Good and evil are two very distinct ideas. When we trace back to the beginnings good and evil, we come to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Once Cain had killed his brother, there was evil in the world. When you bring this into Beowulf, we see Beowulf as the good, and Grendel as the evil, because Grendel is the monster killing innocent men, and the descendent of Cain. Wouldn’t this show that religion was a part of Beowulf? Another example of the ethics of a religion in Beowulf is that they prayed to a “higher being.” When Beowulf was going off to battle, he prayed to someone in the sky that he would have safe travels. Is that the same as praying in today’s religions? Another connection to the bible is Grendel’s description as a monster.
