Christian Themes in Beowulf (for British Literature I)

Beowulf was most likely originally told orally, and most likely would have gradually changed over time. No one can say with absolute certainty when references to God and Biblical stories would have been introduced into the narrative; however it is likely that they were there originally. Christianity was brought to the Anglo-Saxons in the sixth century (Whallon 81), and the surviving Beowulf was likely transcribed in the tenth century (Longman 27) as the copy of an earlier transcript (Whallon 82). There has understandably been a lot of wondering about what was added and what was left out in the transcription: when discussing the work in the past, it seemed the general consensus among my peers that some of the Christian elements would have been added or emphasized by the scribes (who were most likely monks or priests of the church). Whallon has a different perspective, and points out the instances in which “clerics failed to cover the traces of heathenism” (82). The Longman introduction to Beowulf agrees when it states:

The rich division of emotional loyalty probably arises from a poet and audience of Christians who look back at their pagan ancestors with both pride and grief, stressing the intersection of pagan and Christian values in an effort to reconcile the two. (27)

God is mentioned by name in Beowulf as early as the twelfth line of the poem (31); He is also referred to as the World’s Warder (32, 76), The Sovereign of Heaven (35), and the King of Glory (45), just to name a few of the poem’s titles. A respect for God as the source of being “blessed with boldness and honor” (31) is clear throughout the poem. At the same time, the burial rights that are observed in honor of the king are clearly pagan in nature when: “They propped their prince, the gold-giver, / in the hollow hull heaped with treasures, / … keepsakes soon to be claimed by the sea./ So he was sent as a child chosen / to drift on the deep” (32). This is also the case in the story of the son and his uncle on the funeral pyre (54) and with Beowulf’s treasure horde (92). In contrast, the Biblical model calls for burial (Student’s Life Application Bible Gen. 3:19) and Jesus taught in Luke 12:43-44:

Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

This is a stark contrast to the custom of a king giving gold to his victorious thanes on earth, but at the same time emphasizes God’s role as the ultimate king.

When Grendel is introduced he is identified as a “kindred of Cain” (Longman 33); his description closely matches that of the serpent (traditionally thought of as Satan) in the Garden of Eden. This imagery would most likely be obvious to the listener, for “Cunningly creeping, a spectral stalker / slinked through the night,” (46), and “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made” (Gen. 3:1a). The fact that Grendel only comes at night, when everyone is asleep (Longman 34, 46), is a further testament to the evil he embodies. The fact that he is a “coward at heart, / he longed for a swift escape to his lair” (47) is a stark contrast to the Christ-figure of Beowulf, who has come to rescue everyone from this evil and willingly sacrifices of himself for the safety of others, “for one man alone had the might and main / to fight off the fiend, crush him in combat, / proving who ruled the races of men, / then and forever: God, the Almighty” (46). Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel is a clear statement of Christ being the only one who can defeat evil.

This imagery is continued when Beowulf willingly follows Grendel’s mother alone underwater, saying “Now I shall conquer / or die in the deed” (61). This is a New Testament attitude to have: “since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude He had, and be ready to suffer too” (1 Pet. 4:1a). In this passage she becomes the ultimate evil: “She glimpsed a creature come from above / and crept up to catch him, clutch him, crush him / … dragged him away / to her den in the deep” (61). Whallon mentions that this could be construed as a reference to the burial of Christ in the tomb, but ultimately disagrees with the characterization because: “his harrowing of the underworld lasted an indefinite term” (84), not three days. In my opinion “this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ’s resurrection” (1 Pet. 3:21a) and is a compelling comparison to “the strife-survivor drove up from the deep / when his foe had fallen” (63). After Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel’s mother the thanes are “astonished to see him whole and unharmed” (64) just as the disciples are surprised to see Jesus when He has risen from the dead (John 20:19-21).

The most obvious evidence of Beowulf as a Christ-figure is in the third part of the poem when he fights the dragon as the result of someone else’s sin (Longman 76, 81). His first thought is interesting, and brings to memory King David: “The hero was heart-sore; / the wise man wondered what wrong he had wrought / and how he transgressed against old law, / the Lord Everlasting” (77). Beowulf thinks that this attack has come as a result of sinning against God; many of us seem to think the same thing of ourselves or others when we fall on hard times.

Beowulf finally comes face to face to the dragon with twelve men (78), a counterpoint to the disciples. He laments: “So it is sore for an old man to suffer / his son swinging young on the gallows” (79) as if witnessing the crucifixion from God’s point of view. Then he says goodbye to his men and faces the dragon alone, “no faint-hearted man, to face it unflinching!” (81). The men’s reaction even echoes that of the disciples: “he who formerly / ruled a whole realm had no one to help him / hold off the heat, for his hand-picked band / of princelings had fled, fearing to face / the foe with their lord” (82). Wiglaf is like the beloved disciple in that he is the only one to remember “the boons / his kinsman bestowed” (82) and come to Beowulf’s aid (84).

The issues this poem addresses are truly epic and usually have Biblical undertones. The author no doubt put these references in deliberately, meant to bring his listeners to the realization that though we strive against a physical enemy (as in the battles of David), God is our ultimate strength and victory. In a time where death was so close, with wars and blood feuds commonplace, the inner peace and strength that these words provided is important. Similarly, dwelling upon a tale of selflessness and loyalty brings one closer to God. When a people is converted to Christianity I believe that it is important not to throw out all of the old beliefs, but to focus on how God was with the people all along, blessing and upholding them, and waiting for them to accept His free gift.

Works Cited
“Beowulf.” The Longman Anthology of British Literature, 3rd ed. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J.H. Dettmar. New York, NY: Pearson Longman, 2006. 27-92.
Student’s Life Application Bible, New Living Translation. David R. Veerman, senior ed. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1997.
Whallon, William. “The Christianity of Beowulf.” Modern Philology. LX.2 (Nov. 1962). 81-94.