Beowulf -Between Christianity and Paganism-

Beowulf is an old Anglo-Saxon epic poem ,wrote in old English, dated between the 8th and the 11th century. Beowulf relates the adventures of a Scandinavian hero, at the same time presenting a detailed description of the life and mood of the age during which it was written. Little is known for certain regarding the author, the date, motivation, or method of the poem's composition. Modern critics continue to debate such issues, focusing on the Christian and pagan elements of the poem and its concern with heroic values. M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt note that: Although Hrothgar and Beowulf are portrayed as morally upright and enlightened Pagans, they fully espouse and frequently affirm the values of Germanic heroic poetry. In the poetry depicting warrior society, the most important of human relationships was that which existed between the warrior the thane and his lord, a relationship based less on subordination of one man's will to another's than on mutual trust and respect. When a warrior vowed loyalty to his lord, he became not so much his servant as his voluntary companion, one who would take pride in defending him and fighting in his wars. In return, the lord was expected to take care of his thanes and to reward them richly for their valor.1 In society that Beowulf lived in, the warrior fought for his lord not for a God or an institution that the lord represents like it happened few centuries after when the Christianity was everywhere. Beowulf is the perfect hero characterized by strength and courage led by the Germanic heroic code. After he defeats Grendel and Grendels Mother his bravery is fully validated and he becomes a complete hero. Also, the monsters presented in the poem are pagan elements confirming the theory. There was a period when honor was at its best ,warriors not backing down from any challenge and the thing that everyone believed in was their own sword. In the ending of the poem two other pagan elements are presented, the dragon and the fact that Beowulfs funeral is made in a pagan way. Beowulf is burned on a funeral pyre ,this process being considered a pagan one. At the same time, Richard North argues that the Beowulf poet interpreted "Danish myths in Christian form, and states: "As yet we are no closer to finding out why the first
1

Abrams, M.H.; Greenblatt, Stephen (2000). The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages (Vol 1), Beowulf. New York: W.W. Norton. p. 30.

audience of Beowulf liked to hear stories about people routinely classified as damned.2That statement is made on the fact that Grendel is considered a descendent of Cabel.It is a great possibility that the poem was written in a Christian way but since this poem is not mentioned anywhere, only the manuscript being found it is almost impossible to prove whether it is pagan or Christian .There are also some logical explanations about the poem being a Christian one. One of them is the fight between good represented by Beowulf and evil represented by Grendel ,Grendels mother and the dragon, the good always defeating evil .Another one is that only the times where pagans, not the characters, Beowulf himself being a sent of God being able to breath underwater ,having the power of ten men, not being afraid of pure evil. In addition, it is thought that the scribes who transcribed the poem from the manuscript Nowell Codex were Christian so that they had modified the poem including religious elements. In conclusion, the religious direction of the poem cannot be entirely explained ,Beowulf is one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature considering the story of the manuscript but also the interest in literature of the writer in those days.

Student:Marin Cosmin

Richard North, "The King's Soul: Danish Mythology in Beowulf," in the Origins of Beowulf: From Vergil to Wiglaf, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006),p. 195

Bibliography Abrams, M.H.; Greenblatt, Stephen (2000). The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages (Vol 1), Beowulf. New York Richard North, "The King's Soul: Danish Mythology in Beowulf," in the Origins of Beowulf: From Vergil to Wiglaf, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006)