Christianity in the eleventh century Anglo-Saxon community was significantly influenced by the Pagan traditions and values of Celtic heritage. Many of these values revolved around a warrior spirit—a theme found in the majority of the texts throughout the era. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, captures this influence by depicting a victorious warrior who rescues men from evil. During the preparatory battle scene in which Beowulf lies awake in the Dane’s great mead hall awaiting the imminent battle with the beast, Grendel, subtle Christian messages arise through the context of the pagan culture. Within this scene specifically, it appears that the Christian poet depicts Beowulf as an Anglo-Saxon allusion to the Christ figure by emphasizing his power, confidence, and divine ability to save. Christian principles are evident on a broader scale in that man (the Danes) was hopeless under the power of Cain (Grendel), but God provided a deliverer (Beowulf) who was stronger—the representation of Christ.
The poet who wrote Beowulf was evidently a new Christian as Christianity had recently been brought to the Anglo-Saxon regions and initially intermingled with lingering pagan traditions. In the pagan tradition and folklore, demons and monsters represented evil in the world. The beast, Grendel is a representation of this evil, but under the name of “Cain” from the biblical story of the first family. The person of Cain represents sin and death as he was the first human to commit murder and cause death. The power of sin and death in Cain’s story, and symbolically in Beowulf’s as well, appears stronger than any human force and requires divine intervention to overcome its hold. The poet depicts Grendel’s power by comparing it to that of Beowulf’s in this scene and, similar to the Christian understanding of Christ’s dominance over the power of sin and death, so is the power of Beowulf over Grendel. Beowulf boldly exclaims, “No battle-skill has he, that blows he should strike me” (Beowulf, 20-21). This is similar to the Biblical scripture in Genesis that foretells Jesus’s coming victory as well as his superior power over sin and death; “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (BibleHub).
Further in the passage, the poet narrator speaks of Beowulf’s appearance as divinely ordained; “But the Lord to them granted the weaving of war-speed…aid and comfort, that every opponent by one man’s war-might they worsted and vanquished by the might of himself; the truth is established.” (Beowulf, 36-40). This is a clear picture of Christ’s purpose in coming to earth—raised up by God himself to deliver the world from the power of sin and death, and to provide comfort to his people. The diction in these lines emulates that of the biblical text as well—“granted,” “comfort,” “vanquished,” “might,” and “truth” are all words used in passages of biblical text to describe and outline the purpose of Christ. This demonstrates the poet’s desire to convey a Christian Gospel message while still maintaining a firm grasp on the traditions and values of the Anglo-Saxon culture of the time.
Courage, pride, and confident arrogance were values within the warrior, Anglo-Saxon culture of the time. In the minds of the original audience, these values outweighed those of the biblical ideology, such as humility, meekness, and selflessness. Therefore, in order to express the strength and character of Beowulf to an at-once-pagan-and-Christian audience, the poet depicted him, as well as the entire Gospel of Christ, under the vail of pagan values. Beowulf is shown as a proud, arrogant, and courageous warrior—a very admirable character in the eyes of the original beholders. Beowulf exclaims, “I hold me no meaner in matters of prowess, in warlike achievements, than Grendel does himself…” (16-18). In a pagan manner, Beowulf likens himself to his enemy in order to convey his superiority, which is something that would likely not occur within traditional Christian teachings on the character of Christ, as humility is central in the latter.
The story of Beowulf is replete with biblical references and particularly with allusions to Christ in the character of the deliverer and warrior, Beowulf. Through the diction and imagery of this preparatory battle-scene passage, it is evident that the author not only desired to convey the biblical message of the Gospel within the story, but also to uphold the traditions and values of the Anglo-Saxon community while doing so. Through the mixture of the two, the poet was surely able to reach an audience ready to listen and learn about both sides of their culture, ultimately spreading and encouraging Christianity while maintaining the longstanding roots of the Anglo-Saxon way.
August 27, 2018
Works Cited:
“Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem, Translated From The Heyne-Socin.” The Project Gutenberg. 2005.
“Genesis 3:15.” New International Version. BibleHub.com.