Beowulf 2

Discuss biblical allusions and religious symbolism in Beowulf.

There are many instances of biblical allusions in Beowulf. One example is that Beowulf is regarded as being “chosen by God” to do great things. Beowulf himself often says that he is only able to survive these ferocious battles because God protects him. He also says that he has courage to be victorious in battle, and this courage can be compared to faith in God’s protection. This is similar to the role of a prophet in the Bible, who is chosen by God to accomplish a certain task. Beowulf’s task is saving the Danes from the evil of Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf follows Christian beliefs so far, and this has made him very successful.

There is another instance in this reading that seems to be a direct Biblical reference. After Beowulf uses the sword that belonged to the race of giants to kill Grendel’s mother, he returns with the hilt. Then a story is told of how the race of giants was destroyed by a massive flood in ancient times. This is exactly like the story of Noah in the Bible. When people turned away from God, a massive flood destroyed them all, just like the giants.