Beginning of Essay
"Beowulf" is a link between two traditions, Pagan and the Christian. The virtues of courage in war and the acceptance of feuds between men and countries as a fact of life stem from the older Pagan tradition. On the other hand Christianity's moralities are based ....

Middle of Essay
.... are one of the cardinal characteristics of the Pagan's beliefs. Hrothgar and his counselors make useless attempts to appease Grendel in Verse 2. They can't offer him gold or land, as they might an ordinary enemy. Like most people in a time of crisis they slip back into old ways of thinking. Instead of praying to God for support, they sacrifice to t he stone idols of their pagan past. The Christian motifs that run through the poem contrast with the pagan system of values that underlies the actions of the kings and the warriors. The influence of Christianity was just beginning to make its mark in this world, and most of the characters a ....