Analyzing the Ideas and Views of Religion
In the epic Beowulf, (Heaney) and the movie, Beowulf and Grendel, (Gunnarsson) there are many ideas and oppositions to consider when examining the religious beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons, much of whose culture the folk epic and film reveal. For instance, we are taught much regarding the significance of the Old English and the speaker's emphasis on one’s heritage in both stories of Beowulf. Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson) examines the biblical perspectives of the newly Christianized members of this cultural landscape. This film also discusses the highly significant and esteemed ways and traditions participated by the members of this culture, which emulate the many cultural elements discussed in the original epic. In addition to the following of tradition and mimicking of cultural attributes, the new characters in this film provide for us a new perspective of the original Anglo-Saxons who existed in the era of Beowulf’s time.
The religious ideas considered in both stories reveal much to us regarding the diverse perspectives of the people in this era; however many of these views are contrasting. In …show more content…
In one of the beginning scenes in this film, Queen Wealhtheow travels to visit Selma, (the witch) in order to find out how her husband will die. When Queen Wealhtheow finds Selma, we see that Selma is moving rocks around and placing them in particular areas of the grass. This is an example of a common Pagan ritual. Rituals, like the one depicted in this scene are very common in the pagan religion and such rituals generally take place in specific locations of the outdoors, such as forests or grasslands. When we compare this scene from the film, to the epic, we find that there are no instances were Queen Wealhtheow endeavors to discover the specified way of which her husband will
In the epic Beowulf, (Heaney) and the movie, Beowulf and Grendel, (Gunnarsson) there are many ideas and oppositions to consider when examining the religious beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons, much of whose culture the folk epic and film reveal. For instance, we are taught much regarding the significance of the Old English and the speaker's emphasis on one’s heritage in both stories of Beowulf. Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson) examines the biblical perspectives of the newly Christianized members of this cultural landscape. This film also discusses the highly significant and esteemed ways and traditions participated by the members of this culture, which emulate the many cultural elements discussed in the original epic. In addition to the following of tradition and mimicking of cultural attributes, the new characters in this film provide for us a new perspective of the original Anglo-Saxons who existed in the era of Beowulf’s time.
The religious ideas considered in both stories reveal much to us regarding the diverse perspectives of the people in this era; however many of these views are contrasting. In …show more content…
In one of the beginning scenes in this film, Queen Wealhtheow travels to visit Selma, (the witch) in order to find out how her husband will die. When Queen Wealhtheow finds Selma, we see that Selma is moving rocks around and placing them in particular areas of the grass. This is an example of a common Pagan ritual. Rituals, like the one depicted in this scene are very common in the pagan religion and such rituals generally take place in specific locations of the outdoors, such as forests or grasslands. When we compare this scene from the film, to the epic, we find that there are no instances were Queen Wealhtheow endeavors to discover the specified way of which her husband will