Alex Prime
Morgan Palma
Sarp Elaziz
Jennifer Yang
The cultures of the Anglo-Saxons and the Ancient Greeks were very different, most prominently in that of their religion. The Ancient Greeks had many gods they prayed too and believed in, with each having different powers and rulings. The ancient Greeks used these gods as their entire lifeline and never lost faith, these gods were the basis of the Greek culture and centered their daily lives around them. This differs from the Anglo-Saxons who originally worshipped many gods, and were considered Pagan, but quickly changed their tune when they were introduced to Christianity. While worship of gods was something that was practiced in the Anglo-Saxon society it was not nearly as prominent as it was in the Greek society, as demonstrated by the easy and dramatic shift to Christianity when the converters arrived. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, definitely shows a major difference between the culture of the Anglo-Saxons and the Ancient Greeks. While it is known that the ancient Greeks were throughly devoted to their gods and the mythology that they believed in, it is evident in Beowulf the conflicting religions paganism and christianity, which are consistently fighting for the power on the poem. Each christian reference is followed immediately by a pagan reference of vice versa. This contradictory religious message compared to the steadfast religion of the Greeks shows the major difference in the two cultures.
ash.p2.t2 (Isabelle R, Adria K-S, Jennifer K.)
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly true that the Anglo-Saxon and Greek/Roman cultures are very different. However, it is also true that both the Anglo-Saxons and the Greek/Romans were devoted to their cultures and to the religions within them. You say that in Anglo-Saxon culture, and in Beowulf especially, paganism and Christianity are ‘consistently fighting for power.’ However, it is unclear how exactly the two were fighting. Of course, Christian missionaries were trying to convert pagans, but in stories of the time it seems more as if paganism and Christianity have melded together to create new type of worship entirely, which uses funeral pyres and barrows during funeral rites but also respects only one Christian god and uses the Bible as a reference. For example, in Beowulf, there is no conflict within Beowulf, or anybody else, as to whether stay pagan or become Christian. Rather, Beowulf goes about his adventures, worshipping God but also believing in pagan rites and values the entire time. To say that the two forces of paganism and Christianity are in conflict seems to be a harsh evaluation of a situation that certainly could seem contradictory at times, but was never a violent duel in the poems or culture that we read about in class. However, it is also true that there was more of a conflict between the two religions than there was in Greek or Roman times, since they only believed in one pantheon of gods, who acted in ways that were certainly not always heroic.