Beowulf-The Christian Pagan The famous poem Beowulf was written sometime in the eighth century by an unknown poet. It was based on legend passed down over time. Prior to the time the poem was written, Anglo Saxons had converted from Germanic Paganism to Christianity. Some people argue that it was a Pagan poem rewritten by a person or persons educated in Christianity. has come down from heathen times and acquired its Christian character gradually and piecemeal from a succession of minstrels. ( Hector Monro Chadwick as quoted by Brodeur 182), while others believed that Christianity and Paganism both belonged in the poem. almost without exception so deeply ingrained in the very fabric of the poem that they cannot be explained away as the work of a reviser or later interpolator the main story has been thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Christianity. ( Klaeber, quoted by Brodeur 182). I agree with Klaeber and I believe that the poem exhibited a gradual acceptance of Christianity, and the still present belief in pagan values, and that the poet brilliantly combined the strengths of both into his poem. It is fully understandable that the conversion to Christianity would not have happened over night, and that many people would have still shared many of the beliefs and values of their ancestors. I think it is best to try and not read the poem as either a Christian poem or as a pagan heroic tale, but instead read it as an example of how people believed in both.. A person could spend months pulling out evidence of Christianity and creating references to the testaments to support their claims. A person could also spend months gathering evidence of Germanic legends and pagan beliefs. There is a lot of evidence of both in the poem, but to me, one of the most brilliant things about the poet was his ability to fuse the two throughout the poem in a meaningful and relevant way. The poet used Christianity and paganism as a tool for his p...
