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

Approximate Word count = 885
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion

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