A mixture of Christian and pagan elements in Beowulf
The texts in old English were drafted at a time when the English civilization was in the process of turning to Christianity as of the past Pagan credence. For that matter, poetry like that of Beowulf is having a mixture of elements which have been drawn from both Pagan and Christianity cultures. With the transcription of Beowulf, the writer includes connotations of Christianity within the narrative which is significantly manifested period of Pagan-centric. Stylistically and thematically, Beowulf portrays standards as well as ethics of pagan credence combining it various biblical impacts which are prominent within the entire poem. Multiple actions of characters, as well as incidents within the poem, depict Germanic legends together with heroic folktales.
In the poem, ethical codes have been illustrated by the characters manifesting the concepts of Pagan’s fates, vengeance towards adversaries, and loyalty up to kinfolks. Nevertheless, the poem is saturated with ideas of Christians turning to supernatural features as of mythical accounts of heroism. Besides, the Christian ideals turn to bleak fatalities which are seen to be faith allegories. Within the poem, Beowulf has been portrayed as a good champion. He is a symbol of righteousness that stands against darkness tribulations as well as forces of evil. Again, he is depicted as an ideal valiant pagan legendary as well as heroic combatant. All through the poem, there are mixtures of Pagan ideals like feuds, vengeance, pride and fate with elements of Christians alongside God’s will. The models of Pagans and Christian are motivations in support of revenge it he attacks of Grendel’s Mother. It is difficult for one to ignore elements of Christians and Pagans in the Poem of Beowulf. Such features have been combined uniquely within the poem (Goldsmith 12). The heroic combatant is defined and evil menace for the case of Grendel’s Mother.
The readers are introduced to the mother of Grendel via her lineage. “ From [Cain] sprang multiple devils who have been sent by fate’. In this quotation, one can learn the fusion of the elements of Christians and Pagans. Cain, who is the Old Testament character and the notion of fate rampant with the pagans have been mixed to characterize the mother of Grendel. Beowulf is describing himself using terms like wyrd. With that, he remarks that “fate can always be used in saving people who are un-doomed when such persons have good courage’’ (Beowulf 1190). Immediately after the signal from God, the sea turned out to be still, thus saving multiple warriors from the monsters of the sea. The God of Christians has offered free will to the man. For that matter, whatever happens to a man is never controlled by fate. However, such tendencies are guided by God. To comprehend Christians and Pagans elements existing in Beowulf, it is imperative to unearth the motive as to why the author opted to merge the ideas of Christians and Pagans. As long as this has been discovered, then it is easier for one to see the reason why the mother of Grendel got induced to the extent of revenging on the death of her son. It will help comprehend as they worked towards persuading Beowulf. With such persuasion, Beowulf opted taking vengeance in favour of the demise of Aeschere. The story is a pure mixture of both Christian and Pagan culture.
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The elements of Christians highlighted within Beowulf have been done with the aid of references and allegories of God, hades, heaven as well as creation. In the introduction, the poem starts by asserting multiple references to God by using several phrases like “Creator’’, “Almighty’’ and the “Ruler of Heaven’’. What is more, the poet attempts linking biblical narration of Cain to that of the ancestry of Grendel. This is illustrating the composition of Christian inclinations. As indicated by Tietjen (159), Beowulf feels doubles almost absolutely in the tone and attitudes of Christians. The anguish of Hrothgar appears to be under the devastation of monstrous Grendel. This is seen to be parallel towards the narratives of King Saul in the bible concerning his fortitude against monster Goliath.
Additionally, Beowulf conquering Grendel during the battle then returning the arsenals and a head like a token certainly are giving an allusion to an encounter of David versus Goliath scenario. In this case, King Hrothgar is portrayed in various circumstances where he recognized that God’s will. Besides, he made an offer in acknowledging the faith of Christians. However, the elements of Pagans have been illustrated exhaustively within the poem. The poet has introduced a discourse which is Christian based turning point whenever he asserted that the idol-worshipping, as witnessed in Dane is done is the shrines of Pagans. The fusion which is seen in the poem between pagans and Christians ideologies is a reflection of times indicated. It was “a period in which the virtues if heartened Heroic Age were tempered by the gentleness of new beliefs: an age warlike, yet Christians. A good Christian, the poet, found himself faced with the task of treating this originally pagan material in a manner acceptable to Christian audience’’ (Brodeur 183).
The poem has expressed a mixture of fatalism concepts of Pagans with the construction of favour and will from God as believed by Christians. The poem necessitates constructs which are seen both in the capricious entity otherwise force, which its interactions with males are never related to their worthiness. Besides, the poet talks of the munificent divinity of Christians, which bestows guidance as well as grace towards the solemn. All through the poem, the fate of Pagan constructs is regularly blended with the notion of the will of God. At every particular moment, Beowulf has a belief that impacting on his future via gallantry is attributed to the will of God. All these happen while the characters like Hrothgar and even Beowulf provide such attribution to God’s will. In support that argument, Beowulf indicates that … “for undaunted courage/fate spares the man it has not already marked’’ (Beowulf 573). This is expressing the fate regarding the pagan wyrd or concept. In some later times, in the period of the warfare, the poet asserts that ” so might an individual who is never marked by easily by fate escape to exile”. All these can only take place through the grace of God. This is illustrating further the elements of Christians within the poem. The Christian concept in the poem is that the individual has free will. It is the favour of God governing the man’s future but never his face. The idea of Pagan has been illustrated at the end of this poem. It is represented as being responsible in support of the pre-destined demise of Beowulf. This is because Beowulf has made a declaration regarding his fate within the last debate. However, a contrast between fatalism and God has been illustrated when God provided liberations to the people of Beowulf following his death.
