Paganism, say hello to christi
Paganism, say hello to christiThe epic poem of Beowulf blends aspects of the pagan world - such as the belief in fate and the importance of being remembered - with aspect from the Christian world. The
author writes about the values of the pagan world, while, at the same time, portraying
Christian morality through his characters. The epic of Beowulf reflects both the Christian
world and the pagan world. Much like the more familiar stories of King Arthur, Beowulf
depicts a world in which Christianity and paganism merge.
The mark of Cain should be familiar to anyone that has any knowledge of Judaism,
Islam, or Christianity. This "Christian" symbol is an important one in the epic of Beowulf.
Not only does the fact of Grendel having the mark of Cain symbolize that he is inherently
evil because of his family line, but it also shows Beowulf's devotion to the Christian God.
Beowulf knows that he cannot kill Grendel*, because the Christian God said that if anyone
kills a man with this mark "he shall be avenged sevenfold."
In the epic of Beowulf, Beowulf makes many references to his fate. Fate, by definition,
is a pagan belief. There is no belief in fate in the Christian religion, yet fate seems to play
an important role in the morality and values of Beowulf. For instance, Beowulf said that
he could serve God because of his fate, because it was his belief that he was fated to be a
servant of God. Beowulf made such references to fate as, "Fate must decide." It is
obvious through the statement, "Fate has swept away...
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