Christian Sybolism in Beowulf Essay -- Christianity epic Poem Beowulf

Christian Sybolism in Beowulf Within the song Beowulf, the poet utilizes the Christian religion to symbolize the elements of good and evil and Heaven and Hell. Beowulf is the oldest known incline epic poem. The manuscripts date back to approximately 1000 A.D., when two scribes wrote it spate for posterity. The poem was handed down from the Anglo-Saxon period, and through the retelling of the poem, it changed a humble each time. The poem creates an oral depiction of an epic whizz who strived to skin against the forces of evil. There really was a historical Beowulf who helped the Geats and Danes fight off pirates, only if he was neither King of the Geats nor Danish hero at all time. In fact, he was not considered a man of any phenomenal qualities, much different than the Beowulf in the poem. Christianity influenced much of the literature during this period of time. Although the poem never mentions Christ, the poet did use various characters and references to the Old Te stament. The poet uses them sparingly, but the references to biblical events and characters atomic number 18 clearly evident.Protected by God, King Hrothgar became a mighty principle over the lands surrounding Herot. When Gr annulel, an epitome of sin, comes into the poem, Hrothgar was probably less worried about himself, and more worried about his people. He was not an old piteous king, incapable of protecting his people(Bloom 47). He was described as existence a famous hero because of his goodness and great wisdom. Made of earthen walls covered by gold and ivory, Herots beauty and reverence reigned throughout the land. Herot, the great hall becomes an emblem for Gods word itself (Chickering 271). squirt has and probably always will be a representation of evil. I... ..., Beowulfs sacrificial death is not seen as tragic, but as the fitting end of a good ( some would say too good) heros life (Bolton 1).BibliographyBeowulf. Elements in Literature. Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston. Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997.Bloom, Harold. Beowulf. Blooms Reviews Beowulf. Broomall, PA Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. 46-47.Bolton, W.F., The New History of Literature The Middle Ages. New York lance Bedrick Books, 1986.Chickering Jr., Harold D. Beowulf A Dual Language Edition. New York Doubleday, 1977, 267-277 Gardner, John. Grendel. New York Random House, Inc., 1971.Price, Martin, et al. The Oxford Anthology of slope Literature. New York Oxford University Press, 1973. 24-26.The Student Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan Zondervan publication House, 1996.