxon values expressed throughout his heroic journey. Contrived by the mighty Northern Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is the manifestation of the Anglo Saxon ideals. This work of art helps us identify and analyze Beowulf’s ideals in a way that lets us deduce the values of the Anglo Saxon society. Examination of this poem lets us familiarize ourselves about a society obsessed with religion, vengeance and war-lust beings.

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Beowulf took place in the sixth century, in times where “rank and ceremony, human solidarity and culture” were key components of social culture. Glory also played a huge role: “veterans with their tales of warrior-kings and hero-saviours from the past [rubbed] shoulders with young braves,” influencing the latter to strive for greatness (Heaney). Heroism and sacrifice are part of what “gave drive and sanction to the Germanic warrior-culture enshrined in Beowulf” (Heaney). Christianity played a large part in both Germanic society and the poem Beowulf.

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Two very important ideas in Pagan belief are Loyalty and Faith. Beowulf is very loyal to his comitatus and is also very loyal to Hrothgar. He would give his life for the safety of his brothers and would never stab them in the back. He also always had faith in himself and God. He trusted that he would be victorious over his enemies with God having his back.

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The epic poem “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel, focuses on a hero by the name of Beowulf who goes on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from an egregious monster by the name of Grendel. This Anglo-Saxon tale gives insight into the values and beliefs of the people from whom the story originated. Their war-centered ideology and views on loyalty and courage were the principles that the Anglo-Saxon culture was founded upon. While warfare was a focal point in their lifestyle, it was far from a savage, barbaric state of fighting. Honor and prestige were bestowed upon those who died during battle and selflessness for fellow warriors was a fundamental belief.

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