貝奧武夫-Beowulf- A Christian Commentary on Pagan Society

1、Niki FellowsEnglish 3300Beowulf: A Christian Commentary on Pagan SocietyBeowulf is one of the greatest poems that exhibit the characteristics of conversion in a pagan society. There are beginnings of change, evident in the poem, from a pagan history to an acceptance of a new Christian meaning. This

2、history of a pagan hero was infused with Christian symbols and morals to help smooth the conversion for pagans. When studying Beowulf, it is important to uncover the meanings and symbols of what Grendel and his mother represent in a Christian society with reference to the pagan society, as well as,

3、look at the final fight between the dragon and Beowulf and Beowulfs pride. History is a major part of understanding Christian symbols apparent in Beowulf and understanding his actions in a pagan society.Medieval Christianity perceives “monster” as a reference to someone with a birth defect that was

4、believed to be a sign from God of bad lineage or a foreshadowing of horrible events. The poem is shaped by the three monsters Beowulf must fight, each the symbol of an inhuman presence in the society. The inhumanness being that they are outcasts and are forced out by society to live beyond human rea

5、lms. Beowulf had come to Hrothgar as a man-payment in a wergild society, and he used it to his benefit to attain his reputation and, according to Scandinavian pagan society, heroes continued to live in death by song and poem honoring the feats they conquered. Beowulf could be considered a pagan hist

6、ory as given evidence in the poem itself: “So the song was sung, the lay recited / the sound of revelry rose in the hall” (I. 1052). His feats were so great that his memory will survive in poem and song.For twelve years, Grendel (the man-like ogre) stalked the halls of Heorot (home of the old king H

7、rothgar) killing the kings thanes. Grendel and his mother brought evil to the kings court by nightly rampages. Being that the poems setting is a wergild society, Beowulf must kill Grendel and his mother in order to restore the community from evil and to pay Hrothgar for his kindness to Beowulfs fath

8、er. Beowulfs victory of Grendels mother was very significant to the Christian reader because it was a place of evil and it gave her an advantage; it was her cave in which they fought. Because he went to a cave that was associated with dark magic and hell, it is implied that Beowulfs ability was aide

9、d with the intervention of God to overcome evil. Its apparent there are no miracles in Beowulf; but it can be argued there is an ideal of a predetermined fate nudged by God, which explains the victory of good over evil. It was never clearly mentioned by the poet who it was that aided the defeat but

10、the reader can only assume it was both: a divine power and mans ability. The magic sword that killed Grendels mother was used for good, it killed evil, alluding to Gods intervention. Because Grendel and his mother came from darkness, wherever they went embodied darkness. For example, in lines 725-75

11、2 the climactic fight between Beowulf and Grendel is seen through the eyes of the Danes and they marvel to the fact Heorot is still standing. The fight scene is described in gory detail that leads the reader to imagine a hall of broken columns, torn tapestries, and disheveled dishes. The fact the Da

12、nes were surprised it was still standing also aid this perception of chaos. The cave of Grendel and his mother is described as very unnatural (just as they are inhuman). “At night there something uncanny happens: the water burns.” Water is the sign of purity in Christianity and could also be a fores

13、hadowing of Grendels nightly ritual of death. After Grendel and his mother are defeated, the hall becomes symbolic of the Christian world and Hrothgars rule. The majesty of Heorot is that when Grendel torments the mead hall it reflects the fear of the court and community, when Grendel and his mother

14、 are defeated it becomes vibrant again. In comparison to Grendels cave, the hall is able to be rebuilt into a great hall of joy and song and celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The banquet at Heorot celebrates Grendels defeat and restores order to the Danish people; they no longer have to live

15、in fear of evil. It represents a wholeness that had been lost and they attempt to return to the normalcy of pre-Grendel. The cave of Grendel is foreign to the Christian world because it is dark and isolated. The cave is the symbol of a place for social outcasts, barbaric living, and represents the h

16、eritage of Grendel and his mother.Because Grendel is the descendant of Cain, he is the representation of the evil of pagan society because of their war-like beliefs. He is the embodiment of cyclical warfare in pagan society. He has taken revenge against by Hrothgar killing his thanes. Warfare was a

17、necessity in pagan society. Death and murder was repaid by death and murder and was in a constant cycle of revenge. The only way to end the cycle was to kill one of the families that kept murdering. There is a balance of Paganism and Christianity in the first part of Beowulf because Grendel chooses

18、to murder and kill while Hrothgar refuses until Beowulf comes to his aid. Another example of pagan society in Beowulf is exemplified by Grendels mother. Grendels mother seeks revenge for Grendel, which leads to more death, instead of mourning for her son. Christianity embraces death as a part of lif

