The Epic Poem, Beowulf - Beowulf and Christianity :: Epic of Beowulf Essay

Beowulf and Christianity   It was a dark metre and the devastating effects of war had taken their toll.  Many had given up hope entirely that things would ever get better, that the land of present mean solar day England would cease its bloodshed.  From the conquests of the Ro existences, to the Germanic tribes, to the Vikings, the people of the British Isles had been battered.  They needed a hero, somebody who represented strength, decency, and bravery.  So came the romance of Beowulf.  Beowulf is a fictional hero of this time.  He is not only a hero, but also a man of faith.  His exploits are described as events that are ordained of God to put forward the people.  Beowulf is an instrument of God, an instrument of righteousness called by God to perform His leave for the Danes.  In stark contrast to his good, is the foe, Grendel, the incarnation of pure evil.  He is an enemy of the people, and according to the text even an enemy of Go d.  Grendel is a destructive and bloody putz that is completely opposed to all that is good.  From certain passages we can acquire that the writers or editors of Beowulf intended to draw a religious parallel between these two characters of Beowulf and Grendel and the religious ones.  The premise of good versus evil is quite palmy to surmise, but the writers intended to use the Bible to elevate the tone of the story to a more spiritual than natural one.  There are a few passages that this can be seen in.  The first is passages describing Grendel and his beginnings.  The second is selected dialogue from the Danes and Beowulf.               downstairs is a passage at the beginning of the story describing Grendel   This gruesome puppet was called Grendel, notorious prowler of the borderland, ranger of the moors, the fen and the fastness this cursed creature lived in a monsters lair for a time after the oc casion had condemned him as one of the seed of Cain - the Everlasting Lord avenged Abels murder.  Cain had no satisfaction from that feud, but the Creator sent him into exile, far from mankind because of his crime.  He could no longer approach the throne of grace, that precious place in Gods presence, nor did he feel Gods love. (102-113)               Grendel is likened to Cain in this passage, but he seems to show characteristics of the dickens as well.