BEOWULF AND CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE
...h appellations such as Creator, Deemer, Wielder, Shaper, Maker, and numerous other epithets.”(Plug Pg.1) the author shows how reliant Beowulf is on God when he says, “[Beowulf] placed complete trust in his strength and limb and the Lord’s favour. He began to remove his iron breasted-mail, took off the helmet and handed his attendant the pattered sword…” (Beowulf l. 669-73) When Beowulf tells of how he will face Grendel weaponless and baring no shield, he entrusts God. “Unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares. And may the Divine Lord in His wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side He sees fit.” (Beowulf, Beowulf l. 684-7) In the epic Beowulf, the theme of New Testament Christianity is deeply entwined with in the story. Some objects of Christian relation are very subliminal. An example of the subliminal Christian ideas is that of Beowulf and his twelve comrades during the fight with the dragon. This is the same amount of men whom followed Christ, Jesus and the twelve disciples. During the fight with Grendel’s mother Beowulf experiences two Christian themes. The first is hell, the place where Grendel and his mother dwell. The mere is described as such; “the water burns. And the mere bottom has never been sounded by the sons of men. On its bank, the heather-stepper halts: the hart (deer) in flight from pursuing hounds will turn to face them with firm-set horns and die in the wood rather than dive beneath its surface. That is no good place.” (Beowulf l. 1366-73) This place is obviously a description of hell, where Beowulf will fight evil. The next Christian relation is the amount of days Beowulf spent fighting Grendel’s mother. Beowulf was emerged in the hellish waters for three days before returning victorious. A direct correlation to this is the three days Jesus spent in hell battling the devil after his crucifixion. The Last relation with the New Testament is Beowulf’s fight with the dragon. The dragon ravaged Beowulf’s kingdom do to a thief. A peasant stole a goblet and awoke the dragon keeping a guard on a hoard. The stealing of the goblet can be connected to original sin; the dragon is sin, and the death of Beowulf as Jesus. Beowulf and his twelve troops, Jesus and the twelve disciples, go to fight the dragon (sin). During the battle the twelve retreat except for one. Beowulf’s troops retreating can be related to the twelve disciples scattering during the prosecution of Jesus. The one who stayed with Beowulf, Wiglaf, can be related to Mary not leaving Jesus. With the death of Beowulf the dragon was slain and his people safe from its terror, just as Jesus died to defeat sin so that we may live wit...