Religion In Beowulf Essay

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In the history of literature, religion is quite frequently a major topic that is used for writing. During the time period of the epic poem, Beowulf, two religions were competing for popularity. When Paganism was thriving, Beowulf was being told orally. Therefore, when the poem was put onto paper, Paganism was rapidly beginning to be converted into Christian values. The pagan elements of the story are threaded through the writing because that is how the story was told. The Christian elements are more obviously added to the end and stuck into random places in the text. Due to the changing of religion, paganist values in Beowulf started to be denied and overpowered by the new Christian values.
Paganism is most commonly referred to at the beginning or middle of a stanza while Christianity is frequently added on to the end. One of the limited times where paganism is referred to before Christianity is when the text explains how the “powerful counselors” (Beowulf, 171) would “Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed/ offering to idols, swore oaths/ that the killer of souls might come to their aid/ and save the people.” (175-178). Directly after this statement, the idea of Christianity is heavily pushed into the text. The statement “[…] blessed is he/ who after death can approach the lord/ and find friendship in the Father’s embrace.” …show more content…
When Beowulf first begins his battle with Grendel, the poet states that “Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, / the wondrous gifts God had showered on him” (1270-1271). When discussing his victory over Grendel, Beowulf states that “It was hard-fought, a desperate affair/ that could have gone badly; if God had not helped me, / the outcome would have been quick and fatal.” (1656-1658). These statements are pushing the belief in Christianity over the belief in paganism by showing that Beowulf, the hero of the story, believes in God and attributes his success to

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