Beowulf is an epic story that tells many things in ways that would not be obvious if the symbols used are not recognized and placed in accurate context. It is, among other things, a story of dragons and battles, of Christianity versus paganism, and the story of a man and his pride. It is also a story about the evils and destruction of female power. Because of the historical context, it is helpful to understand the time period in which it was written and similar stories throughout history. For the purposes of this discussion, comparisons with Arthurian tradition and historical religious context are used. Beowulf was written, at best, between 800 and 1100 AD, while the Arthurian tradition was established in the 5th century, three to six centuries earlier. Due to the nature of storytelling and oral culture, enough time will have passed and ample opportunity will have been provided for the use of elements of Arthurian tradition in Beowulf. Both contain dragons, magical swords received from a female figure in a lake and strong references to Christianity. Due to the historical religious context, these symbols also carried with them contexts of a religious nature. Some of the symbols used for feminine power are swords, any body of water or division of the earth, the night or moon, and the dragon. Swords, the sun or day, hands, Christianity, God and the lord are all symbols of male power. It is important to realize that a gender symbol can also replace the figure of a person. As such, hands can represent a male presence and a lake is interchangeable for a female presence. It is also crucial to note that the context of a symbol changes the gender representation of that symbol. A sword in a cave becomes a feminine power but when held by a man, ... middle of paper ... transforms it into a new power of disciplined masculinity and patriarchal Christianity. The blade is sacrificed through the blood of the dragon in a clear representation of Jesus Christ. Just as in Alice in Wonderland, the hero must return to the surface in a metaphorical rebirth, transformed by the events leading up to that moment. In Beowulf, the lake serves as a birth canal and amniotic fluid after he is reborn into Christianity and its patriarchal system, leaving behind all vestiges of femininity. Works Cited Damrosch, David and JH Dettmar, Masters of British Literature. vol. A. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008.Gardner, Laurence. Genesis of the Grail Kings. Gloucester: Fair Winds Press, 2002. Ogden-Korus, Erin. Many monsters to destroy. September 3 2011 .