Beowulf Christian Influence

A detailed Summary of Beowulf Christian Influence

The story of Beowulf is full of religious references and symbolism, but is it truly a Christian story? According to the narrative, Beowulf is an instrument of God, an instrument of righteousness called by God to perform His will for the Danes. In stark contrast to his good, is the enemy, Grendel, the incarnation of pure evil. These two characters appear to represent the forces of good versus the forces of evil. It would be easy enough to leave the story that way, but it appears that Beowulf is written intentionally to make the main characters appear more important by adding Biblical references to the narrative. By creating characters of a Biblical stature, the story as a whole has an added importance.

This gruesome creature was called Grendel,

notorious prowler of the borderland, ranger of the moors,

the fen and the fastness; this cursed creature

lived in a monster's lair for a time

after the Creator had condemned him

as one of the seed of Cain - the Everlasting Lord

no satisfaction from that feud, but the Creator

sent him into exile, far from mankind

because of his crime. He could no longe

Grendel is likened to Cain in this passage, but he seems to show characteristics of the devil as well. He is called a prowler. This seems to point to the New Testament scripture in 1 Peter 5:8 where it says, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." This characteristic can be seen through the narrative as well. When the warriors slept this wicked creature would come and murder them without any remorse.

approach the throne of grace, that precious place

But the Lord, wove the webs of destiny,

Beowulf must have been an important story to survive such a tumultuous time in England's history. Maybe it needed to be an important story. Adding Christian references to what has been considered by most literary scholars a pagan tale, adds significance to the story in our Christian society, and most certainly added significance to the story in their society. The pagan religions were passing away and being replaced by new traditions and a new religion. It had been revamped to fit in with the times. If it had, it was a good idea, because this "modernized" version of Beowulf has certainly stood the test of time.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Everlasting Lord, Christian Influence, Hrothgar God, British Isles, Adding Christian, Christian Christians, Holy God, Brokaw Jasmine, significance story, beowulf religious, creator condemned, characters appear, grendel narrator,

Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion

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Beowulf Christian Influence

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