¡§The functions of fate and God seem quite parallel,¡¨ says Klaeber in his analysis of the text .This seems to be supported by the following passages from Beowulf; ¡§Fate often saves the undoomed man.¡¨ ¡§So may an undoomed man who holds favor from the ruler easily come through his woes and misery.¡¨ ¡§Yet God is said to control fate.¡¨ Klaeber goes on to use this quote to support his state. ¡§if wise God and the man¡¦s courage had not forestalled that fate.¡¨ This seems to show to a deg

She explains the Anglo-Saxon response, ¡§Certainly the emphasis of the new religion was not what we today consider core of evangelical Christianity; that Christ came to save mankind from the rightful punishments of its sin. Such a message depends on a belief in a single, creating, omnipotent, intervening, protecting, judging and eternal God to new, refined concepts of mercy and graciousness. The Anglo-Saxons however had not come this far, a fact forgotten all too easily. They still held ancient customs and were scarcely ready for refinements of a concept before the concept itself; as Wordsworth notes, one does not define Genus until he identifies the species. The new species was monotheism; the genus was Christ. Nor by this do I mean to abrogate or suggest Anglo-Saxon abrogation, of the doctrine that Christ is Lord, since this issue for them and most was settled at Nicea in 325; but I do assert that the real importance of Christianity to Anglo-Saxons (an importance which guided the presentation) was apparently not a saving Christ, but the news of a single god, who created, directed, planned, protected, damned and rewarded. No doubt, too, their simple realization that meaning for life could derive from other than confessedly capricious, un-answering idols, stocks and stones was important news.¡¨

Grendel like Beowulf encompasses many Christian elements within this Anglo-Saxon backdrop. Klaeber elaborates, ¡§The figure of Grendel at any rate, while originally an ordinary Scandinavian troll, and passing in the poem as a sort of man monster, is at the same time conceived of as an impersonation of evil and darkness, even an incarnation of the Christian devil. Many of his appellations are unquestionable epithets of Satan, (e.g., feond mancynnes [enemy of mankind], Godes andsaca [God¡¦s enemy], feond on helle [the devil in hell], helle haefta [hell slave]¡K his actions are represented in a manner suggesting the conduct of the evil one, and he dwells with his mother in a place which calls up visions of hell.¡¨

¡§In his role as a deliverer from the ravages of monsters he might as well be likened to ancient heroes like Hercules and Theseus. With all the heroic attributes the poet has conferred on him, the dominant trait of the hero is his wonderful eagerness to help others,¡¨ this emphasis on charity as an attribute among so many others especially in the Anglo-Saxon setting is an element many critics return to frequently. Klaeber in support of Kemble and his expansion upon this statement uses this quote as evidence, ¡§They said that he was of world-kings the mildest of men, gentlest, kindest to his people, and most eager for fame.¡¨ Klaebers theory along the line of Kimbles, interprets this emphasis, to mean Christian ideology. ¡§Those readers, who are, impressed by Beowulf¡¦s martial appearance at the beginning of the action, expect to find an aggressive warrior hero of Achilles or Sigfrit typeƒx, will be disposed at times to think him somewhat tame, sentimental and fond of talking. Indeed the final estimate of the hero¡¦s character by his own faithful than lamenting his death is chiefly a praise of Beowulf¡¦s gentleness and kindness.¡¨ As one can see both Kimble and Klaeber are very much intrigued by the author¡¦s emphasis

Some topics in this essay:
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