ipl-logo

Religious Themes In Beowulf

1276 Words6 Pages
Themes in Beowulf
Beowulf is one of the longest surviving poems; it was around before the medieval times. Beowulf is one of the most famous English epics (a poem or story based off oral tradition), lost throughout the ages and was rediscovered in 1800’s. It has been studied by scholars, students, and teachers ever since. Over these years’ people have questioned the different themes used to interpret it: Was he a Christian or pagan hero? Was he a good warrior and king? What impact did family and tribe have on the story? Each one of these interpretations has merit.
Beowulf is the story of a hero who kills many monsters. One of these monsters is Grendel, who is a demon attacking King Hrothgar’s land and killing his subjects. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands, and then the monster’s wicked mother, in revenge, attacks our hero, but Beowulf kills her. Towards the end of the epic, he is king of his own land, and he must attack a dragon. He wounds it, but Beowulf is slain in the fight and a monument is raised in this name.
Some interpreters have seen it as Christian story. We know that Beowulf was actually rewritten (1) since the original copy would not have had any Christian elements because it predates the Catholic missionaries; the new retelling was for the Christian audience (1). This rewriting of Beowulf created some problems within the story as they didn’t want to completely destroy the original aspects of the epic (2). Some of the inconsistencies are Hrothgar
Show More
Related
1092 Words | 5 Pages

I have to admit that I first didn’t like reading Beowulf, the language and poem structure made it a little difficult for me. It wasn’t until I began working on this journal that I began to appreciate the poem, the author, and the many angles that can be discussed about this literary piece. Subjects like religion, timeline, and the author’s reason for writing Beowulf has made me become more interested about the story. How are the themes of the story observed in life and society today?

Read More
290 Words | 2 Pages

Beowulf is an anglo saxon story about an epic hero it's a story with a kingdom being terrorized by a scary monster and the story about the monster spreads to other kingdoms and then this hero heard about it and lend his hand to help them out and bring back the peace to that kingdom. Beowulf in this story is good and grendel the monster is evil and his mom is too they terrorize the hall in which they host their celebrations and at night the monster would come and slay and murder each and every person that was in that hall that night. Grendel is pure evil because he has no conscience , no quench for his thirst of blood and killing he simply does not care about the actions he commits. For that he is the epitome of all evil he does not care for

Read More
603 Words | 3 Pages

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

Read More
1086 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, it is also pointed out that, “Beowulf was granted the glory of winning; Grendel was driven / under the fen-banks, fatally hurt, / to his desolate lair” (817-820). Adding to this, a crucial piece of information involves Grendel’s actions when he goes to the mead-hall and encounters Beowulf. Although Beowulf’s mission involves murdering Grendel, he does not need to go on a journey to his lair to find him – he only needs to travel so far as to Denmark. One notable thing to also mention about this battle includes what it symbolizes; the collision of good and evil. Grendel represents a horrifying demon, incapable of joy, while Beowulf embodies an almost godly epic hero.

Read More
902 Words | 4 Pages

Grendel is the enemy in the epic that Beowulf must kill. The poem states “ So Grendel ruled, fought with righteousness, one against many, and won; so Herot stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, twelve of grief for Hrothgar,”( line 59-64). This quote represents the evilness and powerfulness that Grendel possessed he killed for 12 long years not caring about the pain and suffering he was leaving behind. This relates to the epic hero characteristic because the quotes show how Grendel is evil and that a hero of the people will have to arrive soon , so that Grendel is put to an end. The epic poem also states “ his eyes gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesome light,” ( lines 405-408).

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Beowulf was brave, strong, had lots of courage, and had a desire to achieve immortality. He sailed to the kingdom by ship with fourteen other men. They called themselves Geats. He went to King Hrothgar wanting to slay his monster, but instead of killing one monster he slayed three. Grendel was the first monster and Beowulf ripped off his arm, Grendel’s mother was the second one and Beowulf cut off her head with a huge sword.

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever heard of the story Beowulf? If not, then I will be telling you the different scenarios that occurred in the movie and the book. Beowulf is about a heroic fellow who saves a kingdom from a magical named Grendel. He went through numerous of battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. In this essay I will be discussing the different event that happened in the story and the movie.

Read More
662 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf has been read by millions of readers and critiqued by hundreds of scholars, yet it remains a popular classic worldwide; perhaps the very construct that weaves varying religious contexts has helped to create an enduring interest in this poem. Christian mores mingling with Germanic myth and nature’s religion create a distinctive relationship seldom seen in other literary works. One of literature’s earliest epic poems, Beowulf, contains a unique amalgamation of religious concepts that, at times, seem to contrast each other. Considering the time period and popular worldview of the time during which the poem was written, it is likely that the author was intentional in the style and content of his work Beowulf, written sometime between

Read More
1466 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf is Jesus Christ Beowulf is an epic poem that displays different surroundings of religious beliefs. Pagan beliefs in Beowulf are depicted through the belief of wyrd. Wyrd was considered an inescapable and destined path through life. Beowulf, when discussing his battle with Grendel, remarks that it was wyrd.

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

Being an epic hero, Beowulf was very brave and battled many immortal creatures. One monster he came across was Grendel. “Conceived by a pair of the monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banned by God..,”(44), Hrothgar’s men would say. This is a reference from the Bible, showing the evil portrayed in the monster Grendel. This monster went to Herot and killed thirty men just because he was hungry.

Read More
988 Words | 4 Pages

Christopher Cain, professor and expert in Old English and Medieval Scandinavian literature and culture, published an essay analyzing the relationship between Beowulf and the Old Testament, as well as the presence of paganism in this poem. In the essay, it is noted that “the general tone of the poem and its ethical viewpoint are decidedly Christian;” the poet relied heavily upon the Bible, as can be evidenced by “allusions to Cain, the Creation, and the Deluge,” which are all Old Testament allusions (Cain). The characters themselves also serve to represent Christian ideologies, though references to Germanic culture appear frequently. For instance, this is embodied in the scene where Beowulf is fighting to rid Heorot of Grendel, and “Beowulf recognizes it to be God's will that determines the outcome of the fight—” not his own strength (Cain).

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

Read More
1135 Words | 5 Pages

Beowulf’s exact words were ‘’Alone shall fight for me, struggle for the life against the monster’’ (Beers 173-174). For proof of his accomplishment Beowulf decided to take,snap, and brake Grendel 's arm apart even his shoulder was missing. Although Grendel escaped going back to the hole he crawled from death soon followed him.(Beers 370-375).Beowulf became famous and was given glory for saving King Hrothgar’s kingdom, but some still questioned despite the arm if Grendel had really been killed. Following after Grendel’s death ,his mother came to avenge her son’s death.

Read More
1363 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Religious Themes In Beowulf

Related Topics

Open Document