The author of the epic poem Beowulf is unknown and, like Plato's Iliad, its origins remain a mystery. Throughout the poem, there are many clues that Beowulf became a tradition and was passed down orally for centuries, and was eventually translated from the "Old English" in which it might have originally been recited, verse the English we know today. In the poem Beowulf, a bard recites poetry orally or in song, usually telling stories of historical triumphs and adventures. These poets were referred to in this epic poem as "bearers of tales..., traditional singers deeply learned in the traditions of the past" (Beowulf 50). This was common in Germanic culture. The Scops would keep folk heroes alive in “oral” tradition. They passed down stories orally from one generation to the next. “The poet Beowulf himself imagines such oral performances by having King Hrothgar's court poet recite a heroic lay at a feast celebrating Beowulf's defeat of Grendel” (Beowulf 29). "[A] thane of the king's household... matched a new theme to strict measure. The man began to recite with skill, repeating the triumphs and exploits of Beowulf in well-crafted verses, interweaving his words" ( Beowulf 50). This poet of Hrothgar goes on to speak of Sigemund and the son of Waels. This part of oral poetry is actually found in the text, giving an example of the Germanic "oral" tradition. During the same mead celebration, the author once again illustrates the “oral” tradition. This time, the king's poet plays "with the saga of Finn and his sons, unfolding the story of the fierce attack in Friesland where Hnaef, king of the Danes, met his death" (Beowulf 54). These eighty-nine lines tell a detailed historical story, which is also absorbed in the middle of a paper......demon. Whatever death may be, she must consider it a just judgment of God” (Beowulf 41). Here, Beowulf gives the result to God. As previously mentioned, Grendel met his fate the night Beowulf was waiting for him. This is clearly contradictory since both dogmas are used to describe the same event. In the fight against Grendel's mother, "God Almighty... would reverse the course of his misfortunes" (Beowulf 61). He also says that God decided victory in the same fight “It was easy for. the Lord, the Ruler of Heaven, to restore the balance once Beowulf gets back on his feet" (Beowulf 66). Beowulf also claims in this fight that God helped him. After the fight with the dragon, the poet says "[w]'What God judged right would govern what happens to every man, as it does to this day" (Beowulf 93). How could there be so many discrepancies in this poem if only one poet had written it?.?