HWÆT

I recently began reading Beowulf. It’s a grand poem, and I’m sure you already know what it is. I’ve continued to research what exactly my ancestors were up to in life. What did they believe and see? Beowulf is not necessarily religious, but it does contain many religious artifacts and facts that indicate what the Anglo-Saxons and iron-age Nordic peoples believed. The Christianization of the North is a hot topic, and there are a myriad of views on the subject. But one thing is for certain, that Beowulf itself is from a Christian author(s)¹.

What does this mean? For one, we lose detail on the beliefs of those who originally orated the story and the sources from which it is drawn. But in another sense, we realize that this story is important to Christians in England at this time. So what is important about Grendel and the monsters of Cain? Why should we care about Beowulf the boastful? I endeavor to find out.

And I also will try to update the site quicker this time.