RELIGIOUS AND HEROIC IMAGERY IN OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE: A STUDY OF ,,BEOWULF’’ AND BEDE’S WRITINGS

Abstract

This article expresses the intertwining of religious and heroic imagery in Old English literature, focusing on Beowulf and the writings of the Venerable Bede. The article aims to demonstrate how early English authors merged Christian ideals with traditional Germanic heroic values to construct a distinctive literary identity. In Beowulf, the poem’s imagery reflects a tension between pagan heroism and emerging Christian morality, where symbols of courage, loyalty, and fate coexist with divine providence and salvation. Similarly, in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, religious imagery serves to sanctify the heroism of missionaries and kings who spread Christianity across Anglo-Saxon England. It shows that both works employ religious symbolism to elevate heroic action, portraying spiritual virtue as the highest form of heroism. Ultimately, the synthesis of religious and heroic elements in these texts illustrates the cultural transformation of early medieval England from warrior ethos to Christian worldview.