Beowulf

How does the passage show a tension between the paganizm of Beowulf's day and teh Christianity of the rocorder's day?

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Beowulf was written in approx. 800 to 1000 AD by an unknown author. It was originally a pagan fable. You have the Vikings celebrating their gods and pagan customs. You also have that crazy Grendel as the extended family of Cain. So, it isn't strange to consider that a bunch of monks might transcribe Beowulf into a sort of Christian parrable.I'm not sure how much the transcription altered the original text but it is fair to say that the construction of the poem does not always work with the Christian ideas that were added. I don't have the text in front of me but I do recall when Beowulf shows up, Hrothgar's men have been hiding for twelve years. The narrator mentions that these men were busy making offerings to "old Gods". This certainly suggests a conflict between the Viking Gods and the interpretation of the Monks who felt there is only one God. The whole study of Christian interpolation in Beowulf is pretty interesting. I'm not an expert but I hope this helps a little.