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Religion In Beowulf

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One of the common themes in Beowulf is religion and life after death. As would be expected of a work scribed by monks, the epic has many references to God and Christianity. However, Beowulf also has many pagan elements that contradict the beliefs of Christianity. Beowulf himself, though he praises God in many occasions, is not guaranteed a spot in Christian heaven because he is an “unbaptized pagan” (106n3). The many pagan elements in this epic emphasize the Anglo-Saxon values of glory, vengeance, and wealth. Christian beliefs ask for people to be humble and to help others without seeking praise. However, glory was very important to the Anglo-Saxon culture during this time period, and this is reflected in the ideals and values of the Geats and the Danes. During the fight with …show more content…

To stop the greedy beast from ruining his lands further, Beowulf went out to fight the creature, and was mortally wounded in the process (2690-2693). As Beowulf lay dying, he begged Wiglaf to go into the hoard and bring out some treasure that way he could die easier, having seen the treasure he’d given up his life for (2747-2751). After gazing on the treasure, Beowulf’s last request for Wiglaf is to give him a large funeral and build a statue in his honor (2799-2807). Beowulf was more concerned about being remembered and displaying his great wealth than he was about dying and being judged by the Lord. These unchristian desires for wealth and glory, even as he lay dying greatly hindered Beowulf’s chances of getting into heaven. The text even says that as he died, “he chose the fire, the hot surging flames,” (2818-2020) which in Christianity, are associated with hell and eternal suffering. Thus, the Anglo-Saxon values of wealth, vengeance, and glory are associated with the pagan attributes of this epic, making the lesson of this story not to imitate Beowulf, but to learn from his fatal

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