Beowulf: Themes and MotifsBeowulf is the most important work of Old English literature and is well deserved the distinction. Throughout the epic, the Anglo-Saxon narrator uses many elements to give a certain depth to the characters. Just some of the important character elements of Beowulf are the themes of Wealth and Honor, Biblical and Pagan, and Man vs. Nature. Many of the characters in Beowulf are, as in most epics, defined by their status. But, in addition to status, Anglo-Saxon culture also adds an element of honor. For the Anglo-Saxons, the importance of a character, as well as his wealth and status, were measured not only in monetary terms, but also in terms of honor, fame and achievements. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, is an example of the measurement of Anglo-Saxon importance in Beowulf. In Canto 1 the narrator describes his wealth and importance, not as mounds of gold or jewels, but rather as his ability to "[lead] the Danes to such glory." and as his tendency to "In battle, [leave] the common pasture intact and take no lives." Through this display of compassion for the commoner who does not fight in battle, Hrothgar demonstrates the full extent of his honor and thus the extent of his wealth and status. Beowulf, the hero-prince, also demonstrates his true wealth and status through his actions as a defender of the Danes. As he fights and defeats Grendel, Beowulf gains fame and wealth from his companions and the Danes, but more importantly, he gains honor by elevating him to the level of an archetypal hero. Grendel, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Beowulf. He has no wealth, no honor, and is infamous as an evil murderer. This lack of wealth and honor defines Grendel as a symbol of evil and corruption. In addition to using honor and wealth to define a character's character, storytellers incorporated alternating biblical and pagan motifs into the epic poem. The original epic was obviously pagan due to the time period of its creation. But, as time passed, rewriting and retouching of the manuscripts by various sources, including religious monks, meant that the characters had slight Christian characteristics. These Christian themes became very important to the epic to add an element of depth that would not be possible in modern times due to the loss of Anglo-Saxon culture and beliefs..