The Influence of Religion on Literature In the Middle Ages

There has not been a single group of people discovered that did not have some form of religion. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” These different beliefs and practices changed the thoughts and behaviors of these different groups. Although there are five major religions, (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Muslum, and Judaism), there are over 4,200 different religions throughout the world. In British Literature, there are countless references to religions with the main ones being to Christianity and Greek/Roman gods and goddesses.

Religion started 50,000 years ago during the Paleolithic period and has grown since. Back then, religions began to develop alongside art and music, before a written language was invented. Living a nomadic life of hunting and gathering, groups of people were always moving following their food. The people in the Paleolic era used cave paintings and petroglyphs to portray their religious beliefs, which were mainly giving spirits to animals. It wasn’t until agriculture started developing around 12,000 years ago that people were able to settle in one place and civilizations grew; furthermore, with the start of civilizations, religion spread.

Religion truly began to impact the development of agriculture. Even today, farmers pray for rain and sunshine to grow a plentiful harvest; this same concept likely happened 12,000 years ago when the beginning of farming was developed. In these agricultural-based civilizations, larger groups of people were able to settle together which meant more people were able to share religious beliefs. These beliefs were told through oral stories until a form of writing was established. Religion was incorporated into literature right from the beginning.

In the Middle Ages, the time when Beowulf was written, religion was important to society. In the epic written by the anonymous Beowulf poet, religion is brought up several times through references to Christianity and Paganism. One of the references to Christianity is when the Beowulf poet talks about Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve. The poet says, “Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild, marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth. He spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures for the crime of Abel’s death”. The poet also mentions Christianity when he or she says, “Surely the Lord Almighty could stop this madness, smother his lust”. Beowulf poet writes about death taking over the land, war raging, and diseases killing many people. He or she uses religion as a way people kept their hopes up. The Beowulf poet also refers to the Pagan gods when he or she says, “Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s support”. He or she uses both religions because, at this time, Anglo-Saxon people were converting to Christianity.

During the Middle Ages, death was common due to the overseas traveling done by many. The Exeter Book, also written during the Middle Ages, is the largest series of Old English poetry. “The Seafarer” is one of many poems in the Exeter Book. Christianity’s role during the Anglo-Saxon times is shown through a quote in “The Seafarer.” “We all fear God. He turns the Earth, he set it swinging firmly in space, gave life to the world and light to the sky. Faith leaps at the fools who forget their God. He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven to carry him courage and strength and belief”. These people put all their faith in God. This quote also shows their morals during this time. If stayed humble, God would reward with strength and courage, which were important characteristics of the time. The people needed extra strength and trust in God to survive the long, sickly ship rides.

“The Wanderer,” another poem in the Exeter Book, shows the people's faith in God. In “The Wanderer,” the main character’s family was killed. He was left behind to find hope to move on. In the very last line of the poem, the writer shows his or her Christian strength by saying, “In God, the heavenly rock where our every hope”.

In the 17th century, people used religion to connect with one another. John Donne, a famous poet from the 17th century, grew up in the Roman Catholic faith when being Catholic was not popular. Because of his Catholic beliefs, he was not able to go to school. King James later encouraged poets to promote Protestantism. Donne took part and became an Anglican priest. He was well-liked in his congregation for his witty sermons.

In Donne’s “Meditation 17,” he shows the connection everyone has through religion. He states, “The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child thereby connected to that body which is my head too, and engrafted into that body whereof I am a member”. Donne makes many other connections in his poem stating, “No man is an island, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee”. Donne’s main part in this poem is to show that all people are connected because we are all part of the human race, this point teaches people to be empathetic for others, which is an important lesson.

Another work of British literature that teaches a lesson using religion is “Paradise Lost” by John Milton, which is considered one of the “finest epic poems in the English language.” Milton used the book of “Genesis” from the Bible to create this epic about God, Satan, and along with it, Evil. In this epic, Milton describes what he believes Evil is and how it came to be.

