Beowulf
BeowulfDuring the Anglo-Saxon period, lasting from 449 AD to 1066 AD, popular belief was that a person’s life was predetermined by fate, or as it was called in Old English, Wyrd. Beowulf is a popular epic poem written during the times of these beliefs. Of the various themes reflecting Anglo-Saxon beliefs, one of the most prominent is fate.
Fate is shown as a primary theme throughout the poem. When Beowulf, the main character, announces that he is traveling across the sea to fight Grendel, the horrible beast at Herot, his people do not regret his decision. They feel that his destiny is travel and adventure and that “the omens [are] good” (118). They wish him well and send him on his way to defeat the creature. When Beowulf is speaking with Hrothgar, he says that he has hunted “monsters out of the ocean and [killed] them one by one” (251-252). He says that he was not afraid to do this because “death was [his] errand and the fate they had earned” (253-254). He is not apprehensive about fighting Grendel because “Grendel and [he] are called together and [he has] come” to destroy him. Before he goes to face Grendel in Herot,...
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