Victorious Pagan Beliefs Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayBritish poet Percy Bysshe Shelley once observed that "Vengeance is the naked idol of the cult of a semi-barbarian age." Although not referring to Old English poetry, Shelley's acclamation is illustrated in the epic poem Beowulf, a heroic expedition written anonymously sometime after 520 AD. Composed during the tumultuous period of the emergence of Germanic tribes' rule over the Christian England, Beowulf combines ideals from both cultures into an explanation of moral standards. In his article, "Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History," Jeffrey Helterman states that the Old English epic "has led nearly every critic to assume that the poem is 'something more' than a tale of heroic adventure and Germanic history." (1). This “something more” that Helterman refers to is the conglomeration of pagan standards and Christian morality throughout the long text. During the Middle Ages, "much Christian poetry is also expressed heroically: although the Anglo-Saxons readily adapted to the ideals of Christianity, they did not do so without adapting Christianity to their own heroic ideal" (David 5). Although Beowulf successfully blends pagan and Christian beliefs, it is the Germanic heroic code that resonates triumphantly within the poem, particularly in association with vengeance. Beowulf includes a perpetual cycle of revenge, in direct contrast to traditional Christian beliefs of forgiveness. Although the characters in the epic often pray to God before battle and give thanks afterwards, the social values ​​represented in the work propose a stronger link with the Germanic heroic code, rather than with the beliefs of Christian principles. Grendal attacks Heorot, generating Beowulf's urge to avenge Hrothgar's great hall. As punishment, Grendal's mother attacks Heorot, "brooding over her mistakes" (Beowulf 60). Lines 1276 to 1278 of the poem reveal that “now his mother/was gone on a wild journey,/grieved and ravenous, desperate for revenge” (60). His attack on the mead hall causes Beowulf's inner drive for revenge to proliferate again, resulting in his death. Although the cycle of vengeance is quelled for fifty years, a thief awakens it by stealing a cup from the dragon's hoard. As Helterman points out, this fugitive is "a nameless someone, and his presence implies that there is always someone caught up in the web of revenge" (19). The dragon's "loss of the vase" made him want to fight back" and he "launched himself in a fiery blaze" (Beowulf 81-2). Once again, the heroic Beowulf seeks revenge, ultimately dying. The Wheel of Destruction of vengeance that embodies the backbone of the poem is a direct polarity to the denunciation of God's vengeance in the holy book of Leviticus: "Do not seek vengeance. Don't hold a grudge; but love thy neighbor as thyself, for I am Jehovah" (Marrone 88). Although the poem contains Christian overlays, the endless cycle of vengeance clearly indicates that pagan ideology prevails over evangelical morality. The inherent conflict between "the code heroic and a religion that teaches that we should 'forgive those who sin against us'" (David 5) leaves pagan theories superior to Christian ethics, and this is represented throughout the text by Beowulf's words and actions. In the verses 1384 and 1385, before Beowulf seeks out Grendal's mother for battle, the heroic warrior says to Hrothgar: "Wise lord, grieve not. It is always better/to avenge your loved ones than to indulge in mourning" (63). Yet Ecclesiastes confirms that there is indeed "time to mourn" (Brown 446), leaving, 35 (1968): 1-24.