Beowulf

While reading the right hand side of my book, I often tried to compare to the left and find anything I could recognize, but this depressed me after a few pages, and I just read the translation. I have been trying to follow what religion Beowulf and the Danes practice, but I am still confused. There are several references to Christianity, or Monotheism at the least, but there are also references to pagan worship. In lines 180-181 it is stated that "they did not know the Maker,/ the Judge of deeds, they did not know the Lord God," which implies the existence of only one god, the creator (Beowulf.) However, in lines 175-178 we learn that "At times they offered honor to idols/ at pagan temples, prayed aloud/ that the soul-slayer might offer assistance/ in the country's distress" which indicates praying to the devil (Beowulf.) It also describes Grendel as being a descendant of Cain, which is clearly a Christian reference, given that Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve. I have also found that my favorite console game, Skyrim, has used several names straight from Beowulf and from Scandinavian history, for instance "Hrothgar." Beowulf himself, could even be compared to the Norse god of thunder, Thor.


Here is proof, on the Skyrim map!
https://sites.google.com/site/deadmansdrink/characters/residents/high-hrothgar

Conolly, L.W., and Andreas Haarder. Beowulf. London, Routledge, 2014.