Religious effects in Beowulf
A detailed Summary of Religious effects in Beowulf
Beowulf was written during the 18th century, although no one
knows when it was composed or by whom. This poem gives us a view
of a society changing from Paganism to Christianity. Christianity and
Paganism are known to have coexisted during the period that Beowulf
was set to take place. Christian influences were known in early folklore,
and heroic legends of dramatic tribes. The Christian elements are
almost without exception so deeply ingrained in the fabric of the poem
that they cannot be explained away as the work of a reviser or later
The pagan elements in the poem are shown in the superhuman
abilities of the charactors. Beowulf is depicted as a superhero. When
fighting with Grendel, Beowulf chooses not to use any weapons, he
relies only on his super strength. During this fight, Beowulf's strength
overpowers Grendel and he is able to rip one of the monster's arms out
of its socket. Superhuman feats also show up in the fight with Grendel's
mother. When Beowulf enters the water he swims downward for an
entire day before he sees the bottom. He does this without the use of
oxygen. During the fight with Grendel's mother he grabs an enormous
sword made by giants, almost too heavy to hold and slashes through the

Grendel is referred to as a descendant of Cain. Like Satan who is jealous
a reminder of his bravery. This leaves us the impression of pagan
emphasize the morals of his times and to enhance his characters with
Beside Christian elements, the poem has many Christian parallels.
like Christ gives his life for his people.
unchristian ritual, and he wants his ashes placed in a memorial tower as
their people. When Beowulf battles Grendel, he exhibits a sense of
lying on the rocks."(pg 68, ln 1425) He prepared as though he were
softer leaving life and this people I've ruled so long , if I look at the last
into the lake where Grendel's mother lives. He knows he is faced with a
heat that it melts Beowulf's shield to his body. These battles are
were there. He became jealous of mankind and to this day stalks people
Some common words found in the essay are:
Grendel Beowulf, Beside Christian, Christianity Paganism, Beowulf Grendel, Grendel Christ, Beowulf Christ-like, , Satan Beowulf's, Grendel Satan, Cain Satan, grendel's mother, pagan christian ideas, christian ideas, pagan christian, elements poem, life people, beowulf grendel, jealous happiness, fight grendel's, jealous happiness joy, fight grendel's mother, monster grendel, stalks people,
Approximate Word count = 885
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
Category: Religion
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