Beowulf

            Many scholars have contemplated over who wrote the poem Beowulf, although no one has found out for certain who it was. Many people, including myself, believe that it was a monk. The Beowulf poet took the pagan epic traditions for kings, heroes, and monsters and fused it with Christian beliefs to create a poem that would still interest the people of the time while showing them the Christian ways. The Beowulf poet was put to the task of successfully blending these religious beliefs in an effective plot that appealed to his audience. Therefore, I agree with John D. Niles "if this poem can be attributed to a Christian author composing not earlier than the first half of the tenth century then there is little reason to read it as a survival from the heathen age that came to be marred by monkish interpolations" (137). .
             Although Beowulf most likely began as a pagan epic, it eventually was expanded to include Christian elements. Drawn from the Bible and some fictional texts as well, in an effort to illustrate the continuing presence of evil in this world. In Beowulf, Hrothgar, Beowulf, and the three monsters represent this king, hero, and evil structure. Hrothgar is a king who calls on a hero (Beowulf) to defeat the evil (the three monsters) that threatens to destroy the "paradise" he has created (Heorot). Hrothgar is an ideal, wise, and peaceful ruler like God; he does not directly participate in the violence of .
             the world and gives freely to those who serve him. This parallel is strongest in the king's wish to construct a place of protection for those under his watch. .
             Hrothgar wants to build a paradise for those who "eagerly served him" (64a), and so, "It came to his mind that he would command a royal building [ ] which the sons of men should hear of forever" (67b-68, 70). He expects that those who serve him will also serve these new establishments.