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Student Name Instructor Course Name Date Beowulf Beowulf’s setting is in the sixth century in which the poem tells the story of a great warrior, Beowulf. For many years, Grendel, an ogre, is perceived to have been terrorizing the kingdom ruled by Hrothgar, a great-grandson of Scyld Scefing who is viewed to have been a great hero. Beowulf travels to assist Hrothgar in which he manages to kill both Grendel and his mother. He becomes king and rules the realm for about fifty years before his demise. He dies after an attack by a dragon but after killing it with help from Wiglaf, one of his men. Before his death, he requests Wiglaf to have his body cremated and then placed on a cliff for sailors to view his barrow. Beowulf is perceived to contain both Christian and pagan practices on the beliefs and the actions carried out by the characters. Christianity, in this case, includes its teachings and the beliefs held by the characters about God while paganism puts into view practices that are not affiliated to God but rather perceived as relevant in the lives of the characters (Mehrpouyan & Banehmir 208). From an analytical perspective, it can be viewed that the poem, Beowulf, consists of a mixture of Christian and pagan elements regarding beliefs and events that take place before Beowulf's death. On Christianity, throughout the literary work, Beowulf frequently refers to God as his shield and protector. A good example is when he recounts his fight with the creature’s mother. Beowulf states, “The fight would have ended straightaway if God had not guarded me,” (“Beowulf” 1.4). He further states that God has often led a man and hence man not being led by his
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