Literature can tell a great deal about the culture that it comes from; for example, The Iliad, an epic written by Homer, was the first written record of the great, ancient Greek civilization. Literature tells about a culture by implying underlying principles, values, beliefs and key concepts without explicitly stating them. An author can do this by using repetition in their writing, as seen in the interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon cultural myth, Beowulf. Beowulf is a warrior, and he faces multiple challenges to defeat evils; in particular, three monsters he faced were Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a protective dragon, and each of these monsters wished to end humanity. The reoccurring concept of a supernatural evil who opposes and destroys
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Burton Raffel, the author, includes, “He was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime Of Abel’s death” (14). The connection that was established between Grendel and Cain, a religious character who is also thought to be evil for the act of killing his own brother, shows that Grendel has some religious ties. With ties so close to Christianity, Raffel practically inserts the monster into the Christian religion. The author then refers to Grendel as a "shepherd of evil" and a "guardian of crime" (Raffel 26). This means that Grendel is perceived as a threat to humanity. He is likely the cause when evil occurs, and he allows evil to happen. Grendel ingrained himself as a supernatural power in the story from his magical powers; the author reports, "For that sin-stained demon Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells they blunted every mortal man’s blade" (Raffel 28). The word choice of the author demonstrates that Grendel's ability to bewitch the weapons of the warriors can best compare the monster to a witch since their swords would not penetrate his skin. All of the human beings were helpless against Grendel's size and strength except his successful opponent, Beowulf. Raffel describes Grendel as a superhuman creature whose sole mission is to destroy
Burton Raffel, the author, includes, “He was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime Of Abel’s death” (14). The connection that was established between Grendel and Cain, a religious character who is also thought to be evil for the act of killing his own brother, shows that Grendel has some religious ties. With ties so close to Christianity, Raffel practically inserts the monster into the Christian religion. The author then refers to Grendel as a "shepherd of evil" and a "guardian of crime" (Raffel 26). This means that Grendel is perceived as a threat to humanity. He is likely the cause when evil occurs, and he allows evil to happen. Grendel ingrained himself as a supernatural power in the story from his magical powers; the author reports, "For that sin-stained demon Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells they blunted every mortal man’s blade" (Raffel 28). The word choice of the author demonstrates that Grendel's ability to bewitch the weapons of the warriors can best compare the monster to a witch since their swords would not penetrate his skin. All of the human beings were helpless against Grendel's size and strength except his successful opponent, Beowulf. Raffel describes Grendel as a superhuman creature whose sole mission is to destroy