In the poem, Beowulf, by an as yet unknown author, fate plays a key role in distinguishing who Beowulf is. Death, that which all men are destined for, is not a decision made by man, but an unalterable driving force controlled by the forces of fate and destiny. Just as God gave Samson his strength through his hair, the priests say that Beowulf was blessed by God with the arm strength of thirty men. We are all uniquely made with a variety of different characteristics. Beowulf willingly faces the dragon as his final battle. Just as God gives people unique attributes such as intelligence and conscience that we draw on to decide what is right and what is wrong. In essence, people can know their destiny and try to pursue it, even if it is undesirable. Just like Jesus trusted God's decision knowing that Judas will betray him. Beowulf, before the battle with the dragon, knew that this would be his last heroic deed before his death. He continued with his destiny knowing that his end would be imminent, “…it will happen to us as fate decrees.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay “The idea that fate in Beowulf is sometimes controlled by God is subject to limitations.” As we are today, we can decide of our own free will how we would like our life to turn out. Likewise, the Anglo-Saxons believed in the same premise behind destiny and how they were given free will to live their lives. This gives Beowulf free will to decide what to do and what not to do. Since Christianity had influenced this land before this tale, destiny was seen as a divine decree and could not be changed by man or God after it was set in motion. Beowulf was seen as an agent of God and as someone who could set destiny in motion. Beowulf believed in fate and sought what he thought was right. He willingly helped fight and prove his loyalty to Higlac. He proved to be a loyal companion to Hrothgar by killing Grendel. He was placed here on Earth by God with superhuman strength to fight the battles of evil. He continued to follow his destiny and fight evil because he knew it was his destiny. He would continue to fight and survive because he knew that "destiny saves the living when they drive away death themselves." He had an affinity for doing what is best and trusting his accomplishments to guide his destiny where it might end up. Similar to Jesus, we see that Beowulf is seen as a descendant of God in the eyes of those around him. His heroic qualities and unshakable trust in his followers even though he knew they would betray him. Just like Jesus and his apostles. Both Beowulf and Jesus continued with their destiny knowing that they would meet their end. Are we all connected by destiny in this imperfect world we live in? This is something that William Cooke would go on to discuss about the fate of Beowulf in his article. Was it fate that caused "the last survivor of an ancient race to choose that mound chamber as a resting place for wealth?" This ended up causing the dragon to stay there and guard the lost fortune. Many would say that it was the runaway slave seeking refuge who stumbled upon the ancient mound and took a golden chalice to regain his master's good grace. But if the treasure wasn't there, would the slave have anything to steal? Destiny plays a role in everyone's life, for better or for worse. We are open to this principle that fate is challenging Beowulf in form.