Although the title of my blog may seem sacrilegious, I promise it is not! The Danes had suffered much harm at the hands of Grendel during Section I of Beowulf, and it can be assumed that they were fearful and dismayed at the turn of events. They went from having an amazing feast and a celebration to having to cower in their homes in the wake of Grendel's destruction. The author of Beowulf was clearly setting the stage for a heroic, above average character to restore peace to the Danes. This character was none other than Beowulf.
Now why would I use the designation 'messiah' to possibly describe Beowulf? Beowulf came from the Geats after hearing of the horrendous creature Grendel. His name was already quite popular in the surrounding areas because of his strength and might. Even Hrothgar describes Beowulf as having the strength of thirty men in each of his hands. Beowulf was clearly exalted above the normal manhood status and surely news of his arrival brought hope into the hearts of the Danes. Beowulf also purveyed a sense of authority and youthfulness in contrast with the aged Hrothgar. If a king that experienced much military success and prosperity could not defeat a creature such as Grendel, then someone who thought they had the capability to do so had to be someone on another level.
The praise Beowulf received for defeating Grendel was clearly merited, but it was done in a rejoicing manner. The people were not only rejoicing over the death of the monster, but they were also rejoicing over Beowulf's victory. He was honored as a hero, for he had accomplished exactly what he had come to the land to do. There was no shortage to the people's praises (until they learned of Grendel's mother) for their hero (messiah) had won.
So what makes me see Beowulf as a type of messiah is the fact that he was most likely seen as someone on a higher plane than everyone else. Not in a sense of deity but more so in a royal, or renowned sense. When he arrived in the land of the Danes he brought hope with him, causing people to have a reason to not be afraid. The Danes were in need of salvation from Grendel, so that they could restore their normal lives and Beowulf helped them do just that. He defeated Grendel and for a moment (short-lived in the scope of the entire story) brought them peace, safety, and normality. To the people, whether they thought of him in such a way or not, Beowulf was a type of messiah.
I commented on Emma Kate Patterson's post and on Leanne White/s post.
Hi Emmett! Great post! I think it's really interesting that you drew a parallel between Beowulf and messiah. He certainly displayed larger than life traits. He was viewed as a savior. I think this heightened, almost deistic view of Beowulf is something like what the Israelites may have held for their promised Messiah.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comparison you made between Beowulf and the messiah. He was saw as a savior of the people for his heroic actions. The type of messiah Beowulf represents sounds a lot like the type the Jews were looking for when Jesus came. They wanted a heroic, above average man to come a fight off the Roman Empire and then serve as king over them, definitely not the type that Jesus is.
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