19、e, whereas the pagan society tries to deny it by earning as much of a reputation as possible. Revenge, in this story and in pagan society, only led to even more death. Another reason to think of Grendel and his mother as societal outcast is because of their living conditions. The poets description o

20、f Grendel, his mother, and the cave are associated with sorcery and demons. Christians have come to associate pagans with these characteristics because of the barbaric society they lived in.The first part of the poem has a lot of reference to the Old Testament beginning with the lineage of the Danes

21、. The Old Testament also begins with the lineage of man. Many critics believe that second part of Beowulf was written in a later time period because of its lack of religious innuendoes. However, it is not possible that Beowulf had two different authors; the structure and language are the same. The f

22、irst part is infused with more Old Testament reference probably because the author was trying to introduce both societies to the reader to make the conversion easier for many pagans. A foreign man coming to save a land (in a pagan society) with a king who speaks of the Divine Lord is clearly a socie

23、ty that is undergoing the conversion of Christianity. Many critics believe the author wrote Beowulf around 1000 ad but there are critics who have argued it was written around the 8th century. This is also highly unlikely due to the fact that the English language was vastly changing and to have the s

24、ame language seven centuries later is almost impossible. These facts are important to understand before exploring the second part of the poem because of the fact that there are no references to the Old Testament and very vague references to God. Margaret Goldsmith has described “the second part of t

25、he poem as the realization of what Hrothgars warning has foreshadowed, the old Beowulfs mortal struggle with the dragonThus, the poet uses the heroic combats of story to typify mans unending struggle with the powers of darkness” (Nicholson, 378-379)The fight with the dragon is the realization of Beo

26、wulfs pride. While the second part does not reference the Old Testament specifically, it does contain a Christian moral: Pride is death of man. Hrothgar foreshadows Beowulfs downfall by saying “Since God has granted him glory and wealth / He forgets the future, unmindful of Fate / But it comes to pa

27、ss in the day appointed / His feeble body withers and fails.” (II. 1639-42). The only thing a man can be certain of is death, the rest is given to him by God, is the inclination of Christian morals. Beowulf is constantly seeking after worldly goods and Hrothgar specifically warned him that his part

28、in the world would come to an end, like all great men. It is Beowulfs pride that brings him to confrontation with the dragon. It is the pride symbolized by the acceptance of the single cup that forces him to battle with the dragon. His pride is also inherent in that he will allow no one to help him

29、fight, he thinks his aging body is able to overcome the dragon because of his legacy with Grendel and his mother. Both the dragon and Beowulf refuse the counsel of God and rely on their past accomplishments and neither succeeds. Beowulfs prosperity and title was his because God willed it so and the

30、fact that he was so prideful was a sin in itself. Pride is also inherent in the dragon because he begins to kill Beowulfs people in order to find the single missing cup.The dragon is a traditional figure of folklore and a Christian symbol of sin. The sin he embodies is pride and becomes his downfall

31、 as well. Beowulf and the dragon are just strong enough to kill each other (with the help of Wiglaf). The idea of predetermined fate is also evident in Wiglaf: he was the only one to help Beowulf in his time of need; he was loyal and kind and happened to be the only survivor of the fight.A dragon is

32、 a Christian symbol of sin that must be conquered to prove a heros goodness. But it also symbolizes and inevitable encounter with death. It is not apparent if Beowulf was a Christian or pagan. He was living in a pagan society trying to convert to Christianity in the first part of the poem. In the se

33、cond part, it is vague as to his standing on religion. He inherits some Christian and some pagan values. In the fight with the dragon, his pride leads him to continue earning that reputation he desired in the first part. However, it is assumed that the old King Beowulf is living in a society that ha

34、s already converted. Therefore it is easy to see why he tries to fight the dragon: he is trying to earn his reputation as a good Christian (he has already earned it as a pagan). The dragon is the natural enemy of man. Many paintings have shown Christ crushing the head of a dragon with his foot, whic

35、h is why Beowulf must ultimately kill the dragon. He is trying to prove himself worthy of being great in a world where only God can be great. Beowulf is prideful in ever aspect of his life. The treasure that the dragon was guarding symbolizes the externality of his people until he kills it. In his f

36、inal moments he realizes it was his pride that killed him and comes to terms that every one and everything must die. But the treasure that he was so prideful in attaining was buried with him. It represents the vanity of human desire. The history of the treasure has been bad luck for all who have pos

37、sessed it. It was ironic that the dragon and Beowulf should their days together: they have acquired honors (kingship and fear) and both have the predetermined fate of embodying sin in vanity and pride in order to teach the value of Christian ideology and morals.Beowulf is an important piece of literature because it is a pagan poem and history that was infused with many Christian characteristics and has caused debate by many literary critics. The language is full of alliteration and imagery that held the listener (primarily oral). Through this infusion it was easy