The movie ”Beowulf” and Christian morality (Warning: possible spoiler)

On the IMDB message board for the 2007 movie Beowulf there is a thread that discusses the proposition that the movie contains an anti-christian element. There is, as anyone who has seen the movie should be able to attest, some truth to this. The characther Unferth, a Christian and a coward, is depicted in a very unflattering way and Christianity is heralded as the end to age of heroes.

When I saw the movie these anti-christian elements struck me as rather odd since the morality of the story is clearly influenced by a Christian morality. After watching the DVD extra-material, especially a segment called “The Origins of Beowulf”, I realised that the writers had made two major alterations to the Beowulf poem. The first was adding the anti-Christian element, the second was paradoxically to add the element of Hrothgar being Grendel’s father and Bewulf fathering the dragon wich eventually kills him.

Writer Roger Avary said that he felt that the theme of a father being haunted by “his brood” was a strong one. He might be right and I don’t want to criticise the writers for adding this element to draw the plot together. However I do feel this plot this plot to be the fruit of Judeo-Christian culture. In the story the basic moral failing of Hrothgar and Beowulf is that they are sexually tempted by Grendel’s mother. The result, in the view of Christian morals, of this sinful sexual union is the birth of the heroes’ nemesis that in the end brings about their demise. A sexual union between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother, who is portrayed as wery sexually alluring, would not be seen as sinful in a pagan worldview. In fact I believe that Beowulf would be applauded, by his pagan comrades, for his manliness in sleeping with her.

If the movie were, as the writers claim they wish it to be, a serious attempt at retelling the Beowulf saga without it’s Christian elements it fails as the Christian elements they throw out are simply replaced by other more well-hidden Christian elements. I must say that I’m surprised that Neil Gaiman, who I have come to see as an intelligent and keen-eyed writer, did not see this paradox in the movie as it stands. My suspicion is that Hollywood is not ready for a story that goes against deeply ingrained Judeo-Christian values and, despite Gaiman and Avary’s best intentions, made sure the movie portrayed an “acceptable” morality. Only the possibility for a living discussion of past and present moral systems suffers.