Germanic paganism

Beowulf is a larger than life character who perfectly defines what it means to be an epic hero. More importantly, Beowulf demonstrates every single one of the Anglo Saxon’s morals and values that they attempted to live by on a daily basis. He is brave and is revered for his great achievements. Bravery and honor were extremely significant attributes among the Anglo Saxon people. Also, loyalty was a trait they perceived to be of the utmost importance among the warriors of their culture. In…

The Anglo-Saxons lived around the belief that you had to be courageous and strong in battle. Humans had the power to manipulate individuals through spells. The importance of family was also present. If someone were to be killed in battle, it was up to the family to find means to cope with the loss, through revenge and even payment from the killer. The Anglo-Saxons also believed in the idea of “fate” but try to eliminate their own fate by means of force and pride. The Greek views toward the…

The cultural values of the Anglo-Saxon people reflected what might be considered a more simplistic mindset as opposed to those possessed by modern peoples, which tend to be more complex. Moreover, the cultural values of the Anglo-Saxon people can be represented through characters in the epic poem Beowulf (Heaney). The Anglo-Saxons believed that everything fell into the categories of either good or evil, with no room for anything in between. Today we like to believe that people act and think a…

Loyalty is a major and pervasive theme in Beowulf. This is because in the Anglo-Saxon culture loyalty was valued above many other qualities. Loyalty was such an important aspect in Anglo-Saxon life that it caused families to make difficult decisions between blood family and marriage family. The theme of loyalty is seen several different times in the Beowulf story. The theme of loyalty will be examined through the actions that Beowulf took in regards to defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother,…

Although Christianity dominated the Anglo Saxon lifestyle, paganism was a present reality still being practiced. Paganism is a religion based on animism, or the belief that spirits resided in everything ("What Is Paganism?”). Pagans often worshipped multiple Gods, sacrificed animals and other commodities, and loved feasting and participating in festivals. An individuals destiny, fate, and glory were all important to Anglo Saxon’s in that they believed that immortality could be earned through…

In the Paganism theology, there is not necessary a “correct”, one and only moral choice as each pagan god represents different values and one may take on multiple sides. However, there are only two choices in Christianity in contrast, Good (God) and Evil (Satan)…

The Anglo-Saxon Era was one of transition from pagan beliefs to Christianity, which can be see interwoven in the literature of the period. By the time “Beowulf” was transcribed, pagan mythology and Christian truths were viewed as mutually exclusive ideals, but to many people these tales coexisted within their hearts and minds as is revealed by the story of “Beowulf” as the author transitions seamlessly between the two warring worldviews. The relationship of Christianity and pagan legends is…

Between the year 800 to 1,000, Beowulf was written when Angelo-Saxon’s were in their early conversion to Christianity. It was during this syncretism, that the elements of paganism and Christianity became intertwined, as people tried to rectify their pagan beliefs with Christian beliefs. However, in Seamus Heaney’s translated version of Beowulf, the Christian and pagan elements show how religion is used by people to respond to various life scenarios. Clearly, Christianity was gaining more…

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…

Syncretism is an attempt to bring together beliefs from different schools of thought. Almost every religion has some form of syncretism. Christianity for instance, was focused on the Judaic thought and there were numerous practices that were picked up which were clearly not part of early Christianity. For instance while celebrating Christmas, the tree, and feasts are all Pagan rituals that were incorporated into Christianity as a means to convert the non – Christians (Maroney, 2006). Another…