Beowulf as a Christian Allegory The story of Beowulf is a kind of allegory in which he is depicted as the figure of Christ. The theme of Beowulf is a contrast between good and evil that manifests itself in both Christian and pagan elements; Beowulf represents good, while Grendel, his mother, and the dragon represent evil. The first monster our hero, Beowulf, faces is Grendel. Grendel is said to be a descendant of Cain. “An unhappy creature (Grendel), he lived for a time in the homeland of the monster race, after God had condemned them as relatives of Cain” (Norton, 28). Cain is the son of Eve, the woman who brought sin into the world. It is possible to make a connection, however vague, between the maternal relationships of Eva and Cain and Grendel and his mother. Grendel's mother can be considered the personification of man's fall from grace, and Grendel himself could embody sin. Furthermore, the battles of the dragon Beowulf can be said to be an image of Satan: "the smooth and hateful dragon that flies by night wrapped in flames" (56). When facing Grendel, Beowulf relies only on God to protect him, saying: "...may God wise, Holy Lord, assign glory to whatever hand seems good to him" (36) When Beowulf tears off Grendel's arm, Hrothgar observes: “ I have endured much from the enemy, many pains from Grendel” (39). It must be said that the Christian enemy is sin, which causes much pain. Against Grendel's mother, the original sin, Beowulf becomes the Christian soldier against Grendel's mother, God grants him a precious gift: “The Holder of Men has granted me that I should see hanging on the wall a beautiful, ancient, great sword – most often He has guided the friendless man – that I should take up the weapon” (Norton, 48). This great sword is further described as “a blessed victory blade, an old sword made by giants… the work of giants” (Norton, 47). Grendel's mother is the work of his ancestral giants, who were devoted until they fell from grace. “From (Cain) were born all evil races, trolls, elves, and monsters – likewise the giants who long wrestled with God” (Norton, 28). Therefore, the sword was God-forged and pious. Here the hero uses "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" to prevail (Book of Ephesians 6:17, Bible). In his battle with the dragon (which could represent Satan) Beowulf is martyred, losing his life. in killing the dragon.