Beowulf Paganism Essay

The epic, Beowulf, was written in the 7th Century. This time period gives us an idea for the mixture of Christian and pagan themes because England was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. Christian and Pagan beliefs are shown throughout English literature. When Beowulf was written, St. Augustine had just arrived to try and convince the Anglo-Saxon people to convert from Paganism to Christianity; although he succeeded many people still practiced Paganism. The fictional powers and monsters in the story, obviously show how paganism was present when the tale was written, also the biblical background of the characters and lessons the story teaches shows how Christianity was also present. Beowulf can be read as a pagan epic with Christian influences. Pagan stories usually consist of valiant heroes, terrifying monsters, dragons, and kings. The story of Beowulf has all of these themes, Beowulf is also the name of the main character and hero of the story. He is a brave prince who later …show more content…
Pagan stories written with mythical creatures and supernatural powers and events, Grendel has magical powers that he uses to render Hrothgar’s men’s weapons useless. This shows, once again that Paganism was present when the story was composed. Grendel is also strongly influenced by Christianity as well, He is a descendant of the bibles first ever recorded murderer, Cain. The story of Cain and Able is a tale of two brothers, Cain is overrun with jealousy and kills his brother, Able. This is the reason Grendel is so evil. When Beowulf battles Grendel in the mead hall it can be compared to the biblical story of David and Goliath. It’s a perfect example of good triumphing over evil. Grendel is a Pagan character with a Christian background, Paganism has portrayed him as a monster and his relation to Cain ties his background into