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Beowulf question


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Ds and I are discussing :001_smile: the Christian elements of Beowulf. I know that the poem was written by an Anglo-saxon Christian poet around 700 A.D. and that the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavian invaders began being converted to Christianity around 600 AD.

Did the Scandinavian poets/bards (themselves) began interjecting Christian elements into the story of their ancestors, or did the change occur abruptly when it was written by someone from the church (since they were the only ones who could write).

Forgive my stupid question:001_huh: Am I missing the obvious, or is this the controversy that complicates Beowulf?

I've read context and background information, but this wasn't addressed.

susan

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JRR Tolkien has a fantastic essay on Beowulf. He argues that the poem represents a transition period in a pagan culture. When there is a mix still of the 2 elements. So, yeah, in a nutshell it's a mix of pagan and Christian beliefs because the culture was new to Christianity.

 

Does that answer your question?

 

Are you referring to The Monster and the Critics? I skimmed parts off the internet. DS would like to read it in its entirety:001_huh::001_huh:

I know that the culture was a blend of Christian and pagan beliefs, Ds wonders if an Anglo-Saxon monk changed/Christianized it as he was transcribing it (to please the church) as opposed to the oral retelling changing over time as the Danes became Christians.

Probably a useless debate, but we enjoyed our discussion :001_smile:

susan

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Are you referring to The Monster and the Critics? I skimmed parts off the internet. DS would like to read it in its entirety:001_huh::001_huh:

I know that the culture was a blend of Christian and pagan beliefs, Ds wonders if an Anglo-Saxon monk changed/Christianized it as he was transcribing it (to please the church) as opposed to the oral retelling changing over time as the Danes became Christians.

Probably a useless debate, but we enjoyed our discussion :001_smile:

susan

 

Yes, that is the essay.

 

I did a brief survey of the scholarship just to be sure: there doesn't seem to be anyone claiming that any monk added anything to the poem. The general consensus is that a Christian poet--most likely a scop, an Anglo-Saxon court poet--added the Christian elements to some poetry that already existed and turned it into the Beowulf that we know.

 

So, that would make the answer No to both of your questions. No, a monk did not add the Christian elements, nor did the poem change orally over time.

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Yes, that is the essay.

 

I did a brief survey of the scholarship just to be sure: there doesn't seem to be anyone claiming that any monk added anything to the poem. The general consensus is that a Christian poet--most likely a scop, an Anglo-Saxon court poet--added the Christian elements to some poetry that already existed and turned it into the Beowulf that we know.

 

So, that would make the answer No to both of your questions. No, a monk did not add the Christian elements, nor did the poem change orally over time.

 

Ok. You answered our question. It was changed by a single poet as opposed to changing over time. Ds wins the debate. He didn't mean a monk exclusively- only that it was the work of a single person. ( Actually he thought that it was a monk who secretly wanted to be a warrior like Beowulf) ;)

 

susan

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Are you referring to The Monster and the Critics? I skimmed parts off the internet. DS would like to read it in its entirety:001

 

Oh, you must read Monster and the Critics in its entirety! It is such a good essay, and if your son is a Tolkein fan then it is a definite must read.:)

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