Beowulf Is A Christian Hero Religion Essay

Beowulf Is A Christian Hero Religion Essay concord you ever had the privilege of reading George Orwells noneel known as Animal Farm? If so, you are plausibly well aware that it is a book that reflects the government and leadership of the days in which it was written. Many pot believe that Beowulf is similar to Animal Farm in that it also reflects a part of the culture of its day. solely sooner of reflecting government, like Animal Farm, Beowulf reflects the changes in the religious culture of England. While describing the background of Beowulf, Burton Raffel points out, When Beowulf was composed, England was changing from a pagan to a Christian culture. Therefore, Beowulf signifies the Christian culture that is overcoming and replacing the pagan culture, which is signified by Gr block offel, his mother, and the dragon. Beowulf, the meter, whitethorn realize been written by a heathen (which is a debate for a nonher paper) vindicatory now Beowulf the grapheme was a Christian. Raffels point can be taken a step further. Not save did Beowulf constitute the Christian culture, but he also symbolized Christ himself. Along with that comes the musical theme that Grendel, his mother, and the dragon not only symbolize the pagan culture but also Satan, the devil, or simply evil. The most obvious prompt of displaying Christ seen in Beowulf is when he sacrificed his own life to kill the dragon and ensure the safety of his people. The adjacent example is not quite as obvious as the first but is unsounded reasonable. end-to-end the entire poem, Grendel and his mom are both referred to as the devil or a demon several(prenominal) times. So Hrothgars men lived happy in his hall/ Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel (Raffel 39). Later on, after Grendel attacked and killed some(prenominal) soldiers in Herot, the name calling continues In Herot, a mighty prince mourning/ The fate of his lost friends and companions,/ erudite by its tracks that so me demon had torn/ His followers apart. (Raffel 40). Later on when Hrothgar tells Beowulf of what his people have seen, they separate Grendel and his mother in the following way And theyve said to my wise men that, as well as they could see,/ One of the devils was a female creature. (Raffel 49).some(a)times the author is not as flagrant in his or her references to Grendel and his mom as the devil or demons. Sometimes the author simply hints at the idea. Speaking of Grendel he says, living down in the darkness, where the darkness is referring to hell (Raffel 39). The most obvious hint at the idea is when Grendel will not touch Hrothgars throne because it was protected by theology Though he lived/ In Herot, when the night hid him, he never/ Dared to touch King Hrothgars glorious/ Throne, protected by God God,/ Whose hunch Grendel could not know. (Raffel 41). This point can be further understood after reading James 219. Grendel knows of God yet lives in fear of him. The last hint t he author gives is when he calls Grendels mothers cave the God-cursed ceiling to once again have the place where they live resemble Hell (Heaney 211).Considering the fact that Beowulf defeated these demons or devils pushes the idea even further that he is a Christ figure throughout the poem. Now opinion realistically, how could a story about a pagan who resembles Christ last for several centuries if never written down? It simply could not have. Realistically, for an oral story to last so long, the Christ figure must(prenominal) have intentionally been depicted by a Christ follower or else the story would have basically no meaning or value to anyone at all and therefore be forgotten. end-to-end the text, God, as well as many Biblical characters and events, are mentioned and recognized and even prayed to by Beowulf himself. In the very beginning, literally the seventh line of the poem, the Creation is spoken of The Almighty making the earth, shaping/ These sightly plains marked of f by oceans,/ Then proudly setting the sun and moon/ To glow crosswise the land and light it (Raffel 39). Not too long after that, Cain and Abel are mentioned Conceived by a pas de deux of those monsters born/ Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abels death. (Raffel 39-40). The most significant segment is when Beowulf prays to God and thanks him for his loot or treasure For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank our Father in Heaven, linguistic rule of the worldly concern (Raffel 59). This shows us not only that Beowulf acknowledged Gods mere existence but that he also considered Him the Ruler of the Earth and knew that He was the one who brought him all of his wealth. Yes, it is true that even Satan himself believes in Gods existence and that He is the Ruler of the Earth. In James 219 the Bible states, You believe that there is one God. tidy Even the demons believe that and shudder. But Beowulfs belief in and of God goes further an d deeper than the demons belief. This is backed up subsequent on when Beowulfs eternity in heaven is mentioned.Please do not take my word and my displacement reaction of the poem alone. This is not just a personal opinion. Other literature experts have said the tiny same thing that I am. Larry D. Benson suggested that the pagan material was added to Beowulf in order to arouse sympathy (Ogilvy 169). An nameless student wrote a short paper on the matter. Speaking of the poem Beowulf, he said, Although showing signs of beingness a pagan story, Beowulf is primarily a Christian story. The argument for Beowulf as a Christian poem goes hand in hand with my first point that it signifies the religious and cultural changes that were taking place in its time.Now here are a couple of the top arguments that try to say Beowulf is not a Christian. Arguably the most popular argument is that Beowulf does not believe in God but instead believes in fate. Someone that wrote a paper on Beowulf, who is known as Ultisch said, Many times throughout Beowulf, the author will reference fate, while speaking of God To reword, they are saying that, yes, Beowulf does mention fate, but when he does, he is referring to Gods ultimate sovereignty and control and not something of pure chance or luck. Some people also like to argue that Beowulfs death bed wish to see the treasures he just earned, instead of his family or something of more long term value, is proof that he was not a Christian. As he dies, Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the treasure that the dragon was guarding. (Raffel 58). Now think reasonably. How can this logically prove that he was not a Christian? He is simply being reasonable and realistic. He knows he does not have enough time left and that he can not see his family. In their book, J.D.A Ogilvy and Donald C. baker say, Beowulf is dying why not see the treasure? Even if this was not the case and Beowulf was being greedy, it still would not prove anything. Is a mans greed proof that he is an unbeliever? The obvious answer is no. In Roman 323 the Bible says, For all have sinned and fall short of the repute of God. Just because a man sinned does not mean he is not a Christian.In conclusion, Beowulf was a Christian man and did go to heaven in the end. Yes, there is more proof for that too. At the end of the poem, Beowulfs death is described in this way His soul left his flesh, flew to glory. (Raffel 59). The word glory here quite obviously means heaven. Also, before he fights the dragon, Beowulf says, Ive never known fear, (Raffel 54) saying that he is not frightened to die. This shows us that he knows his eternity is secure in the Lord. This proves that Beowulfs belief in and of God goes further than that of the demons and that he truly is a child of God.