Similarities Between Christ And Beowulf

Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow is one of the first characters in the transition to Old English in literature, and over the years many scholars and professors have tried to interpret this mythical figure’s purpose. When the epic poem of Beowulf was written it was in a time in which the island of Great Britain was divided and had no identity. The island had been conquered multiple times by different armies ranging from the Romans to the Scandinavians. The culture had many Pagan and Christian roots as result of multiple transitions, and this was reflected in their literature. Beowulf was written by an unknown Briton that made the main character Beowulf resemble heralded prophet Jesus Christ. When the lives of Beowulf and Jesus Christ are compared there are numerous similarities. Despite Beowulf having the traits of Germanic hero, Beowulf is a clear representation of the Christian …show more content…
Once Jesus had put their faith in him to the test his apostles quickly abandoned and denied ever knowing him when Jesus was sentenced to death. In Beowulf, the same could be said for the Geat warrior that had taken 12 loyal men with him to kill the Dragon and the narrator verbalized “No help or backing was to be had then from, that hand-picked troop broke ranks and ran for their lives to the safety of the wood” (175). In the crews of Jesus and Beowulf those loyal to them deserted their leader in their darkest hour. This similarity may be no coincidence when the number is the same and both crews abandoned them when Beowulf and Jesus needed help most. Also, to prove further why this may not be coincidental is that in the both texts one of the followers was there for Jesus during his crucifixion, and one helped Beowulf take on the Dragon. Once Beowulf and Jesus both sacrificed their lives for the greater good of the world they were both commemorated by their acolytes as great