Beowulf: The Christian Intention of Pagan Rejection

An Analytic Exploration of the Interaction between Christianity and Anglo-Saxon

Culture

By: Anthony Vito Colucci
5/20/13











C o l u c c i | 1

The early Middle Ages on the island of Britain was a time characterized
by syncretism born from religious and cultural ambiguity. Roger Collins explains
that because conflict between peoples was so prevalent in the region, the
emergence of new states was matched by growing integration with elements of
the indigenous population and its culture.
1
Because Christianity was in the
process of gradual expansion in the region, some pagan Anglo-Saxons had a
difficult time transitioning to Christianity. Bede provides historians evidence in
his The Ecclesiastical History of the English People that presents examples of
Anglo-Saxons not necessarily making a smooth adjustment to the essential tenants
of Christianity. Bede explains in his book that Rdwald, a king of the East
Angles, had long before been initiated into the mysteries of the Christian faith in
Kent, but in vain; for on his return home, he was seduced by his wife and by
certain evil teachers and perverted from the sincerity of his faith, so that his last
state was worse than his first.
2
Bede continues to state that this resulted in
Samarian-like behavior because he was serving both Christ and the gods whom
he had previously served; in the same temple he had one altar for Christian
sacrifice and another small altar on which to offer victims to devils.
3
Collins
explains this type of situation by stating that many pagans perceived that by
professing faith in Christ, one was not required to necessarily rebuke the existence
of the gods of northern heathenism.
4

Bede also mentions instances of kings reverting to paganism such as
Sighere
5
and the three sons of Sberht.
6
These are only some of the examples
Bede provides that reveal that this period was a difficult time for Anglo-Saxons to
establish any kind of resolve in the Christian faith. Gale R. Owen feels that the
competition between paganism and Christianity resulted from a long-standing
past of northern heathenism and the continual efforts of Christian missionaries.
7

The Anglo-Saxon heroic poem Beowulf happens to be a product of this
particular transitional period. Scholars often date this poem to have been
recorded in England somewhere between the seventh and tenth centuries.
8


1
Collins, Roger. Early Medieval Europe 300-1000, 3
rd
ed. (New York: Palgrave
MacMillan, 2010), 365.
2
Bede. Chapter 15. In Book II. In The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Edited by Roger Collins and Judith McClure. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 98.
3
Ibid.
4
Collins, Roger. Early Medieval Europe 300-1000 (Palgrave MacMillan, 2010), 357.
5
Bede. Chapter 30. In Book III. In The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Edited by Roger Collins and Judith McClure. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 167.
6
Bede. Chapter 5. In Book II. In The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Edited by Roger Collins and Judith McClure. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 79.
7
Owen, Gale R. Rites and Religions of the Anglo-Saxons. Dorset Press, 1985, 5.
8
Heaney, Seamus. Introduction, In Beowulf. (New York: W. W. Norton & Company,
2000), ix.
C o l u c c i | 2

