Beowulf S Pagan and Christian Elements

Beowulf’s Pagan and Christian Elements

The unknown poet of Beowulf wrote about the Jutes and the Danes, Germanic tribes who lived in pre-Christian times on the continent. The plot of the story, therefore, has many references to pagan beliefs and superstitious customs: (Pagan – heathen with no belief in a personal god) Pagan Elements  custom of worshipping a multiplicity of gods (often in the form of sacrifice)

 belief that Fate (Wyrd) controlled their lives

 superstitious belief in monsters, dragons, magic

 pessimistic tone – earth-bound perspective ( a hero, though would resign himself to his doom without bitterness)

 belief that fame was the only guarantee of immortality

On the other hand, the poem was composed by a man who lived in Anglo- Saxon England; therefore, there are examples in the poem of Judeo-Christian beliefs: Christian Elements  belief in one personal God

 belief in a rewarding afterlife

 pious custom of giving thanks to God for help in battles against evil

 optimistic outlook centered around a hero who devotes himself to overpowering evil against the personification of evil

The poem, therefore, speaks of both Wyrd and God – of both the Germanic Fate that directs men’s lives to inevitable destruction and the Christian God who cares for the lives of His children. Sometimes both Wyrd and God may be referred to in a short passage: My warrior band dwindles, driven by Wyrd Into Grendel’s grasp; but God may easily End this monster’s mad career.