Abstract
This paper looks at lines 175 through 188 of the epic "Beowulf" in order to examine the author's views of paganism and Christianity. It is also important to look at when and where this was written in order to understand the conflict surrounding the lines discussed. The author's choice of words, structure and cadence of the passage in question are also examined.

From the Paper
"The speaker seems to be creating a degradation of the people involved since the progression goes from heathenish hope, to the back of the heart, and then to hell. The line following this uses the same alliteration, but all words beginning with "h" are capitalized: Head, Heavens, High. These words all refer to a memory of God who rules all, which takes the previous line's degradation into a new perspective regarding the goodness of Christianity. Another interesting method used by the speaker in Beowulf is the placement of the phrases "cursed is he" and "blessed is he," considering they appear at the ends of their respective lines, which creates a stronger emphasis on these two bold statements. The final line of this passage states "find friendship in the Father's embrace." This shifts the alliteration to a new sound, while at the same time reveals the fact that these people are indeed Christian at heart whether they struggle to show it or not."

Tags:medieval, christian, struggle, pagan, religions, oath, characters, passage, abandon, right, wrong

Abstract
This paper discusses the complex religion of Roman Paganism. The paper describes the basis of Roman superstition -that certain acts would incur the wrath of the gods and explains the Roman religious calendars in relation to the Roman paganistic festival and rites. Although this religion might seem highly complex, the author explains how the Romans were also highly spiritual as they were dependent on religion for everything they did. Sacrifices as part of the rights and rituals of the Romans are also discussed. A list of the forty-six public gods that the Romans worshipped is included with the paper.

Outline:
The Beliefs of Roman Pagans
The Gods of Rome
Superstition & the Gods
Roman Mythology: "Romulus & Remus"
The Organization of Roman Paganism
The Roman Religious Calendars
Boundaries of Worship
The Practice of Roman Paganism
Sacrifice
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Romans worshipped numerous gods. In cities throughout Rome, many more deities were added throughout the centuries. They were usually local gods. Each city had its own set of local god. The number and names of the local gods are not known. In addition to their local gods, the Romans had a universal 'list' of forty-six of public deities to whom they served and prayed to. Each separate god or goddess had power in their own specific field; thus, they were worshipped based on the aspect of life over which they 'ruled."

Tags:religion polytheism, ancient civilizations

Abstract
Celtic paganism is often used to explain "inexplicable" elements in the Grail legend. However, other explanations are also possible. The paper demonstrates this by showing how some "inexplicable" facets of the Grail legend that are usually ascribed to Celtic paganism may have their origin elsewhere, including in Christianity, secular symbolism, Bede's "Life of Saint Cuthbert" and the Lives of St. Kentigern," and/or medieval history and geography. It also examines whether the historical, geographical and hagiographical sources were used consciously or unconsciously. The paper concludes that, when faced with "inexplicable" elements in a Grail legend, scholars are often too quick to find connections, often very tenuous ones, to Celtic paganism.

From the Paper
"How are these narratives connected chronologically? And are the similarities deliberate? In their opening plot, these romantic and hagiographical stories are almost perfect Campbellian hero quests, so I think there may have been some pre-existing correlation between the early or oral versions of Peredur and the hagiographies. Yet the details of the Romances are so much like the saints' lives that I believe there is clearly some deliberate imitation. I will now attempt to untangle the way in which these books influenced on another. Bede's Life is based on the anonymous Life, which comes from the tradition that developed in Lindesfarne during or soon after Cuthbert's life. Bede wrote the Prose Life at the end of the 7th century and it influenced the writers of the Lives of Kentigern. The two Lives of Saint Kentigern were compiled in the 12th century, and the author of the fragmentary Life mentions his familiarity with the story of Cuthbert."

Tags:chretien, round, table

Abstract
This paper discusses medieval literature and assesses the role played by Christianity and Paganism. The paper explains that medieval writers used allegory to build a universe that was seemingly as wondrous, but more stable, than that of the pagan imagination. They used concepts with which pagans had long been familiar to construct a world in which individuals could no longer roam alone without the benefit of priests and be safe. Medieval theologians complicated what had once been simple, if at times frightening. One can infer from this that the medieval mind viewed the world as dangerous; magic had been one way to control it. However, it appeared that magic sometimes failed. It would be tempting, then, to accept a belief system that promised it would never fail, at least not in the long run in the next life. That there was no way to empirically prove the truth of this would not have bothered the medieval populace very much; after all, they had been long used to accepting the invisible and ineffable in the far less ordered cosmos of the pagan world.

From the Paper
"While that may have been a simple concept, thousands of years of paganism doubtless made it difficult for the new hierarchy to hold the population's attention on the new approach to life and death. It was probably tempting for people not far removed from the simple, nature-based practices of pagan rites to use those, rather than bring their desires to an intermediary. Instead of having the perceived ability to control their worlds, they were obliged to seek, instead, comfort from a priest whose promise had nothing to do with saving today's crops and warding off starvation by invoking the local corn goddess; the priest's promise was that God would deliver whatever was best for them in good time but, even if the crops failed and they starved, he promised a greater reward in the hereafter."