Because this period has been shown to contain ambiguity in the Anglo-Saxons
religious subscription, works such as Beowulf provide for interesting historical
discussion. Scholars have debated on whether or not the poem was influenced by
northern paganism, Christianity, or some hybrid of the two. This essay shall
disclose Beowulfs true intentions.
This poem was written with the Christian intention of pagan rejection.
Beowulfs opposition to paganism manifests itself as Beowulf continuously
exhibits virtue concurrent with contemporary Christian values. Also, although
Beowulf takes place in a setting that seems to appeal to their Germanic heritage,
the poem in many ways devalues some pagan notions.
The essential question is whether or not Beowulf can be shown to exhibit
such strong Christian ideas in a poem that makes so many literary appeals to the
Germanic warrior society
9
of the Anglo-Saxons. The poem appears to have been
recorded containing heavy coloration that corresponds to the pagan heritage of the
Anglo-Saxons; however, Beowulfs author skillfully intertwines this culture with
his Christian message. It almost seems as if the author disguises his message as a
mother might hide undesirable medication in a childs meal. An almost
archaeological approach to the text allows for readers to discover why there are so
many elements derived from the Anglo-Saxons religious ancestry in a poem that
intends such a Christian purpose. The purpose that the author intended to
promote Christianity is best exemplified in Beowulfs consistent demonstration of
contemporary Christian virtue.
Ignoring the high likelihood that the poem was the creation of a
Christian, probably a monk
10
with Christian intentions, Beowulf consists of many
specific examples that allow one to confirm Christian authorship. In the
beginning of Beowulf, the author introduces Grendel and explains his destruction
of the Danes community. When confronted with fear and desperation, the Danes
exhibited pagan behavior conflicting with contemporary Christian teachings:
Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to idols, swore oaths
that the killer of souls might come to their aid and save the people. That
was their way, their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts they remembered
hell. The Almighty Judge of good deeds and bad, the Lord God, Head of
the Heavens and High King of the World, was unknown to them. Oh,

9
Hieatt, A. Kent. The Pessimism of Many Germanic Stories. In Readings on Beowulf,
edited by Bruno Leone, Brenda Stalcup, Bonnie Szumski, & Stephen P. Thomson, 45-48. San
Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998.
10
McNamee, M. B. BeowulfAn Allegory of Salvation? In Interpretations of
Beowulf: A Critical Anthology, edited by R. D. Fulk. 88-102. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana
University Press, 1991.
C o l u c c i | 3

cursed is he who in time of trouble has to thrust his soul in the fires
embrace, forfeiting help; he has nowhere to turn. But blessed is he who
after death can approach the Lord and find friendship in the Fathers
embrace.
11

This quote lets readers know right from the start that this poem does not support
pagan worship; in fact, it explicitly rejects it. Beowulfs author explains that that
troubled time continued
12
for the Danes because they worshipped false idols.
Therefore, right from the outset of the poem the author is showing his purpose
very deliberately.
The rejection of pagan worship in Beowulf presents a message that is
historically consistent with Christian teachings. During a time that was
characterized by religious competition and integration, it is not a surprise that
Christian authority tried to delegitimize the precepts and beliefs of paganism. In
Bedes book, he references a letter written by Pope Boniface to Edwin, the
illustrious king of the English, in which he was exhorting him to accept the
faith.
13
The letter provides tremendous historical insight regarding the Churchs
stance on paganism:
The great guilt of those who cling to the pernicious superstitions of
idolatrous worship is seen in the damnable form of their gods. Of these
psalmists say, All the gods of the nations are devils; but the Lord made
the heavens. And again, Eyes have they but they see not; they have ears
but they hear not; noses have they but they smell not; they have hands but
they handle not; feet have they but they walk not; and those who put their
trust in them therefore become like them. How can they have power to
help anyone, when they are made from corruptible material by the hands
of your own servants and subjects and, by means of such human art, you
have provided them with the inanimate semblance of the human form?
They cannot walk unless you move them, but are like a stone fixed in one
place, and, being so constructed, have no power to harm or help. We
cannot understand in any way how you can be so deluded as to worship
and follow those gods to whom you yourselves have given the likeness of
the human form.
14

This letter reveals that the Church determined that destroying paganism in
England was essential to the salvation of its people. This effort was first
formulated in 590 A.D. when Pope Gregory the Great decided that the Church

11
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 175-188, pp. 13-15.
12
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, line 189, p. 15.
13
Bede, Chapter 10 In Book II, 87.
14
Bede, Chapter 10 In Book II, 88.
C o l u c c i | 4

must send missions to England so that its people may be saved from wrathand
called to the mercy of Christ.
15

Bede concurs with Christianitys stance as he records the reversion of
King Sighere as plague ravaged his land. Sighere, together with part of the
nation, deserted from the sacraments of the Christian faith and apostatized.
16

