Joshua Thomas
English II PAP
October 15, 2010
Beowulf Essay
Religion plays a big factor in the societies of today.
References to the bible are
sometimes included in works of literature, and the bible can even influence an author what to
write about. Prophets and followers of a religion will try and convert others to their religion
whether it to be for economic purposes or just to help the lives of others. The poem Beowulf was
written to convert pagan worshipers to Christianity. In order to convert pagan worshipers to
Christianity, Beowulf incorporates biblical teachings and it displays Beowulf as a “Messiah”
figure.
In the poem, Christian monks depict biblical teachings by using the story of the devil and
God appointed kings. In the new testament of the bible, the devil is a colleague of God until he
is condemned to hell and he is cursed by God. When the devil is cursed, he becomes “the
outcast” of Heaven. Grendel, the antagonist of Beowulf, is “cursed by the mark of Cain” and he
becomes a monstrous outcast. This fiendish exile is prevented from being with man and living a
normal life. Grendel’s exile story conveys the story of the devil in the bible and how he becomes
the ultimate evil. The Christian monks told this to the natives to help them relate to an evil
figure to show what the ultimate evil of the Christian world is. This helps the natives ease into
belief of what not to follow and it helps them comprehend the distinction between good and evil.
In the bible, kings are appointed to rule over specific lands of the earth. These kings not
only had the “permission slip” of God, they also had God’s blessings and he answered their
prayers. The throne of the kings was also the “throne of God.” Hrothgar, being appointed by
God to be king, was blessed and protected from evils such as Grendel, a character that depicts
the image of the devil. Hrothgar’s position represents the kings that were appointed by God.
Grendel attacks Hrothgar’s kingdom many times but he never succeeds in taking his throne.
These accounts of Hrothgar’s events show the natives what the religion of Christianity can really
do. When natives hear that the religion they are trying to be converted to offers protection, they
will be more likely to accept the religion because of its security.
These Christian monks use Beowulf to represent a Messiah figure. These monks portray
Beowulf as the equivalent of Jesus Christ by telling the natives that Beowulf was the son of a
king and the story of Beowulf when he goes underwater and fights for three days. In the new
testament of the bible, Jesus is born from the Virgin Mary and he is the son of God. God in the
Christian religion is the almighty power and he is all pure. In the poem Beowulf, the king
Hrothgar “adopts Beowulf as a son.” In the story of Beowulf, Hrothgar is a very pure and
marvelous like God in a sense but not very similar. Since there are no other hierarchies,
Hrothgar is somewhat like a god to his people. Beowulf being the adopted son of a king like
Hrothgar, it goes to show the natives just how important Beowulf is to the world, just as Jesus is
very important in the life of Christians. This being known that Beowulf is the son of a king; it
helps pagan worshipers understand the image of Jesus Christ.
In the new testament of the bible, Jesus dies and goes to hell to fight the devil for three
days. In the poem of Beowulf, Beowulf goes “underwater to fight Grendel’s mother for three
days.” In a way, Beowulf was dead to his people and some thought he was gone for good
although he wasn’t dead. Beowulf sacrifices his time and energy to save people’s lives just as
Jesus dies for the sins of humanity so that they will have an enjoyable afterlife. When trying to
convert pagan worshipers into Christians, a key factor of the Christian religion is Jesus because
of his actions and sacrifice. These Christian monks tried to give the natives a very clear relation
between Jesus and Beowulf so they would accept Jesus in their lives and to accept the religion of
Christianity in their lives.
The Christian monks tried to convert pagan worshipers by making the tale of Beowulf and
depicting certain stories from the bible and putting them in the poem of Beowulf.
These
allusions to the bible will help the pagan worshipers grasp the religion of Christianity when it
comes time to fully convert to Christianity.