The praised epic poem “Beowulf” is the first great epic poem in English literature. The poem opens with a genealogy of the ruling Danes beginning with Shield, moving to his son Beow, then to Beow’s son Halfdane, and on to Halfdane’s three son’s --- Heorogar, Hrothgar, and the good Halga. Hrothgar, as the ruling Danish king, builds an army, and constructs the enormous and beautiful hall known as Herot. The hellish, demonic, and evil monster known as Grendel, is awakened by the annoying noise of building and soldiers living in Herot. He enters the hall when the soldiers are sleeping and attacks killing thirty of them. Although there were tears and laments, Grendel attacked the following night as well. Much to Hrothgar’s grief, the soldiers realized they must stay away from Herot in order to be safe, and did so for twelve years.

Meanwhile, in Geatland, a courageous warrior known as Beowulf hears of King Hrothgar’s troubles and vows to kill Grendel. Beowulf sails to the Danish shore with fourteen of his bravest men. Upon landing, Wulfgar, Hrothgar’s herald, rushes to his king urging him to receive Beowulf and his men. Hrothgar happily accepts Beowulf’s

Throughout the poem there are odd juxtapositions between pagan beliefs in fate and personal prowess, on the one hand, and an acknowledgement of an All Mighty Power or God, on the other. The Danes that Beowulf protects and helps express their belief and reliance upon God, but at the same time they practice pre-Christian rituals. When Hrothgar, king of the Danes, learns of Beowulf’s vow to help his people, he thankfully says that “Now Holy God/ has, in his goodness, guided him here/ to the West-Danes, to defend us from Grendel” (40. 381-383). But as for his subjects, the poem says that “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” (36. 175-178) from the monster who has been decimating them for twelve years. The poet affirms that “Almighty God rules over mankind/ and always has” (46. 701-702). Yet, after Grendel is slain, the poem muses that “all of us with souls, earth dwellers/ and children of men, must make our way/ to a destination already ordained where the body, after the banqueting/ sleeps on its deathbed” (53. 1003-1007). The former sounds like a statement of Christian faith, and the latter, with its implicit denial of an afterlife, is not congruent with Christian doctrine. As for Beowulf himself, he seems to be both pagan and Ch

Some topics in this essay:
Holy God/, Testament Jesus, Danish Geats, Halga Hrothgar, King Geats, King Glory”, Danes Beowulf, Heaney’s Translation, Anglo-Saxon Christian, Beowulf Hrothgar, epic poem, praised epic, kill grendel, monster grendel, praised epic poem, pagan christian,