They restored derelict temples and they began to worship images, as if they
could protect themselves by such means from the plague.
17
The worship of idols
proved useless. After King Wulfhere heard what was happening, he immediately
sent for Sigheres people to be brought back to the Church. Missionaries and
bishops went to visit those who strayed; and, As a result they either abandoned
or destroyed the temples and altars they had erected, they reopened their churches,
and rejoiced to confess the name of Christ which they had denied.
18
Ultimately,
the quotes from Pope Boniface and Bede emphasize that the Christians of this
period saw pagan worship as an entirely futile spiritual endeavoran explicit
theme revealed in Beowulf.
Aside from blatantly denouncing paganism in the beginning of the poem,
Beowulf preaches the refutation of paganism and promotion of Christianity in
other ways. M. B. McNamee, a priest and professor at Saint Louis University,
points out that Beowulfs author goes out of his way to exclude all the old pagan
gods from an active place in his poem.
19
He feels that this was probably because
the Christian author viewed idolatry as aberrations hateful to the true God and
subject to divine punishment.
20
The themes of paganisms disrespect, and
subsequent punishment, are consistent with Beowulfs scolding of Danish
paganism in their moments of desperation.
21
McNamee continues by noting that
The god referred to throughout by Hrothgar and Beowulf alike is the one,
providential God of the Christians.
22
McNamees assertion of Christian
authorship is supported by Beowulfs emphasis on the importance of praising God
as it coincides with its value in the world of Christianity.
Praising the one, providential God is something that Christians have
always viewed as being a necessity. The poem The Voyage of Life reveals this
belief and its importance in a way that connects with Anglo-Saxon culture.
Anglo-Saxon culture tended to have a connection with the sea because of their

15
Gale R. Owen, Rites and Religions of the Anglo-Saxons, 126.
16
Bede, Chapter 30 In Book III, 167.
17
Ibid.
18
Ibid.
19
McNamee, ed. Fulk, p. 89.
20
Ibid.
21
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 175-188, pp.13-15
22
McNamee, ed. Fulk, p. 89.
C o l u c c i | 5

geographic situation.
23
The connection is evident in the use of a sea voyage to
represent ones journey through life. The author praises God for navigating man
through the turbulent waters of life:
Then help was vouchsafed when Gods Spirit-Son
Guided us to the harbor of salvation and granted us grace
That we may understand over the ships side
Where to moor our sea-steeds, our ocean-stallions,
Fast at anchor. Let us fix our hope
Upon that haven which the Lord of heaven,
In holiness on high, has opened by His Ascension.
24


This quote praises God for giving man guidance when he needs it most. It also
thanks God for providing the hope that lies in salvation. A similar Christian
message is communicated by relating a journey to a sea-voyage near the
beginning of Beowulf.
The following quote comes just after Beowulf arrives in the land of the
Danes after a long journey across the sea from Geatland:
It was the end of their voyage and the Geats vaulted
over the side, out on to the sand,
and moored their ship. There was a clash of mail
and a thresh of gear. They thanked God
for that easy crossing on a calm sea.
25


The importance of this quote lies in the fact that the act of praise was completed
first, and foremost, as they exited their ship. This is significant because this short
excerpt shows that after a long journey they recognized that praise was due to
God. Readers can observe that this Christian message is presented in a way that
would appeal to an Anglo-Saxon audience that could have identified with the
authors reference to the sea. Aside from Beowulf, other works of this period
have also attempted to teach a Christian message while simultaneously appealing
to the culture of the Anglo-Saxons.
Although probably recorded a couple centuries after Beowulf,
approximately during the early ninth century,
26
The Heliand provides readers with

