Paganism In Beowulf

Beowulf is an elegiac narrative that is considered to be one of the oldest of the great poems written in English and is said to have been composed somewhere between the 8th and 10th century, though probably closer to the middle of the 8th. The writer of this epic poem is unknown, adding mystery to the values of said writer. The main concern of this poem is the constant encounters of the monstrous, and the work to defeat it, all while dealing with life in the exhaustive aftermath. Beowulf, being an epic, has a bounteous amount of not only visual imagery, but also an intense emotional credibility through death, battles, and an intriguing story line. A major theme in this poem is that of good vs. evil, and a character’s ability to do what all

Many aspects of the book were considered paganistic as in lines 3137-3155 when the Geat people “built a pyre for Beowulf, stacked and decked it until it stood four-square, hung with helmets, heavy war-shields, and shining armour, just as he had ordered” where the people effectuated an altar to cremate their beloved leader. Cremation was first seen as a pagan belief due to early books like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey where Greek gods Achilles and Hector were cremated after death to keep their bodies from being stolen. Another important aspect of paganism is that of Wyrd, an inescapable and destined path through life for both humans and gods and a very important belief for those who practice paganism. It can be compared to its brother in arms, Christianity’s own version of a predestined path and the belief that God has set forth a plan for human

There are many stipulations that a character must meet before being considered a hero in an epic. First and foremost, the character must be a male; Beowulf’s doing great so far, right? The reason for this is because women were often seen as a symbol of peace and wisdom, so they were often juxtaposed with men’s leadership and tendencies to enjoy the violence of battle. Another aspect of an epic hero is that the man must be born of nobility. This is important to the requirements of an epic hero because often the monsters that they fight are of great strength, so the hero must possess the same strength, and the nobility was seen as the only ones to possess that equality in sturdiness. Also, this noble man must be pious, for the great monsters they fight often are seen as “God/god haters,” so the epic hero uses his faith in his higher beings plan to ‘comfort’ him as he goes into battle. In Beowulf, not consequently, the only biblical story pointedly mentioned is that of Cain and Abel. According to the text, Grendel “was the name of the grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens: he had dwelt for the time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts… until He gave them their reward”