Beowulf

Beowulf is an epic poem written in the eighth century. During this time period, society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. By combining these two very different beliefs,the poet was able to emphasize the principles of his era by enhancing the qualities of the Pagan and Christian lifestyles.
There are many Pagan influences in the poem of Beowulf. Many of these fitunder the superhuman personifications that were given to some of the lead characters. Beowulf was a hero to many of the Helot people. He had many of the characteristics of a Paganistic superhero. Inthe first battle against Grendal, Beowulf chose not to fight with weapons, but instead to fight with his extraordinary strength. This same strength is seen again when Beowulf fights the dragon. Althoughhe is of very old age he still has enough strength within to defeat the evil forces of the dragon. In many pagan stories, the dragon, Grendal and Beowulf represent the rivalry between good versusevil. Another instance in which a pagan strength is brought into the poem, is when Beowulf dives into the lake to reach Grendal's mother and swims without oxygen for days. This passage in the epic poemspoints out how Beowulf has another superhuman power aside from his strength and how he was blessed with heroic attributes and duties that ordinary humans would not be able to undertake.
Although thepoem seems to have many Paganistic values it also reflects many Christian beliefs. In this poem, Beowulf represents a Christ-like figure. He was brought to help aid the Danes in their fight of goodversus evil. Like Jesus came to save the Jewish people, Beowulf came to the aid of the innocent Danish, hoping to save them from the fires of hell referred to as Grendal, the descendant of Cain. BothChrist and Beowulf new of the challenges that would face them in their future but continued to fight the evil forces of nature.
The Christian elements affect what was essentially a pagan story. In...