d, determined to avenge the first" (Norton 1577). This refers to the anger that Grendel's mother had over the loss of her son to Beowulf's strength and the revenge that she sought on the warrior. She is so angry that Beowulf killed her son that she can think of nothing else but paying Beowulf back for what he has done. Beowulf also shows his tendency to want to seek revenge on his enemies. He informs his soldiers that "[i]t is better to avenge our friends, not mourn them forever" (Norton 1578). And later we learn that Beowulf's peers, namely Wiglaf, praise him for taking the initiative and winning his own revenge. We even see Grendel taking revenge on the Danes in Herot hall simply because they irritate him with their merrymaking. Beowulf contains much emphasis on the revenge ethic, and this clearly contrasts with the Christian belief that turning the other cheek is the best way to resolve a conflict with an enemy. Based on this fact, we can assume that this is another way that the epic is, in fact, a pagan story. The Ten Commandments also have an effect on the story. The characters continually break some of these rules of Christianity in the epic, which makes clearer the argument for the paganism of Beowulf. For instance, the First Commandment states that "You must have no other gods except me" however, we see the Danes praying to gods beside God in the face of danger (Exod. 20.3). When Grendel attacks Herot hall at Wilder 4the beginning of the story, the Danes grew terrified, "and sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods, [m]ade heathen vows, hoping for Hell's support" (Norton 1554). In this passage the Danes are blatantly breaking this Commandment. And not only are they breaking the Commandment, but they are calling on the help of Lucifer, clearly not something a Christian would have done. Another Christian rule that is not abided by in the poem is the Sixth Commandment, which states that "You must not murder...
