The story of Beowulf shows the effect of the spread of Christianity in the early Danish pagan society which valued heroic deeds and bravery above all else. The mythical creatures that Beowulf slays with his supernatural strength make the story an epic celebrating the life of a great hero. However, among Beowulf's triumphs against the three key creatures, we also see Christian virtues instilled in the listeners. The good qualities of loyalty, humility, sacrifice for the sake of others, and sympathy for those less fortunate are woven into the text, as well as the negative consequences of greed and pride. The characters of Grendel, his mother and the dragon are tools used by the author to teach values, but also to rejoice in the legendary success of Beowulf. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Grendel's menacing character is presented as horrible, but his humanistic side is also shown. As a result, the character of Grendel helps strengthen the Christian influence on the book and makes Beowulf a magnificent hero. Grendel is first described as "the creature of evil, dark and fierce, and was quickly ready, savage and cruel, and captured from the first thirty thanes". (Tuso, 3) Beowulf can be interpreted as a heroic epic when Grendel is seen as a ravenous monster because it makes Beowulf even more spectacular for defeating the horrible monster. However, there is also a strong Christian influence as Grendel is a descendant of Cain and is therefore rejected by God and must live in suffering. When Grendel appears, he "bears the wrath of God", which is the opposite of the thanes who celebrate the grace of God in their victories in Heorot Hall. (Tuso, 13) The reader feels pity for Grendel when he realizes that he hates Heorot because that's all he lacks. Grendel is even described as an "unhappy creature" while the thanes are seen as living "in joy and blessing". (Tuso, 3) Heorot is a symbol of the thanes' victory and is where they are joyful, happy, social and even play music, which particularly irritates Grendel. Grendel's jealousy and pain resulting from his outcast status explain his violent reaction towards the thanes. These are very human emotions and it seems that one of the first Christian values ​​is instilled here; sympathy for the less fortunate. Later, when Grendel retreats to his lair to die, his weakness and human side are visible again. Grendel is forced to flee because Beowulf fatally tears off his claw. The claw is a direct symbol of Beowulf's strength since it comes from his hand to fight with Grendel. "The horrible monster had lived to feel pain in his body, a huge shoulder wound was exposed, his tendons snapped, his bones shattered. Glory in battle was given to Beowulf." (Tuso, 15) Beowulf is depicted as the great hero who achieves victory over a supernatural being, Grendel. This story of the underdog is similar to the Old Testament story where David triumphs over the giant Goliath. When the claw is hung on Heorot, Beowulf's bravery is celebrated and it is evident that this quality is highly respected among the thanes. However, the claw has a different meaning to Grendel's mother who sees it as an extreme sign of disrespect towards her dead. son and is furious that he is hanging in plain sight like a trophy. The mother's rage and suffering is another human emotion, which ultimately leads her to take revenge on the thanes when she storms the room torecover the claw. She is even described as having the "war terror of a wife" which associates her with human beings rather than monsters. (Tuso, 23) This leads the reader to feel a certain sympathy towards her, a Christian value, even if she decapitates one of the favored thanes. However, she is later seen as a "sea wolf" when Beowulf bravely pursues her, so the reader can once again celebrate Beowulf's courage. Beowulf's character can be read as haughty and his actions interpreted as purely selfish in pursuit of fame and glory, but his courage can also be read as the ultimate sacrifice. Another Christian virtue is self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Beowulf risks his life when he fights Grendel hand in hand and later plunges into the dangerous alone. His journey to the bottom of the waters is symbolically akin to a journey to hell. He goes down and on his way "many monsters attacked him in the water, many sea beasts tore his chain mail with war tusks, strange creatures afflicted him." (Tuso, 27) These could be symbols of the types of creatures one would encounter through the passages to Hell and Grendel's mother's lair is where the devil resides, or perhaps a reincarnation of the devil. Beowulf kills Grendel's mother even though the odds are against it. him since he is not on his own land. Once again, the theme of the small and the good triumphing over evil is seen here. Perhaps God's intervention takes place when Beowulf is in the lair as a "flame brightened, the light shone within just as from heaven the candle of heaven shines clearly" appears to Beowulf as Grendel's mother drops dead. (Tuso, 28) However, pagan influence is also visible in this passage when examining the sword used by Beowulf. Giants, supernatural beings, made the sword and its hilt is “twisted and adorned with serpents.” (Tuso, 30) It is likely that pagans worshiped animals as gods, so these animal symbols had special meaning for early Danish society. The ironic thing about the sword is that its story tells of the last remaining giants who were eventually killed by humans, but it now saves the life of a human being who may be in the process of kill the last ogre. It seems like this should have helped the mother, not Beowulf. The characters of Grendel's mother and the dragon help the author express another important virtue; loyalty. For example, when Beowulf is on the open sea, after nine o'clock, Hrothgar's men abandon Beowulf, but his men remain steadfast even though they are "sick in heart." (Tuso, 28) Later, loyalty is shown again when all of Beowulf's men flee except Wiglaf during the battle with the dragon. Even though he is afraid, he also understands self-sacrifice and loyalty, so he willingly risks his life to save Beowulf's. After the other men “slipped into the forest and protected their lives,” Wiglaf was left with “a heart swollen with sorrow: nothing can ever set aside kinship in one who has good intentions.” (Tuso, 44) This strong Christian value is ultimately rewarded when Beowulf chooses Wiglaf to succeed him. Besides rewards, punishments are also meted out to those who make mistakes. For example, greed is considered a punishable sin. Beowulf resists greed when he chooses to take Grendel's head with him instead of the hordes of treasure. This action can also be interpreted as a search for glory and his act adds to the epic quality of the poem since "four of them struggled to carry Grendel's head on.