23
Kennedy, Charles W. ed. & trans. An Anthology of Old English Poetry. (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1960), 17.
24
The Voyage of Life. In An Anthology of Old English Poetry, translated by Charles
W. Kennedy, 35. New York: Oxford University Press, 1960.
25
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 224-228, p. 17.
26
Murphy, G. Ronald. Introduction. In The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel. xiii. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
C o l u c c i | 6

a fascinating display of Germanic literature using intercultural communication
27

to convey a Christian message to a Saxon audience. Referred to as The Saxon
Gospel, the unknown author transformed the text of the entire Gospel by a
poetic reimaging of its content in Saxon terms.
28
It essentially takes stories of
Christs life and converts them into terms, settings, and situations which would
attract a wide Saxon audience. G. Ronald Murphy, an associate professor of
German at Georgetown University, deems this work as, the meeting place of the
Christian Gospel and Germanic culture.
29

Being that The Heliand attempts to document the life of Christ through a
Saxon lens, it provides the audience with many explanations and justifications for
contemporary Christian values. One value that appears frequently in Christian
works is the Christian idea of humility before God. As the author attempts to tell
the story of Jesus presentation of the Beatitudes in a context relatable to his
Saxon audience, he communicates humilitys importance in Christianity. The
author states, He said that those were fortunate here in this middle world who
were poor in their hearts through humility, to them is granted the eternal
kingdom in all holiness, eternal life on the meadows of heaven.
30
This quote
implies that one could not reap spiritual reward without humility in their hearts.
The explanation of humilitys importance also justifies why Christians should
strive to be humble before God. Also, The Heliand mentions in its Saxon
rendition of the temptations of Christ that after Jesus rebuked Satan:
A great crowd came down from the All-Ruler above to Christ, Gods
angels, who were to render service to Him. They were to care for Him
when it was over, serving Him with humility. This is the way one should
serve the God of the Clan, the King of Heaven, in accord with His
graciousness.
31


This quote explicitly reiterates that contemporary Christians believed that it was a
necessary duty to be humble before God.
In the hagiographical work The Life of Saint Balthild, readers also
encounter an example of how humility was believed to incur Gods favor and its
subsequent reward. Thus for the love of humility, the prudent and astute virgin
attempted to flee as best she could from vain honors; and because of her humble

27
Murphy, G. Ronald. Introduction. In The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel. xiii. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
28
Murphy, G. Ronald. Preface. In The Saxon Savior. vii. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1989.
29
Ibid.
30
The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel. edited and translated by G. Ronald Murphy. 45. New
York: Oxford University Press,
31
The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel, ed. & trans. Murphy, p. 39.
C o l u c c i | 7

ways, thereafter it happened, with Gods approval, that Balthild, the maid who
escaped marriage to a lord, came to be espoused to Clovis, son of the former king
Dagobert.
32
This quote is evidence that the Christians did, in fact, attribute even
temporal rewards to ones humility before God. Furthermore, this example
implies that through humility, one can be raised from slavery to a status of the
highest regard.
In Beowulf, before the battle with Grendel, Beowulf asserts that the
Divine Lord in His wisdom grant(s) the glory of victory to whichever side He sees
fit.
33
This quote shows Beowulf being humble before God. He is being humble
because he recognizes that even a mighty warrior is helpless without God, and
God is the only thing that has any power to determine his victory in battle. The
fact that he is acknowledging that God has power to influence everything and
anything he so chooses is an obvious appeal to Christianity.
Emphasis on humility is uniquely Christian because the Anglo-Saxons of
this period focused immensely on avoiding shame by self-promoting ones worth
and value within society.
34
This explains why boasting and pride are so easily
found in the poetry produced by the Anglo-Saxons. In Beowulf, the hero boasts
on numerous occasions, which might appear to support the contention that the
poem is a pagan work.
35

Because of this boasting, asserting that Beowulfs goal is to communicate
Christian motifs behind the veil of northern heathenism can make the search for a
theme of humility before God quite delicate. A theme of Christian humility,
however, can be identified if his boasts are dissected. Although it seems that
Beowulf may be bragging about his greatness and achievements, he forfeits his
ability to determine the outcome of his final battle with the dragon. This is done
humbly before God as Beowulf recognizes that
what occurs on the wall
between us will turn out as fate,
overseer of men, decides.
36


