Christianity In Beowulf

Beowulf comprises of a Christian superimposition, Viking values, and a hero. In the beginning, it was simply told by bards who had committed the story to memory. It used kennings, caesuras and alliteration to continue the poem. Throughout the story, there are multiple indications that allude to the ideology of Christians. An individual can come to consensus with the fact that a Christian figure transcribed the work, but intelligibly embodies norse principles. Beowulf is a composition that demonstrates an overlay of Christianity and Viking morals verified through the main hero of the story. The poem was crafted between 750-700 A.D in England and was the first epic to be written in Old English. The renown poem only exists in manuscript form, which was supposedly published around 1000 A.D. It consists of 3,182 alliterative lines that tell the story of Beowulf. Before the publication, harpists recited in communal halls using the caesura. The caesura enabled them to have a pause in the story which was vital for the retelling of the tale. In order to allow this to happen, keenings were incorporated so the narrator could roughly give an idea of the literal meaning. The Vikings embraced values of courage, hospitality, industriousness, self-reliance, …show more content…
The Christians wanted to change the perspective and values that was shared amongst the Vikings. The hero, Beowulf, was most likely altered from the original caesura due to the prevailing opinion that all people should worship Christianity. The suspected Christian monk included principals that shaped the Vikings lifestyle during the time. They truly lived by their rules of conduct and that is evident through the dialogue and actions the characters were involved in. Beowulf proves his heroism by committing actions that are valued in his culture of the Vikings and is accompanied by beliefs that the Christians weaved into his heroic