Pagan and Christian Elements in Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

heathen and Christian Elements in Beowulf The praised epic meter, Beowulf, is the firstborn great heroic poem in English literature. The epic follows a courageous warrior named Beowulf throughout his young, fully grown life and into his old age. As a young man, Beowulf becomes a fabled hero when he saves the land of the Danes from the hellish creatures, Grendel and his mother. Later, after fifty years pass, Beowulf is an old man and a great king of the Geats. A weighty dragon soon invades his peaceful kingdom and he defends his community courageously, last in the process. His body is burned and his ashes are placed in a cave by the sea. By placing his ashes in the seaside cave, people vent by will always remember the legendary hero and king, Beowulf. In this recognized epic, Beowulf, is abound in supernatural elements of pagan associations however, the poem is the diametral of pagan barbarism. The presentation of the story telling moves fluidly within Christian environs as well as pagan ideals. Beowulf was a recited pagan folklore where the people of that time period believed in gods, goddesses, and monsters. Its significance lies in an oral narrative where people memorized long, dense lines of tedious verse. Later, when a written tradition was introduced they began to save up the story down on tablets. The old tale was nary(prenominal) first told or invented by the commonly known, Beowulf poet. This is clear from investigations of the folk lore analogues. The disseminated sclerosis was written by two scribes around AD 1000 in late West Saxon, the literary dialect of that period. It is believed that the scribes who put the old materials together into their present form were Christians and that his poem reflects a Christian tradition.... ...e epic is the heros fame, a monument as enduring as earth. Works Cited Primary generator Kermode, Frank, and John Hollander, et al. Beowulf. The Oxford Anthology of English Literature Vol 1. New York Oxf ord UP, 1973. 29-98. Secondary Sources Chickering, Howell D, Jr. Beowulf A Dual-Language Edition. New York Anchor, 1977. Clark, George. Beowulf. New York Twayne, 1990. Holland-Crossley, Kevin, and Bruce Mitchell. Beowulf. New York Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Poupard, Dennis, and Jelena O. Krstonc, ed. Classical and Medieval Literature objurgation Volume 1. Michigan Gale Research, 1988. Morris, Richard, ed. Blickling Homilies Sermon 17 of the Tenth Century, Old Series, no. 73. London EETS, 1880. 209-11. Tuso, Joseph F, ed. Beowulf The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. New York W.W. Norton, 1975.