Beowulf and Vis and Ramin

Beowulf and Vis and Ramin have no apparent points of comparison. One is a Persian romance while other is an Old English poem, both written around about the same time but differ as widely in context and content as possible. There are no heroic battles per se in Vis and Ramin while Beowulf is all about battles and heroism.

Vis and Ramin is a Persian adulterous romance that says a great deal about culture and environment of Persia back in 11th century but is very different from Beowulf which is more about morality and heroism than about romance or adultery. The two are as different from each other as can be based on content and meaning. Vis and Ramin has little to do with moral uprightness or respect for others, Beowulf on the other hand is all about standing up for what a person believes in and doing the right thing.

"Although Hrothgar and Beowulf are portrayed as morally upright and enlightened Pagans, they fully espouse and frequently affirm the values of Germanic heroic poetry. In the poetry depicting warrior society, the most important of human relationships was that which existed between the warrior -- the thane -- and his lord, a relationship-based less on subordination of one man's will to another's than on mutual trust and respect. When a warrior vowed loyalty to his lord, he became not so much his servant as his voluntary companion, one who would take pride in defending him and fighting in his wars. In return, the lord was expected to take care of his thanes and to reward them richly for their valor." (Abrsms, p. 30)

Only one key point of similarity appears in the presence or rather absence of religion in the two books. This is a very interesting point which shows that religion did not occupy any major place in the literature of those times even though the books come from two very different cultures and two very different parts of the world. Amazingly while most Old English work would deal with religion in one way or another, Beowulf chooses not to dwell on religion at all. It is almost pagan in its context and beliefs. While Old Testament has been mentioned or one or two occasions, no reference to Christ is ever made in the work which indicates the lack of interest in religion in those times. The same thing is noticed in Vis and Ramin where we can only assume that people were mostly Moslems since it comes from Persia of 11th century. But that's not true because this Persia belonged to Pre-Islamic era which means they also either followed another religion or were mostly pagan in their beliefs. Which religion was followed is however not clear at all because religion is neither explicitly mentioned nor anyone's behavior appears to adhere to the teachings of any religion in particular. It most certainly doesn't follow the decrees of Islamic teachings because had anyone of these characters been Moslems, they wouldn't have committed adultery so openly. But it is a fact that Islam wasn't their religion since this Persia existed in pre-Islamic period. (Parsenijad, 2003)

While Beowulf doesn't talk about religion is beyond us because we would normally believe that people in Old English tradition would be more interested in religion or at least practice religion in one form or another. However no such indication is seen in Beowulf even though the entire story revolves around ethics and morality:

"That the scribes of Cotton Vitellius a.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, under the rule of the Arsacid dynasty" (1947-1948, p.22). 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).