Boasting implies self-promotion and gloating about ones accomplishments. The
author develops an interesting paradox by showing Beowulf exhibiting Christian

32
Life of Saint Balthild. In Readings in Medieval History, edited by Patrick J. Geary,
153-158. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press Inc., 2010.
33
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 685-687, p. 47.
34
Robinson, Fred C. Differences Between Modern and Anglo-Saxon Values. In
Readings on Beowulf, edited by Bruno Leone, Brenda Stalcup, Bonnie Szumski, & Stephen P.
Thomson, 50. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998.
35
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 632-638, 2510-2537.
36
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 2525-2528.
C o l u c c i | 8

virtue by displaying humility before God as he acknowledges his inability to
influence the outcome in battle. Here, it is apparent that the author wanted to
show that God Almighty is solely capable of determining victory, and conversely
has the power to assign defeat. Aside from demonstrating humility before the
power and will of God, this quote also mentions fate, or wyrd, which was a
concept very important to Anglo-Saxons.
Murphy notes that fate was one of the highest entities in Germanic
religion.
37
Beowulf alludes to this importance in Lines 572-573 when the
Beowulf states that Often for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not
already marked.
38
This quote provides readers with a glimpse into the nature of
the Anglo-Saxon notion of wyrd. It reveals that fate is not something which
men possess the ability to influence or foretell, as well as implying that the will of
fate is permanent once determined. Other examples of Anglo-Saxon literature
that mention fate are helpful in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the
perceived entity.
In the Anglo-Saxon poem The Wanderer, the author describes fate in a
similar manner to Beowulf. However, this author provides readers with a more
explicit understanding of fates influence. The author claims that
Wretchedness fills the realm of earth,
And Fates decrees transform the world.
39


This line not only suggests the shaping influence of fate in the world, but it also
seems to recognize a connection with desolation and woe. The author continues
by suggesting that as fate takes its toll on earth:
Here wealth is fleeting, friends are fleeting,
Man is fleeting, maid is fleeting;
All the foundation of earth shall fail!
40


This negative perception of fate is concurrent with other Anglo-Saxon poems. A
similar representation of fate can be located in the poem The Ruin. This Anglo-
Saxon poem speaks of the destructive nature of fate as well:
Firmly the builder laid the foundations,
Cunningly bound them with iron bands;
Stately the palaces, Splendid the baths,

37
The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel, ed. & trans. Murphy, p. 7, n12.
38
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 572-573, p. 39.
39
The Wanderer. In An Anthology of Old English Poetry. translated by Charles W.
Kennedy, 7. New York: Oxford University Press, 1960.
40
The Wanderer, In Kennedy, 7.
C o l u c c i | 9

Towers and pinnacles pointing on high;
Many a mead-hall rang with their revelry,
Many a court with the clangor of arms,
Till Fate the all-leveling laid them low.
41


This is another of many examples of Anglo-Saxon poetry illustrating fate in such
a negative manner.
The idea that fate is something destructive and harmful originates in the
pagan past of the Anglo-Saxons. The poem Vafthrudnirs Sayings contains a
story that originates from Norse mythology involving Woden, the most powerful
god in Anglo-Saxon paganism. In this story, Woden asks many questions about
things like the future and Ragnarokthe pagan doomsday.
42
This poem includes
many references to fate; and this poem implies on numerous occasions that even
gods are subject to fates destructive ways.
43
Due to the fact that similar
sentiments regarding fate are found in pagan poetry, one might feel inclined to
deem other poems as having pagan origins, Beowulf in particular.
Before Beowulfs battle with Grendel, the hero references his own
subservience to the will of fate, a seemingly pagan thing to do. The following
quote is presented as Beowulf recognizes his human inability to foresee the
outcome of the battle and the supreme influence of fate. Beowulf says humbly
before others that fate goes ever as fate must.
44
Beowulfs references to fate
also seem to imply that the inevitable intercession of fate was used to explain
death or demise, a typically pagan conception.
However, the mere fact that the author references fate is irrelevant in the
discussion of the poems religious intention. Fates importance in this discussion
lies in how the author implements Anglo-Saxon notions of fate. The author seems
to reference fate as often as he does for the sole purpose of its devaluing. Fate
was not an appeal designed to attract an Anglo-Saxon audience, or even as an
unintended consequence of the regions cultural syncretism. In a way, the author
appears to satirize fate by blatantly rejecting its precepts through the actions of
Beowulf.
For example, readers can see that the poem is almost refuting the pagan
notions regarding fate in the section previously mentioned containing Beowulfs
boast. He declares that the overseer of men decides fate, and not only is

