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Essay On The Belief System In Beowulf

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Belief systems are an integral part of not only culture, but also self-image. This becomes evident in Beowulf, with both the overall story and the individual characters. Christianity and paganism vie for control of all aspects of Beowulf, just as they did with the Germanic tribes a century earlier. Although much is known about the history of the time is documented, the story is shrouded in mystery. The author and even the date it was written are educated estimates at best. There is thought to be one author who adapted an oral tradition. Understanding both the religious references in Beowulf and the changing religious climate of Anglo-Saxon England begins in the history of the epic. As aforementioned, the author of the epic is unknown as is the exact time it was …show more content…

As stated in the Glossary of Names, another spelling of Higlac is ‘Hygelac,’ who was a king between 400 and 500 B.C.E. (Raffel 134). At this time, the Ostrogoths were fighting the Franks for control of Gaul. Hygelac’s involvement with these warring people started with Theodoric the Great, the king of the Ostrogoths during the late 5th century and the early 6th century. Using marriage contracts with the Franks, Theodoric hoped to widen his influence and put off the impending war. It was working well until he married his daughter, Ariagne, to Sigismund, the Burgundian king, in 493 B.C.E. After they had a son, Ariagne died and Sidismund remarried. This caused a conflict with his son who did not approve. During a particularly bad fight about his new wife, Sigimund killed his son. Theodoric was outraged. Although the Ostrogoths were pledged to protect the Burgundians through a marriage contract, Theodoric had no intention of actually doing so. When the Franks moved against them, Theodoric made a deal with the Franks instead of protecting the Burgundians. Afterwards, Theodoric bribed Hygelac, the king of the Geats, to attack the Franks from the

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He forces wars with the Franks and Frisians, but the Swedes too will strike to avenge the slaughter of Ongentheow. As Ongentheow last engagement at Ravenswood: he cornered a Geatish force. Hygelac relieved the besieged Geats and Ongentheow withdraws. The Swedish king fought for

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Charlemagne agreed to help him, and this lead to the war against the Lombards (Becher 54). Charlemagne did not give up. It was such a struggle to travel over the Alps to get to Italy. They climbed those high mountains until they finally got there and nothing could stop Charlemagne (Einhard). He worked so hard to seize Rome and stop Desiderius, the Lombard King.

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Beowulf Character Study Essay There are many religious influences and implications in Beowulf, ranging from the characters, to their journeys and their religious beliefs. One of the main religious implications is Beowulf himself, in the text Beowulf appears as a “Christ-like” figure. Beowulf and Christ follow very similar journeys, both men travelled to an exotic land, and began to save and protect the people that lived on it. Beowulf traveled to Danish land; in order to protect them from the incoming threat of Grendel, who also plays a sort of religious character by being a “devil-like figure”.

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The Anglo-Saxon epic, Beowulf, was written in around 500 AD. The author of this epic is unknown. It is about a warrior, Beowulf, that goes on a quest to fight monsters and achieve riches and glory. During this time, Christian monks made edited copies of literature to spread their religion, Christianity.

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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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In about the 10th century AD, a mixture of Norse and Danish events that had been passed down through oral tradition were written down by a group of Monks. The events that were written down had taken place back in the 6th century AD, and they were eventually composed in the 8th century AD. Some of these stories later became known as Beowulf, a folk epic that is centered around an epic hero named Beowulf, who encounters and conquers an evil monster known as Grendel. John Gardner later decided to write a novel from Grendel’s point of view, providing background information about his early life and giving clues as to why he became the evil creature we encountered in Beowulf.

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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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By the time was written down and no longer just orally, the idea of Christianity had begun to spread all throughout Northern Europe. Which is clearly evident in the ideals and language of the story. The comparisons between God and Good are the most prevalent through the story. When battles against evil are won Beowulf and the others begin to praise God for their victory. Often thanking him for his blessing.

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In the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, there is plenty of controversy over whether or not the poem was considered Christian or Pagan. It is understandable that there may be both themes seen throughout this particular work. Beowulf is referred to as a very outstanding piece of British literature during the eighteenth century. Although re-written in the eleventh century, Anglo-Saxon themes represented the ideals of Christianity in a more virtuous, and outright manner. Whereas, in Beowulf, the author makes use of many purposeful situations that lead readers to consider the intentions and major themes that they considered rare at the time.

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Critically assess the extent of Christian and Latinate influence on Beowulf. When first reading Beowulf it would appear that the Christian references within it superimpose onto the essentially pagan view that makes a huge body of the poem. Therefore, within this assignment, there will be investigations of inconsistencies. Sources clearly show that Beowulf was written by Germanic pagans that had been debauched by some leftist ecclesiastic wordsmith , to the insistence that the author designedly created the Christian allegory along the lines of Book 1 of The Faerie Queen. It is know that Germanic traditions and techniques were used by Anglo-Saxons to frame Christian literature, just as it was with the poet of Beowulf.

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I believe that Beowulf can be seen as a Christ figure throughout the epic of Beowulf. He shares many characteristics with Jesus. He faces a devil figure, sacrifices himself, and is recognized as a savior by his people. Beowulf to the Danes is a savior, taking away the fear that Grendel will kill all of Hrothgar’s people. In the Christian sense Jesus Christ is a savior to all Christians.

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The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.

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Very little is known about the epic poem Beowulf besides that the story was told during the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically between the years 500-1100. The author is unknown, due to the fact that the story was originally told verbally and not documented until much later. Like many stories told throughout the ages, Beowulf consists of many archetypes. An archetype is a recurring symbol found in literature, such as the Hero archetype. In this epic poem, the hero, Beowulf, travels from his homeland to Denmark to save a kingdom from an awful beast that has been attacking men late at night for over twelve years.

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