Pagan elements abound in Beowulf. Before the advent of Christianity, paganism placed an emphasis on wyrd. But the actual story of beowulf was likely around much earlier than that. It describes a pagan tradition of ship burials. This conversion from paganism to Christianity mixed a lot of the elements. Beowulf seems to have characteristics of pagan beliefs, but also elements of Christianity, while the hero of the story displays traits and virtues of both worlds. To further understand the Christian and pagan elements that exist in Beowulf, we must first uncover why the author has merged Christian and pagan ideas. The poem is infused with multiple elements of their pagan religion. These elements, that have been so uniquely combined in the poem, define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil menace, Grendel's mother. During his reign, one of Hrothgars accomplishments included the building of the great Mead hall which served as a place of relaxation for his troops. In later years, the old manuscripts were translated into English by Seamus Heaney. Pagan and Christian Elements in Beowulf The praised epic poem, Beowulf, is the first great heroic poem in English literature. The poem is said to have Christian beliefs but have a pagan theme throughout its entirety. In the end good over came evil and triumphed. Fate was what Anglo-Saxons believed was the plan for their life, instead of believing in God’s plan... ...Beowulf: A Pagan Epic Hero? Beowulf himself is defined in terms of wyrd. and “Beowulf,” authors unknown, have Christian elements throughout the text, but “Beowulf” also greatly embraces the pagan, warrior culture. Later, after fifty years pass, Beowulf is an old man and a great king of the Geats. Believe in fate can be also considered as an element of pagan nature. Beowulf, the first epic, was a story of honor, tradition, and faith. The manuscript of the poem was seriously damaged in a fire; so several lines and words have been lost from the poem. Beowulf, the first epic, was a story of honor, tradition, and faith. If Beowulf had truly Christian motives – as the poet often tries to suggest – then he would instruct Wiglaf to use the treasure to procure the safety of his people, rather than condemn the treasure to the ground where, as the poet puts it, it is as useless to men as it was before. In poem Beowulf author described life, traditions and culture of the people. The Old Testament character Cain and the pagan idea of fate have been merged to characterize Grendel's mother. A wood-fast rooted over shades the flood.The air here grows dreary and the heavens pour down tears. This work was written after the Anglo-Saxons were already Christianized, but there will still acts of pagan culture at the time. However, as scholars have debated over the religious context in Beowulf, the attempts by the monks to turn the epic poem into a Christian parable ended merged, including both original and Christian aspects. However, previously in the poem, Beowulf graciously thanks “God that the wave-way had been easy for them” (5). Although this occurred, Beowulf spoke of God more frequently than a force of fame. Warrior society sets its own values, among which courage is the most important. The poem Beowulf is full of Pagan and Christian elements, this combination gave place to many discutions about the origin of the poem. The authors go on to add that, there can be no doubt that Beowulf’s cremation is a pagan rite … unless Beowulf is a good deal older than most scholars believe, the funeral is a traditional archaism(Ogilvy, 33). This is clear from investigations of the folk lore analogues. Necessity to keep the culture, customs, traditions and, especially, values of society and to pass them through the hands of history for the future descendants, … A. Berger, Signs in Contemporary Culture: An ... that semiotics lies at the intersection of nature and culture. and what it would be like. But with the advent of Christianity, this Wyrd was modified by the faith that fate is the will of God. Examples for this are very easy to find: legendary king Arthur named his sword Escalibur. Free Samples and Examples of Essays, Homeworks and any Papers. Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of the ... For the medieval warrior, it was honorable to avenge his murdered kinsman. Since beowulf is such a pagan story they probably added the christian references while writing it down.
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