I believe that Beowolf was in fact a Christian, although we see both sides of the text pointed out in this reading. Pagans worship multiple Gods and Christians worship one God, Jesus Christ. We see points in the text when Beowolf asks God for help and to guide him and protect him. This is him referencing directly to one being. This was all the “unique” evidence I could use without copying my classmates.

We discussed in class how people went back and changed the ending of the story to make his religious views seem highly Christian. We also see Biblical references because of this and therefore I am Team Saint.

I believe that Beowulf is more Saint beginning when he is celebrating with Hrothgar, who reminds him of greek stories when pride without humility results in tragic falls.  But wealth that is accumulated through the grace of God can be shared unselfishly.  Many other times God is mentioned and given credit for some of the deeds that Beowulf is able to accomplish.  However, I believe that this reinforcement of Christian ideas by Hrothgar is very important to understanding why Beowulf is more Saint than Saxon.

The big question that is being addressed here is if we believe that Beowulf is either more of a pagan or a real Christian in this epic hero story. Beowulf is an epic poem written by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet. In class it was thought repeatedly that this story in particular must have been written by two different writers due to the fact that the first half of the story maintains a strong pagan value to what they say and to what they do in the tale. Unfeith in the story actually asks the king if they should pray to Jesus Christ to get rid of the beast Grendel. The king in response says no they should not because the gods won’t do for them what they can’t do themselves and what they truly needed was a hero.

We discover later in the story that Grendel is a descendant of Cain who is a beast from the underworld. The bravery that Beowulf shows and the belief that he can defeat any man or any monster that is put in front of him to me shows that he has God by his side. Consequently, he is will and able to do anything with the help of the Lord.

I agree with what everyone else has put. It is difficult not to use the same examples but I do think that the frequent references to God by Hrothgar and Beowulf himself later on in his life. Beowulf returns from killing Grendel’s mother and claims that God had defended him in chapter XXV, “I came off alive from this, narrowly ’scaping:In war ’neath the water the work with great pains I. Performed, and the fight had been finished quite nearly, Had God not defended me.” Certainly sounds like much more of a Christian viewpoint.

I wonder what would make this internal change of mind in Beowulf (other than different writers) because by the start of the story glory for his own pride is what Beowulf comes for. For him to suddenly give credit to an all mighty being makes him seem a tad bit weaker of a character and much less God-like than the Narrator and Hrothgar made him out to be. The weapon in the cave seems to appear out of thin air by God and of course Beowulf uses it to kill Grendel’s mother. I agree that Team Saint is the way to go.

There is some degree of uncertainty regarding the authors of the poem Beowulf. Historians and researchers believe that Beowulf was actually written by two different authors OR written by one and revised by another. They are able to identify a distinct difference in Beowulf’s character from the beginning of the story to the end. When he arrives to help Hrothgar defeat Grendel, he is very haughty; however at the end of the play, he credits his success to God. This exemplifies the journey of Christian, in my opinion. All humans are born with a sin nature. Thus, it is not surprising to see Beowulf be so prideful at the onset of his journey, as pride is the very sin that God hates the most. His journey, which led him to defeat three monsters, provides an overall turning point in his spirituality and offers an air of salvation. Thus, Christian values are sprinkled throughout his journey. For example, as he prepares to fight Grendel, he surrenders the outcome of the battle to God in lines 685-687– “And many the Divine Lord in His wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side He sees fit.” While Beowulf may have started his journey as a pagan, it is my opinion that he ended it as a Christian.

I think that Beowulf was a Christian.  Although his original intents when going to help save the Danes from Grendel seem to be for the glorification of his name, on some level a person has to want to truly save the lives of others when putting themselves in danger.  Putting the lives of these people who aren’t even from his country before himself shows the chivalry that Beowulf contains.

I’m also Team Saint because there are many references to G-d and praying to G-d throughout the play.  One example is when King Hrothgar and his people are trying everything they can to rid themselves of the evil monster Grendel.

“At the shrines of their idols often they promised gifts and offering, earnestly prayed they the devil from hell would help them to lighten their people’s oppression.”  (Section III lines 60-63).

The quote is explaining that in the midst of all the evil, the people are looking to G-d to help them.  They are praying and offering everything that they own to have G-d help get rid of Grendel and save their lives.  Since the Christian faith is G-d centered it would make sense that a Christian would look to G-d for help when in need, just like these people.

As many of my classmates have already stated, Beowulf has both pagan and Christian references. In that time period, different people believed different things. Even in the movie clip we watched, the King was asked if the people should pray to Jesus Christ because he was a new god and they thought he could help. Then in a different part when Beowulf’s heroic accomplishments were being doubted the people mentioned something about the gods helping him. So this proves that Saxon and Saint are present among the people. However, I believe Beowulf was a Christian. In section XXIII, Beowulf says, “And had God most holy not awarded the victory, All-knowing Lord; easily did heaven’s Ruler most righteous arrange it with justice”. He is giving God the credit for awarding him the victory over Grendel’s mother. Also, throughout the entire poem he makes references to feeling God inside him and knowing God is with him. To be a pagan he would have called on individual gods to help him but the Almighty God is the only one to whom he speaks. The whole poem puts Christianity in a positive light. It shows that heroes can only be successful if they have God on their side and for that to happen they must be good Christians. Beowulf accredits everything to God and that makes him a Christian.

Although both sides can be argued for Beowulf being Christian or Pagan, I believe that Beowulf is Christian.  I belive this because during the battle with the dragon Beofulf says “While the heat yet rageth, horrible fire-fight. God wot in me, ’tis mickle the liefer”.  This says that during the battle Beowulf felt God was in him, which gave him strength.   During the time that Beowulf needed help the most, Beowulf felt that god gave him power to defeat the dragon.  Beowulf makes many references to god throughout his battles.  This would suggest that Beowulf believes god helps him fight all of the monsters he comes face to face with.

At the end of the story, Beowulf is portrayed as a good Christian.  Further this is done in a similar manner to the way Gawain is portrayed.  The general concepts that are told in both stories are similar along with the language used..  This further strengthens the idea that Beowulf is Christian, or at least the story has been written to make Beowulf look like a Christian.

Throughout our conversation of Beowulf, personally I think Beowulf is both.  He began as a Saxon, solely focused upon his life and his own reputation.  He had no fear of death and was only concerned with himself.  However, as the story continues, it is clear that he along with the story, become increasingly Christian.  He makes references to the fact that he aware of his death and that no man is immortal.  He distributes his wealth and repents for some earlier actions in his life.

It is through this that I believe that he is a Christian.  Not only for his transformation later in the story, but because he fears no evil.  It is known that Christians don’t fear evil, as referenced by the biblical passage “thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil…” Outside of the entire story being about his lack of fear for death somewhat the passage before he enters Grendel’s mother waters truly shows his lack of fear: “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death” Lines 1442-1444.