Question

the epic poem beowulf combines elements of paganism and christianity. one aspect of paganism is the concept of wyrd, the old english word for fate. what is the role of fate in the poem? based on your understanding of beowulf how do you think anglo saxon society viewed fate

Answer 1

There are obvious examples of the Beowulf poet showing that God has the power to control everything, resulting in already determined fate. “Fate goes ever as fate must.”(Line 455)*

“What God judged right would rule what happened to every man, as it does to this day.”(Lines 2858-2859) 
 
He was meant to die and meant to fight grendle it was fate.

Answer 2

Answer:

Explanation:

    Fate appears all over Beowulf. Although we find Christian elements in this epic poem, we can also find paganism and the concept of WYRD. It comes from the  AngloSaxon culture and means fate, destiny. It entails the notion that the development of events is not under the control of a person. No matter how he/she behaves the result will be what fate decides, a powerful force controlling people's lives.The word fate can be found many times in the text. When Beowulf fights against the dragon, he states:  "I meant to stand/not run from his shooting/Flames, stand still till fate decides/which of us wins." He clearly means that he has no power to change his present situation but to wait for fate to decide what will happen. It seems that, in the poem, every outcome is governed by this powerful force, every death is the result of fate deciding who is going to die. Another example is again found in Beowulf's words before he fights Grendel. His encounter with the monster will end as “Fate, overseer of men, decides.” Clearly, this epic hero will do his best to get rid of Grendel but, in the end, his succes will not depend on his bravery and skills as a warrior but on fate.

     The Anglo Saxon society is no exception. They were people who migrated to Great Britain from Continental Europe. Although they were mainly Christians, they also follow some pagan beliefs. They found a way of mixing their old inheritance with new elements. Like in Beowulf, they believe fate controls their decisions, their lives was at its mercy. In my opinion, it must have been hard to do your best or fight against all odds when nothing you do can change the present or the future. They must have lived a life of hopelessness.