XV were Christian is beyond doubt; and it is equally certain that Beowulf was composed in a Christianised England, since conversion took place in the sixth and seventh centuries. Yet the only Biblical references in Beowulf are to the Old Testament, and Christ is never mentioned. The poem is set in pagan times, and none of the characters is demonstrably Christian. In fact, when we are told what anyone in the poem believes, we learn that they are pagans. Beowulf's own beliefs are not expressed explicitly. He offers eloquent prayers to a higher power, addressing himself to the "Father Almighty" or the "Wielder of All." Were those the prayers of a pagan who used phrases the Christians subsequently appropriated? or, did the poem's author intend to see Beowulf as a Christian Ur-hero, symbolically refulgent with Christian virtues" (Yeager)
Interesting though Vis and Ramin share some characteristics with Hellenistic romances written around the same period, it doesn't share much with Beowulf because the latter is not a romance per se. A number of motifs in this tale are also found in some Hellenistic romances because there is a great deal of similarity between Hellenistic and Parthain cultures. Some of these include abduction of the bride, her inability to refuse advances from people other than her true love, presence of a temptress whose sole purpose is to dissuade people from their true wishes. (Davis, 2002)
The fact that Vis and Ramin was written under Parthian rule is documented in various commentaries include the one by Minorsky where he concludes that, "at no period in the long history of Iran, did the material, and especially the geographical conditions, correspond to those described in Vis u Ramin, except at the time of Parthian dominion,...
he also adds that this poem is closely related to "some scion of the branch (of the Parthian nobility) founded by Godarz . . . (and that) the patronymic of the king of Marv, Mo-bad Manik-n, may point to his descent from the Godarzid Bizan (See BIZAN) and his wife Maniza" (1947-1948, p.31).
Beowulf is on the other hand is a far cry from the romances written in those times. Women are conspicuously in their mild presence in the story and their importance and influence is almost negligible since what are more important would be values of trust and honor than love and romance. Beowulf is ready to fight for a friend against Grendel who had apparently been a great source of evil and destruction but is so powerful than everyone other than Beowulf has been unable to kill him. Beowulf comes to the rescue of his friend's land without asking for anything in return. Such values of honor, friendship and valor are conspicuously absent from Vis and Ramin which is all about love a woman feels for a man other than the one chosen for her.
REFERENCES
Dick Davis, Panthea's Children: Hellenistic Novels and Medieval Persian Romances, New York, 2002.
Vladimir Minorsky, "Vis u Ramin: A Parthian Romance," Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, vol. XI, 1943-46, pp. 741-63; Vol. XII, 1947-1948, pp. 20-35; Vol. XVI, 1954, pp. 91-92; "New Developments." Vol. XXV, 1962, pp. 275-86.
Abrams, M.H.; Greenblatt, Stephen (2000). The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages (Vol 1), Beowulf. New York: W.W. Norton. p. 30.
Yeager, Robert F.. "Why Read Beowulf?." National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