Conversely, further illustrations have been offered on the conciliatory co-existence concepts. This has been illustrated via forewarnings of Hrothgar to a hero concerning various drawbacks of show-offs through elucidating the functions of fate and God. There is an occurrence of an interweaving of the Pagan and Christian values within the poem. Thus, it makes the narrative to possess a mixture of the elements of Christians and Pagans.
By its characters, Beowulf illustrates the faith of Christians as well as the divine impacts in Pagan Germanic life. This has compelled the poem to turn into a narrative which is predominated by Christian elements. Beowulf characters are seeking guidance and safety from God. In the attempts, they are only thanking God for the favours as well as bequeathed requests. Taking into consideration that the poem has elements of Pagans, the influence of Christian supersede those of Pagan. Beowulf is looked upon as a symbol of Christ. His attributes are loyalty and self-sacrificing (Beowulf, 1180). He saves Danes from the devil, evilness, and Grendel.
Additionally, Beowulf portrays the values of a true Christian. Beowulf has been illustrated in the narrative a saviour who is sent by God to cleanse King Hrothgar as well as Heorot. The two acknowledged authority of God. To be specific, King Hrothgar gives glorification to God in favour of his formidable capabilities against the mother of Grendel. He offers grandiose acknowledgement that the repercussion could have been lethal could there be no sufficient intervention of God’s will. Also, the discourse exhibited by Hrothgar expands on the Lord’s greatness as well as deliverance which have been bestowed upon Dane’s people by God via Beowulf. In the poem, both Hrothgar and Beowulf have expressed their inclinations to Christian since they are always seen speaking to believers through a single true God. The attributes of the source in the poem are astounding strengths of the hero as well as misfortunes towards Christian divinity faiths. Despite all the Hrothgar spiritual allegories discourse as well as gratefulness of the will of God as depicted by Beowulf, the text is still holding the principle of underlying Pagan. On the other hand, the traits of Beowulf are seen to be wavering between the ideals of Pagans and Christianity virtues.
The elements of Pagan are manifested in Beowulf via notable features like vengeance, pride, and wish for fame as well as a feud. In the poem, Beowulf is regularly referred to as ” the warrior having the determination of taking revenge for each gross acts which has been committed by Grendel’’ (578). Retribution and war were characters which were promoted and glorified within the culture of pagan Germanic. Kinfolks and Beowulf provide illustrations on the onus of vengeance towards their enemies against the teachings of the bible of forgiving alongside showing much love to the opponents. What is more, the notable trait which is illustrated be much pursued by characters in the poem is the desire of being famous. Beowulf has been depicted as an exemplary warrior who was heroic in the culture of pagan. He is seen as seeking earthly fame contrary to eternal God’s deliverance. The poet has illustrated his obsession with the mundane items of the earth, as indicated in the culture of the Pagan. He presents the features of warriors and kinfolks. Besides, Beowulf depicts pride aspects that were indeed an essential feature of a person’s character in the society of Pagans. The virtues of Christians are considered to be conceiting sinful just the way they are outlined in the warnings of Hrothgar to Beowulf. This was done concerning the sin of pride when presenting gifts to him. As described in the virtues of Christians satisfaction often comes before the devastation, the author of the poem remarks that Beowulf has become too proud within his last combat to the extent of considering dragging the dragon’s threats. Consequently, Beowulf’s vanity of no taking into consideration his age has been accustomed to the triumphs in various wars leading to his destructions while in the battle.
Despite the dominant discourse of Christianity in the poem, the aspects of pagans like epic folktales formed critical issues within the narrative. Permanently, Beowulf has been depicted as irrespective of being Christian narrative, the spirits of Pagan’s subjects as well as descending elements from the eras of paganism are still notable. Exemplification of Beowulf as superhuman and a hero within all the fights against dreadful monsters are tales which are reminiscent to the pagan heroism. The synthesis of Beowulf on the elements of Christian and Pagan is a real mirror of the eras alleviating of pagan ideals through placidity of the new faiths among the people.
Works Cited
Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2006. 1180-1247.
Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist. The Art of Beowulf. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1971. Web. 15 March 2020.
Goldsmith, Margaret E. “The Christian Theme of Beowulf.” Medium Aevum 29.2 (1960): 1-12. Web. 15 March 2020.
Tietjen, Mary C. Wilson. “God, Fate, and the Hero of “Beowulf”.” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 74.2 (1975): 159-171. Web. 15 March 2020.
