Essay on Remaking Beowulf as a Christian Hero - 1029 Words

Remaking Beowulf as a Christian Hero The story of Beowulf is full of religious references and symbolism, but is it truly a Christian story? According to the narrative, Beowulf is an instrument of God, an instrument of righteousness called by God to perform His will for the Danes. In stark contrast to his good, is the enemy, Grendel, the incarnation of pure evil. These two characters appear to represent the forces of good versus the forces of evil. It would be easy enough to leave the story that way, but it appears that Beowulf is written intentionally to make the main characters appear more important by adding Biblical references to the narrative. By creating characters of a Biblical stature, the story as a whole has an†¦show more content†¦When the warriors slept this wicked creature would come and murder them without any remorse. It may be that at one point Grendel was a human much like Beowulf. Yet, so as to save his life, he left behind his hand, his arm and shoulder (957-959). He has the appearance of a man and he has a mother, but the humanness of Grendel has disappeared, and what remains is a creature that as the text says, the Creator had condemned. Instead of saying that Grendel was just a real bad guy, through these descriptions, he has taken on a supernatural or mystical quality. God was even concerned enough to curse Grendel for his atrocities. This heightened importance of the characters is continued in the descriptions of Beowulf. We can liken Beowulf to a religious man. He seems to be a man ordained to carry out Gods righteousness. When he arrives in the land of the Danes, the first thing he and his crew does is thank God for a safe passage (225-226). Wulfgar shortly after Beowulfs arrival says, I am convinced that Holy God, of His great mercy, has directed him to us West-Danes and that he means to come to grips with Grendel (378-381). Hrothgar also says, Yet God can easily prevent this reckless ravager from committing such crimes (471-472). These men of the Danes are completely convinced that God has brought BeowulfShow MoreRelatedChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pagespress, books were rare and precious (Bingham and Scholt 1980). Amusing books written specifically for children would have been economically and psychologically impossible (Townsend 1996). Children would probably have listened to adult works such as Beowulf, Song of Roland, El Cid, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. Children and adults also enjoyed folk tales and literature rich with fantasy and imagination, as myth was the way they made sense of their world. While there were no manuscripts devoted specifically