The poem Beowulf was written between the 8th and 10th centuries, a period of great transition. The Anglo-Saxons still dominated England, and Christianity had arrived in the region only a hundred years earlier. Although the new religion spread rapidly, Anglo-Saxon (or Norse) paganism and its influence in the lives of the English did not quickly diminish. Although Beowulf often talks about God, the story of Cain and Abel, and the Great Flood, there are important pagan motifs and social interactions that underlie the poem and keep it rooted in ancient Anglo-Saxon ideas. The poem synthesizes Christian and pagan beliefs, and a careful reading shows that there are many more pagan elements than are immediately obvious. More than Christianity, paganism is the social basis of the society Beowulf addresses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Some elements of Christianity are evident in this poem. Grendel is said to be descended from Cain, the fratricidal son of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis (Heaney, 9), and the poem makes frequent references to thanking God for granting Beowulf victory. However, as Beowulf scholar Benjamin Slade points out in his discussion comparing the Christian and pagan elements of the story, the poet never names Christ explicitly. After Grendel's defeat, Beowulf asks that "the Father Almighty be thanked" (Heaney, 63). However, as Slade points out, giving thanks to God and referring to divine blessings and judgment after death are by no means unique to Christian theology. Beowulf contains very little discussion of Christ's teaching on salvation and forgiveness, and there is almost an exclusively "Old Testament" feel to the Christian elements of the poem. An interesting place where Christianity and paganism intersect in the story is the mention of a “great flood.” depicted on the hilt of a sword (Heaney, 117). Indeed, there is mention of a great flood in Genesis, but Slade correctly notes that the flood described in the poem “does not refer to Noah, or to an ark, or to the effect of the flood on anyone but the giants.” A flood that kills many giants, however, is not exclusive to Christianity, but is also mentioned in the pagan story of Ymir where the giant's blood floods the world and kills all the other giants. It therefore seems that the author has merged two traditions into a single poetic element in a very ambiguous way. One of the major pagan elements common throughout the story is the idea of ​​Destiny. Fate was an integral part of Anglo-Saxon and Norse theology, and the Anglo-Saxon society from which Beowulf came (and the Norse societies to which the poem speaks) still placed a great deal of faith in it. Fate is what leads King Hygelac to his death in battle (Heaney, 85) and it is what leads to Grendel's death – not simply the will of God. Just as we talk about grace and the will of God, we talk about the destiny and divine inevitability. Even in his final moments, Beowulf speaks of his death and his past glories as part of his destiny. As the hero of the poem says before fighting Grendel: “Fate goes as fate always must” (Heaney, 31). Another pagan social ideal central to the poem is the concept of feud or duel. In Anglo-Saxon and Norse society, the holmgang – the traditional duel for resolving disputes of honor – was considered very important for maintaining the balance of social harmony (Day). For Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, the need to kill Grendel does not arise only from the need to protect his kingdom, but to avenge the destruction of his hall in Heorot and the death of:1004268632102)