Tags:magic, allegory, belief

Abstract
This paper explains that, at the height of their domination in Europe, the Celtics, who were a warrior race in the 9th century B.C.E. that started on the island of Ireland, spread their religion across the British Isles to Turkey; however, they finally were conquered by the Romans and the Germanic tribes. The author points out that Druidism was passed down through an oral tradition typically kept by the bards and the ancient Druids; much of the Druids traditions are still kept because they were later recorded in medieval manuscripts and in oral tradition, folk lore and ritual. The paper concludes that, in the modern world, the Druids are still strong as a cultural fascination and several religious groups have been formed such as the British Druid Order and the Reformed Druids of North America.

Table of Contents
Celtic Paganism: A History
Celtic Traditions and Religions
Druidism and their Different Occupations
Influence of Christianity of the Druids
The Religious Beliefs of the Druids
Devices Used by the Druids
Druid Celebrations and Seasonal Celebrations
The Modern Druidic Movement

From the Paper
"The Druids are known for having many celebrations and ceremonies throughout the year. Some of these celebrations are religious others commemorate special events within their history. The Druids celebrate a series of fire-festivals on the first of each of four months. These festivals would start at sunset and last for three days. When these ceremonies start, great bonfires are built on the hilltops and cattle would be driven between the two great bonfires to assure them fertility. Couples hoping to be married would jump over the bonfire and run between them to encourage fertility as well. These festivities all have special significance within the culture of the Druids. The first is the Samhain, which means the end of the warm season. It takes place on November 1st which marks the combined feast of the dead and the new years day celebration on the Celtic calendar. This is the time when the veil between our reality and the reality of the otherworld can be easily penetrated. Thus, communication with those who have past beyond the veil is possible and many ceremonies attempt to communicate with the dead during this festival. Later the Christians would adopt the fire festival as the All Soul's Eve, and later it would become the secular holiday Halloween."

Tags:bards, ovates, ceremonies, oral, nature

From the Paper
"One thousand years later in the Viking Age, Nordic paganism developed into its highest form with ritual practices divination and temple worship. The decline of Nordic paganism came about at the end of the Viking era as a direct result of vast economic, political and ideological interaction with Christians and the subsequent empowerment of Christian priests by the Nordic kings. However, many aspects of Nordic paganism continued to survive through its literary legacies, as well as in Scandinavian folk tradition. Nordic culture can give us valuable insight into the formation and development of the Germanic people as a whole. In turn, understanding Nordic culture can assist us in examination of the Germanic scriptures known primarily as the Eddas. This in turn enables us to examine the hero archetypes of Germanic Paganism."

Tags:germanic

Abstract
This seven-page-paper takes the reader on a guided tour through the critique of a book called "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries", by Ramsay Mac Mullen. In the book Mac Mullen explores the four-century transition that it took for Christianity to overtake Paganism as the leader of religious faiths in the world. The book author details the fact that it was not a quick and painless transition but rather a drawn out and often very painful process to get the new religions established. The author of this paper learned a lot about that transition period from the book and also gained a respect for Mac Mullen as a religious expert. 7 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.

From the Paper
"The philosophical question of "What is religion?" has been answered in countless manners throughout the course of human existence, each striving to place their own beliefs above the last, or the next. But the complexity of religion can best be seen in how each parallels or absorbs part of another. Nowhere can this be better seen than in the organization of the Christian Church, which simply assimilated what it could not destroy. And so, elements of pre-Christian Europe survive even today under a thin guise of holiness. "

Tags:angels, gods, hierarchy, mythology, religions, saints

Abstract
A short essay outlining some of the cases of syncretism of pagan and Christian ideas in the Middle Ages.

From the Paper
"During the Middle Ages, the Church was fighting off the diffusion of pagan ideas throughout Europe. Despite the Christian teachings of god, purity and salvation, pagan ideas still held their force and appeal. One reason may be that the message of Christianity could not be successfully transmitted to the remotest corners of Old Europe and even when it did, people would have to take the message of Christianity as salient to their own lives and make an effort to..."

Tags:pagan, christian, syncretism, middle ages, medieval

Abstract
Geoffrey Chaucer is a well-known poet of the 14th century who worked for the king as a manager of societal and traditional events. Nonetheless, his poems are rooted with compassionate consideration towards women, the common people, and uniqueness as articulated through multicultural signs signifying states and religious convictions. This paper deals with the impact of pagan settings on the story "The Knight's Tale." To illustrate how fundamental the impact has been, this paper utilizes disjunctive mixtures of the story as its theme.

From the Paper
"Contemporary readers might consider that a narrative in which so many aspects of a story take place coincidentally is a weakly schemed story, without a doubt. However this is the exact point that Chaucer is attempting to make throughout this story. The functions of "Fortune" do have an accidental and unintentional method of running. How can humans tolerate such an inadequately structured universe? This is one manner of wording the major issue which the poem portrays (Minnis, 1982)."

Tags:Thebes, Talamon, Arcite