Some others use religion a little less serious in their literature. They use their works of literature to poke fun at religions and other problems they faced. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a prime example of this. Chaucer slams the Catholic faith for its corruptness in the church. He uses his characters to show the problems in the church. One example is the use of Chaucer's wit and satire in describing the Monk. Chaucer says the Monk likes to spend money and go hunting when he says, “Hunting a hare or riding at a fence was all his fun, he spared no expenses. I saw his sleeves were garnished at the hand with find grey fur”. Chaucer also indicates that the Monk doesn’t follow the rules by not doing hard labor.

Like the Monk, Chaucer also makes fun of the Nun in the story. He says she has a big forehead, is large, is terrible at singing, eats like a pig, and likes jewelry, which Nuns are not supposed to wear. He also makes fun of the Friar calling him greedy. Chaucer says, “He was an easy man in penance-giving where he could hope to make a decent living,” meaning that as long as he got money, he would forgive your sins. Chaucer uses religion again to set the stage for the plot in “The Pardoner’s Tale,” as he says, “Radix Malorum est cupiditas,” which is a quote from the Latin Bible that means “love of money is the root of all evil”.

In A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens in 1859, there are many references to religion. One of the most famous references is, Sydney Carton reciting, “I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die”. This is a quote from the Gospel according to St. John (Sroka). In this quote, Carton is professing his faith to his God as he heads to the guillotine.

There are references to other religions such as Greek and Roman gods and goddesses in The Language of Literature. “The Iliad”, written by Homer, a Greek poet, includes many gods, and goddesses. Some of these direct references include; Olympus, Hercules, Hera, Zeus, Apollo, Hephaestus, Achilles, Athena, Hades, Hermes, and Nereus. Being written by a Greek poet, there are countless references to the greek gods and goddesses, but there are many other references in other works of British Literature.

Along with Christianity, The Canterbury Tales also has references to Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. There are references to the Greek god Zephyrus, the god of the west wind. Another reference to a Greek god is in “My Lute, Awake!” written by Sir Thomas Wyatt. In this poem, Wyatt references the god of love, Cupid, by saying, “proud of the poil that thou hast got of simple hearts, love's shot”.

In Paradise Lost, there are many references to Greek gods and goddesses, even though it is a Christian work. There is a reference to Aonian Mount, which is Mount Helicon, in ancient times considered sacred to the Muses. Milton also references two Greek Titans who battle as Satan and God did. The River Styx, one of the rivers in the underworld is also mentioned in Paradise Lost.

Religion is referenced throughout our literature, but why wouldn’t it be? Religion surrounds us in our everyday lives. As far back as the records go, humans have had some type of religious belief, whether it is praying to the rain and sun gods for a good harvest or just celebrating church holidays. Religion has always affected people’s lives, especially after the creation of written languages. Throughout British Literature, there are countless references to many different religions with the most popular being Christianity and Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.

Works Cited

1. Beowulf Poet. Beowulf. The Language of Literature edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, pp. 32-60.
2. Chaucer, Geoffrey. Canterbury Tales. The Language of Literature edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 112-166.
3. Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities and Related Readings. McDougal Littell Inc., 1997.
4. Donne, John. “Meditation 17.” The Language of Literature, edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 451-457.
5. The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica.“Exeter Book.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 Jan. 2007, www.britannica.com/topic/ Exeter-Book. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.
6. History.com Editors. “Neolithic Revolution.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 12 Jan. 2018, www.history.com/topics/pre-history/neolithic-revolution. Accessed 29 Dec. 2019.
7. Jacobs, Frank. “This is the best (and simplest) world map of religions.” Big Think, 1 Apr. 2019, bigthink.com/strange-maps/world-map-of-religions. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.
8. Milton, John. “ Paradise Lost.” The Language of Literature, edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 476-491.
9. “Religion.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion. Accessed 10 December 2019.
10. “The Seafarer.” The Language of Literature, edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 85-89.
11. Sroka, Kenneth M. “A Tale of Two Gospels: Dickens and John.” Penn State University Press. www.jstor.org/stable/44371949?seq=1. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.
12. “The Wanderer.” The Language of Literature, edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 90-93.
13. Wyatt, Sir Thomas. “My Lute, Awake!” The Language of Literature, edited by Arthur Applebee et al., McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, 283-285.