Is Beowulf the First “Religious Horror” Story Ever Written?

In my recent book Christian Horror: On the Compatibility of a Biblical Worldview and the Horror Genre, I note that the epic poem Beowulf is often considered one of the earliest horror stories ever written. Coincidentally, the story is also filled with religious content, making Beowulf, perhaps, one of the earliest examples of the fusion between Christianity and the horror genre.

In his seminal essay, Supernatural in Horror Literature, H.P. Lovecraft traced horror stories back to “the earliest folklore of all races.”

As may naturally be expected of a form so closely connected with primal emotion, the horror-tale is as old as human thought and speech themselves.

Cosmic terror appears as an ingredient of the earliest folklore of all races, and is crystallised in the most archaic ballads, chronicles, and sacred writings.

Cover designed by David Laufer, 1978.

As part of these “archaic ballads, chronicles, and sacred writings,” Lovecraft included Beowulf. Possibly the oldest surviving long poem in Old English, Beowulf is often cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. Though the story is in essence a pagan myth, most believe it was originally written down by a Christian monk who incorporated Christian elements into the tale. Thus, Beowulf is often seen as a mash-up of Christian and pagan elements. In his essay Christianity in Beowulf  Rich Lawson explains,

Overall, Beowulf contains many pagan themes and concepts, but yet it also contains many references to Christianity. This is very similar to the England of this time period, because even though it was Christianized, it still had many pagan tendencies. Although the concepts of paganism as compared to Christianity may seem very dissimilar, these two aspects of Anglo-Saxon life came together to create a form of Christianity that was different than that of mainland Europe. This combination between pagan concepts and Christianity is demonstrated in Beowulf. It was a Christian author that wrote Beowulf for a Christian audience.

As such, there are many Christian themes and biblical references in the ancient story. One project sponsored by Pace University for the ongoing research of the story notes,

There are several Biblical references in Beowulf that are quite interesting. Grendel is referred to as a descendant of Cain: “the hostile-hearted creature, Gods enemy, guilty of murder” (2.4). In addition, there is a reference to the Great Flood that took place in Genesis: “the origin of ancient strife, when the flood, rushing water, slew the race of giants they suffered terribly: that was a people alien to the Everlasting Lord. The Ruler made them a last payment through waters welling” (3.2). In this reference to the biblical flood, the author of Beowulf is suggesting that the sword’s creators were descendants of those that caused God to bring on the flood perhaps even suggesting that they were descendants of Cain. However, earlier in the passage these same giants are referred to with reverence: “There came into the possession of the prince of the Danes, after the fall of devils, the work of wonder-smiths” (2.2). Once again there is a contrast between the pagan and Christian cultures, as the same “giants” are referred to with honor and contempt in succeeding paragraphs.

There are other Christian references and allusions in the epic poem. At the end of the story, Beowulf gives up his own life to save others, possibly symbolizing the sacrificial death of Christ. Some have suggested that the three monsters Beowulf faces resemble the devil. Also, when Beowulf is getting ready to battle Grendel, he says, “May the Divine Lord in His wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side he sees fit.” And when he has cut off Grendel’s arm he proclaims, “If God had not helped me, the outcome would have been quick and fatal.” Later, when faced with the dragon and believing that he will probably be killed, he says, “Because of my right ways, the Ruler of mankind need never blame me when the breath leaves my body.” In the end, though Beowulf’s funeral is pagan in origin, it celebrates the life of “a gracious and fair minded King.”

Against this religious backdrop are three monsters (some include the sea monsters as a fourth) — Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Much has been made of the possible roles and artistic intentions of such characters.  In his classic article “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” J. R. R. Tolkien argued that these monsters are actually the center of the poem. It is the confrontation between the “gracious and fair minded King” and these archetypal horrors that propels the tale. In his essay Human-like Beasts or Bestial Humans? The Slippery Monsters of Beowulf, Michael Slusser notes the culmination of Beowulf’s battles and its possible significance to our understanding of the story.

The last third or so of the Beowulf narrative describes a much older Beowulf, now a chieftan in his own right, fighting against a dragon that is ravaging the lands of his people. Beowulf is eventually killed by the dragon, though not before giving it a mortal blow which allows his subordinate, Wulfstan, to finish the beast off. As might be imagined, a good deal of critical effort is spent arguing whether or not the dragon is simply another monster in a pagan tale or the embodiment of evil in a Christian allegory. If the other monsters have been the descendents of Cain, then the tale is in some ways building to this confrontation with the symbol of ultimate sin, the serpent. An interesting side discussion is carried on regarding the nature of the dragon as possibly human: Peter Braeger and others argue that the language leaves open the possibility that the dragon may once have been human, transformed to a monstrous shape (327). Throughout the poem, Beowulf has been wrestling—both literally and figuratively—with evil, and here he faces it in its purest form. The simultaneous deaths of both he and his foe are cited by many as evidence of the poet’s linking of evil with the very act of being human. The “problem of evil” cannot be overcome, because it is a problem rooted in our nature, and it is possible that this interplay between the humanness and monstrosity of Beowulf’s opponents continues to elucidate this dilemma without offering much in the way of resolving it.

Was Beowulf’s last enemy “simply another monster in a pagan tale or the embodiment of evil in a Christian allegory”? Are the poem’s religious underpinnings just some archaic vestige of its origins or the philosophical paradigm through which a larger, existential horror — the “problem of evil” — is conceptualized?

Whatever the answer is, Beowulf serves as an important reminder of the intrinsic connection between Christianity and classic horror archetypes.