41
The Wanderer, In Kennedy, 8.
42
Vafthrudnirs Sayings. In The Poetic Edda. edited by Carolyne Larrington. (New
York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 39.
43
Vafthudnirs Sayings, ed. Larrington, p. 49.
44
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, line 455, p. 31.
C o l u c c i | 10

recognizing Gods power of influence a blatant appeal to Christianity, but stating
that God decides fate is a direct, conceptual assault on the pagan idea that fate is
an omnipotent, independent, and permanent entity. This assertion regarding fate
in Beowulf can be strengthened by moving from the poems conceptual assault on
pagan ideas of fate to exploring how the poem denounces these ideas of fate by
using some literary devices characteristic of other Anglo-Saxon poems.
Anglo-Saxon poetry has been shown to often contain elements that are
rooted in their pagan past, specifically notions regarding fate. Anglo-Saxons
would often include mentions of ravens and wolves in their literature as a
foreshadowing technique for some form of destruction or downfall that was a
result of fates intercession in the affairs of man. For example, the Anglo-Saxon
poem Fates of Men uses ravens and wolves to imply the intercession of fate.
The bloody frame, and the black-coated raven
Picks at the eyeballs, plucks at the corpse.
Against the outrage his hands are helpless;
they may not defend him from the winged foe.
45


This incredibly descriptive poetry uses the black-coated raven to give the
abstract concept fate a concrete form. By giving fate a physical form, the author
uses the physicality of the raven to present the vanity of mans attempts at
opposition. Earlier in this poem, the author states that
To one it happens in the years of his youth
A woeful ending carries him off.
A wolf shall devour him, hoary heath-stepper,
And his mother shall mourn his going hence.
46


Fates of Men provides its readers with some very intense imagery to illustrate the
merciless, devouring, and destructive nature of fate.
Beowulf, in true pagan fashion, implements these allegories to temporarily
suggest the monsters connection with destruction and doom. This could be an
attempt to appeal to the Anglo-Saxon audience that could identify with these
types of references. However, although it seems that appeals to the audience are
being made, an examination of Beowulfs inclusions of ravens and wolves reveal
that the author of Beowulf has different intentions entirely. This examination of
the manner which the author includes pagan literary devices will continue to show

45
Fates of Men. In An Anthology of Old English Poetry, translated by Charles W.
Kennedy, 49-50. New York: Oxford University Press, 1960.
46
Fates of Men, In Kennedy, 49.
C o l u c c i | 11

why Beowulf is in fact an entirely Christian work rather than a product of cultural
syncretism.
The Beowulf author makes references to these allegorical representations
of death and demise quite clearly. Beowulf uses ravens and wolves in a way that
is completely unique to any example one might find in poetry originating from
pagan beliefs. It is unique because it directly rejects pagan notions regarding fate,
ravens, and wolves as Beowulf continuously manages to prove victorious in his
battles.
As Grendel approaches the hall before his fight with Beowulf, the author
provides a quote valuable to the previous assertion. Grendel approached the hall
and:
And his glee was demonic,
picturing the mayhem: before morning
he would rip life from limb and devour them,
feed on their flesh; but his fate that night
was due to change, his days of ravening
had come to an end.
47


