Pyre

There are several key parts of an Epic that each work of literature contains. One is key part is the hero, usually of unbelievable stature. Then there is a vast/extensive setting. The settings of the stories do not just contain a wide geographical span but also often cosmological space: across land, sea, into the underworld, or thru space or time etc. It involves supernatural or otherworldly forces. Such as gods, demons, angels, time/space travel, cheating death etc. Last but not least there has…

Beowulf Dichotomized Former delegate Joseph Bartlett of Maryland, once said “When a pagan race comes in contact with a Christian race, they are converted, absorbed, or exterminated”. The dichotomy between paganism and Christianity can be seen from the Anglo-Saxon era to the early 2000’s. The clashing of the two can be seen within the epic poem Beowulf. Within the epic, the elements of Norse paganism and medieval Christianity are present. However the medieval Christianity overshadows…

Beowulf is an epic tale of adventure and overcoming great challenges, with sprinkles of Christianity to spice up the English work of art. The eighth century bore witness to the struggle between Pagan and Christian influences to see which religion would come out on top. Since Beowulf was assumed to have been preserved in the written word by a monk it is filled to the brim with Christian influence, but the pagan themes rear their heads every now and then. A common theory is that a monk heard the…

of that sudden raid on the sons of Finn.” In the story there was also many religious connectections symbolic of a culture transitioning between two faiths, Paganism and Christianity. Here is an example of the Pagan tradition of contending a funeral pyre as a…

begins as a death: resurrection always requires a death. The death of a loved one, the death of a cherished relationship, the death of innocence and of ones’ self, are painful, yet beautiful. Once the flame which once illuminated one’s life turns into a pyre, it becomes easy to think of the flame as extinguished, however, Nadia proves…

Every religion has a different viewpoint on the afterlife. While there may be some similarities, the differences are vast. Specifically, Hinduism and Buddhism differ in the way they approach the idea of the afterlife. That is the main difference; how they interpret death. However, a common theme across these religions is that a life well lived on earth today brings an eternal reward tomorrow. They believe in a better realm being promised once someone passes on. Hinduism is one of the world’s…

Beowulf, an Old English Poem, is a story of a Swedish hero who kills monsters. Beowulf, the main character, was a young, fearless leader in the beginning. Beowulf was seen as a hero of the Geats who had tremendous strength and courage. His courage led him to fight off evil monsters. Hercules, son of Zeus and Alcmene, was a Greek God of Thebes. Hercules had tremendous strength and endurance. His stepmother, Hera, made Hercules childhood difficult. She was jealous of his tremendous strength and…

“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor,” wrote the great philosopher Aristotle. By ranking these two character traits above all others, Aristotle emphasizes their importance. Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, although flawed like all humans, exemplifies courage and honor through everything he does. Faced with continual challenges, Odysseus perseveres through each difficulty with high morals,…

”(884-887). This depicts a clear representation of Norse and Anglo Saxon culture as this story seems important to the overall story. Another example of this is the use of the cremation of Beowulf towards the end of the text. “The Geatish people then built a pyre on that high ground”(239) and they also surrounded Beowulf with treasure at the times of his death. None of these are Christian values and they violate the Christian practice of asceticism as well as the fact that cremation was not a…

When Appanna comes to know about her pregnancy, he beats her up accusing her of adultery. She pleads her innocence but Appanna drags her to the village Elders and complains against her. Rani has to face the trial before the Village Elders to prove her innocence. Following the advice of Naga she takes up the Snake trial and speaks the truth: “Yes, my husband and this King Cobra. Except for these two, I have not touched any one of the male sex.”22 Woman is a victim of gender…