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Anglo-Saxon Christianity
Anglo-Saxon Christianity
By Brandon Romero, Albert Flores, Ryan Durling, David Gates
Works Cited
- Kless, Colleen. "An Examination of Anglo-Saxon Lyric Poetry by Colleen Klees." An Examination of Anglo-Saxon Lyric Poetry by Colleen Klees. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.stjohns-chs.org/english/anglo-saxon/colleenanglosaxon.html>.
- Lawson, Rich. "Christianity in Beowulf." Shadowed Realm Announcements. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.shadowedrealm.com/medieval-articles/exclusive/christianity_in_beowulf>.
- Moloney, Aoife. "Beowulf: A Pagan and Christian Fusion? by Aoife Moloney." Beowulf: A Pagan and Christian Fusion? by Aoife Moloney. 2008. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.ucc.ie/archive/eng-hero/beo1.html>.
How this Shapes Literary Analysis
Looking into Anglo-Saxon Christianity the audience can better evaluate the environment of the poem from a religious point of view. By understanding the religious beliefs behind the author, you can better understand settings and conflicts in the story. This would also help to identify and analyze specific characters in the poem, because each character would portray a certain person or role. For example, Beowulf will need to at some point take a miraculous journey that tests his abilities to the maximum, followed by a heroic or tragic death. This would fit, because followers of Anglo-Saxon Christianity believed into taking extreme measures, whether it was with pride or in death.
Explanation of Topic
Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. It also teaches that there is only one God. Early Anglo-Saxons were classified as Pagans and they were also polytheistic. In 597 AD, the Roman Pope sent a monk named Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. Over the next century, most of the Anglo-Saxons converted.
How it relates to our study of Beowulf
The topic of Anglo-Saxon Christianity relates to our study of Beowulf because of how its degree of influence within the story. The author or the narrator of the story is unknown, but it is believed that he is a Christian. In the story, the narrator describes the character Grendel as a descendant of Cain's clan and this is a clear reference to the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible. Christian terminology can be found in the speeches of several characters, primarily in the characters Hrothgar and Beowulf. For example, Beowulf says that it's the Lord's say whether he is victorious or not in his upcoming battle with Grendel. Also, another example is when Hrothgar mentions that only God easily stop Grendel's attacks on Heorot Hall. This shows that there is some Christian influence within these characters that have Pagan influence as well.