This quote is incredibly insightful and provides this essay with some crucial
information. This quote is completely unique from any of the other works that
have been examined in this essay because it states that fate is in fact subject to
change, and it is not as permanent as pagans perceived it to be. Not only does this
quote reject fates permanence, but because Beowulf eventually wins the battle,
48

it suggests that Grendels fate was changed by the actions of Beowulf.
Considering that the author claims that only God could control the intercession of
fate in the world, Beowulfs victory implies that he had earned Gods favor. It is
interesting to note that the word usage regarding an end to Grendels ravening
might also be an attempt show that Beowulf, as a paradigm for ideal Christian
virtue, can defeat the negative preconceptions that accompany fate through
Christianity.
Beowulf does not only defeat Grendel and the pagan conceptions of fate
that he represents, but he is also defeating Christian conceptions of evil. The
author introduces Grendel with this description:
a fiend out of hell,
began to work his evil in the world.
Grendel was the name of this grim demon

47
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 730-735, p. 49.
48
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 808-830, p. 55.
C o l u c c i | 12

haunting the marshes, marauding round the heath
and desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time
in misery among the banished monsters,
Cains clan, whom the Creator outlawed
and condemned as outcasts.
49


Here, Grendel is described as a fiend, as working evil, and as being a grim
demon. These things are obviously meant to show that he is the spawn of pure
evil. However, the Cain reference is possibly the most important part of the
excerpt. The connection made between Grendel and Cain is crucial because as
the author tracks his ancestry to Cain, he is making a biblical reference that
supports the assertion of the works Christian authorship. The fact that Beowulf
defeats Grendel represents both his conquering of fate and his ability to defeat
evil as perceived by Christians. In the battle with Grendels mother, readers can
also observe another attempt by the author to emphasize the strength in
Christianity and the weakness of paganism.
After Beowulf kills Grendel, his mother becomes enraged and she comes
looking for Beowulf to seek vengeance for the death of her son.
50
Eventually, the
mother takes Beowulf to the bottom of a mere, and the fight continues from there.
While they are fighting, Grendels mother is described as being a wolfish
swimmer.
51
This seems to be another literary device to suggest that Beowulf is
about to meet his demise because of the connotations of a wolf reference.
Considering that wolves are not known for their swimming abilities, the authors
only logical reason for using that word must be symbolic. This allows one to
deem that the wolf reference is deliberate, and it is intended to initially suggest
that Beowulf is going to face eminent doom. However, Beowulf is not killed by
Grendels mother, but rather he kills her.
52
The killing of Grendels mother
shows Beowulf once again defeating Christian ideas of evil, as well as tacitly
challenging pagan conceptions of fate.
Because Beowulf is the product of a period of religious transition, its
religious intention is often debated by scholars. However, a close examination of
the poems content, historical circumstance, and appeals to Christianity allow one
to discover the author true intention. The author continuously includes examples
consistent with contemporary Christian values. The poem explicitly rejects
paganism very early in the poem. Also, the poem displays the Christian

49
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 100-107.
50
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, line 1278.
51
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, line 1506.
52
Beowulf, ed. Heaney, lines 1557-1569.
C o l u c c i | 13

importance assigned to the praise of God. Furthermore, the poem displays its hero
as exhibiting humility before God (as much as a story occurring in a Germanic
warrior society will allow). In typical Anglo-Saxon fashion, the poem makes
many references to the pagan notions of fate. Beowulf challenges and
delegitimizes those notions in almost every instance. He recognizes that fate has
a strong presence in the world, but he contends the thought that nothing can
control fate by stating on numerous occasions that God determines the dictates of
fate. Ultimately, Beowulf exists primarily as a poem that was intended to disguise
a Christian message in a context that seems to make appeals to a Germanic
warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons.


















C o l u c c i | 14

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