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Writ ea short essay on B in which you give an example of the pagan circle of honour bound
laws of blood feud and revenge. Also in your essay give an example of the Christian perspective of the
poet who views these feuds with a sense of detachment. There are numerous examples of both the
pagan blood feuds and the Christian perspective of the poet.
Chose one of each and illustrate how they reflect pagan and Christian values respectively. At least 400
words. Must have thesis, statement and at least four paragraphs.
Beowulf, as one of the earliest English pieces of art certainly possesses many, often
contradictory, values- both pagan and Christian. While pagan values are quite easy to spot, and seem
to motivate the whole plot, the author (as most of the contemporary England) was Christian- and,
obviously enough, the Christian rules of conduit not necessarily agree with a warriors or rulers code.
One of the main motives in Beowulf is the ancestry, heritage- how it defines ones identity and
how it influences social standing. One cannot simply be, for example, Johnny with a big sword, the
proper manner is : Johny, the son of Johnny who killed a dragon and was the son of Johnnny who
killed a bigger dragon, and was the son of Erick who killed two dragons etc. . As the actions of
forefathers both influence the respect enjoyed in the society and, at the same time, they are used to
create a powerful motivator towards honoring the 'pagan' way of life, they emphasize the here and
now, instead of the christian afterlife. Pagan philosophy shown in Beowulf did not include any
afterlife, heroic deeds were the only way to ensure some sort of 'living in memory of the descendants',
on the other hand, heaven is the place where the 'true' life begins, according to Christian beliefs. These
conflicting values are shown throughout the entire poem and no definite conclusion about authors
opinion can be drawn as, at times, the author is awed by heroic, inspiring deeds of Beowulf, at other
times, he attempts to promote Christianity and the concept of afterlife.
Germanic heroic code was divided into three areas: warriors, kings and women- each group
respectively was bound by specific values and laws. Warriors were supposed to be strong, loyal, brave
(this can also be called the heroic code), a king was burdened with generosity, responsibility for his
subjects and of course political skill, women were supposed to be ceremonial- performing all the
functions connected with running the house(or castle)hold. Some of these values overlap with
Christian values, however not always. And this is the sole reason for the dissonance between the
narration, which leans toward a christian angle and the plot which is strictly 'pagan', focusing on all the
values that still thrived in the anglo-saxon society at the time. A binary division to either yielding to
the code, or violating it is not complex enough to allow using it for solving moral dilemas. For
example: the story of Hildeburh who marries the Frisian king- as a result of the war between the two
countries she loses relatives on both 'nationalities' of the family, leaving her utterly heartstricken.
The final, prevailing example of dissonance between the two mindsets is the difference
between turning the other cheek and efffective, preferably bloody, retaliation. At the same time the
author is advertising Christianity and still does not (or, more importantly, would not) condemn
fundamental to the story pagan values. If Grendel is viewed metaphorically, he can easily be
associated with Cain, cursed to wander the earth- Grendel also was cursed and wanders 'haunting the
marches, marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens' (103104). In Old English marches can
also mean borders, and Grendel is called a 'mearc-stapa' border-stepper quite like Cain who
overstepped the boudaries set by God. And moments later Grendel is fighting Beowulf, loses, is

hunted down and killed, which does not seem to adhere to moral standards of Christian society, yet is
in full accordance with pagan values, which clearly dictate that foes are to be vanquished.
Drawing a conclusion, 'Beowulf' most propably is quite older than the spreading of
Christianity in England, therefore the story is quite, if not utterly, pagan. However, the fact that it was
written down in times when Christianity had a great influence on the society, the author struggles to
maintain as much theological correctnes as possible, without endangering the plot.