Germanic paganism

Beowulf is a poem that reflects a period of religious fusion. Beowulf took place around 450-600 A.D., even though the story was composed between 700-750 A.D., and it wasn’t until roughly 300 years later where the manuscript was in circulation. During this span of time, the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain and approximately 200 years later, the Pope began sending missionaries to start converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. It is important to know the history of this time frame because there is…

Anglo-Saxon culture considers heroes vital with the warrior prevailing. Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, verifies the Anglo-Saxon culture with Beowulf vanquishing the monsters, including Grendel. Beowulf comes to the Danes to help defeat Grendel, the giant monster killing men while they slept. As a warrior, Beowulf enjoys the thrills of fighting and being known by the community as their hero. Although Beowulf succeeds in overpowering Grendel, the true victory to him includes being seen as a…

Along with Christian beliefs, Beowulf and The Grapes of Wrath seem to incorporate Christ figures or representations of God. First, in Beowulf, Robert Stevick has a different viewpoint with Beowulf following along with Christianity. In his article, “Christian Elements and the Genesis of ‘Beowulf,’” Stevick said “Beowulf does have some Christian virtues and fights against monsters that could double as Christian symbols of evil, but he hardly seems to be a Christ-figure, a pre-Christian thane of…

Harold C. Zimmerman’s “Comparing Conquests: The Life of St. Birinus and the Norman Invasion of England,” written for Studies in Philology, is an analysis of the Norman Invasion of 1066 from the perspective of the Anglo-Saxons. The point of comparison here is the attempted conversion of West Saxons to Christianity by the Roman missionary Birinus. Although by most definitions that does not sound like a “conquest,” it was considered by the Anglo-Saxon author of the record for these events to be one…

Beowulf is an epic poem that has the values of christianity in its main plot. The basis of Christianity roots were instilled into this epic poem, the beliefs were altered to fit the story’s format; Beowulf has been told for hundreds of years.“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different” (T.S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood). Although the writer of the epic poem Beowulf is unknown, we do know…

The famous Roman fabulist, Phaedrus says, “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden”(Phaedrus). Phaedrus’ observation distinguishes the common misconception about the truth derived from religious passages in Beowulf. The epic poem appears to be a Christian poem because of numerous allusions to the Christian God and The Bible. However, careful observation and analysis of the religious passages…

This paper will cover the Vikings’ religion, from being thought of as Pagans, to converting to Christianity, it will also include their deities and other beliefs. The Vikings, also referred to as the Norse, were thought of being Pagans because of their traditions but they then slowly converted to Christianity after being introduced to it. Even though they were thought of as either Pagans or Christians, they still had their own gods and goddesses and mythology, which is what makes Viking…

In Valerie Tarico’s article, “Christianity’s own ‘War on Christmas,’” she states that Christianity takes part in a practice called “syncretism.” Syncretism is when local traditions and religions are absorbed into Christianity. In fact, Tarico claims that Pagan temples became churches, indigenous gods became saints and pagan festival days were turned into Christian holy days. To further this idea of syncretism, Tarico goes on to say that the earliest documentation of Christmas comes from the…

enlightenment of oneself. There is a religion, Paganism, that believes in multiple gods, and has contrasting beliefs than other top religions. Numerous religions have narratives, or accounts that show the way a person may live. Although many stories are pagan driven, the author of Beowulf, an unknown Christian monk, disorients the reader by showing Christian references, pagan symbolism, and association, and diversity between Christianity and paganism. However, Beowulf may be a good versus…

The religious beliefs of the people during the Anglo-Saxon time was turning from Paganism to Christianity. There are a lot of references to both religious beliefs. One proof is a reference saying that the monster, Grendel was “born of Cain” (20-21). The story of Cain and Abel is found within the Bible, therefore, that is a Christian reference…