A fundamental Anglo-Saxon belief is that human life is shaped by fate. How is this belief reflected in “The Seafarer”?

Before turning to the poem itself, we need to clarify what fate meant to the Anglo-Saxons. This is actually a very complex issue, in large part because we do not have direct, written access to pagan Anglo-Saxon mythology. Based on early English texts like Beowulf, we can infer that Anglo-Saxon mythology likely resembled other branches of Germanic paganism (e.g. Norse mythology); although these written sources all postdate the introduction of Christianity (or, at least, were revised in keeping with Christianity), they contain traces of an earlier belief system. In other words, Anglo-Saxon literature often draws on two competing ideas of destiny. In the Christian worldview, one can take comfort in the knowledge that God is the ultimate arbiter of fate; human life may be difficult, but the promise of salvation after death ensures a kind of happy ending. By contrast, the pagan Anglo-Saxon worldview was likely more stoic; fate is an all-powerful force but not necessarily a kind one, and the best humans can hope for is to endure their destinies with courage."The Seafarer" draws on both these conceptions of fate. It is largely a Christian poem, and the speaker ends by cautioning us not to lose sight of our ultimate destiny, which is to join God in heaven: "Let us consider where our true home is; / and then let us think how to come thither" (117–18). This, he says, will give us strength in adversity and ensure that we do not devote our lives to the kinds of worldly, sinful pursuits that might expose us to God's anger: "gold is no aid to a soul full of sins / in face of God's terror, his awful power" (100–101). Interwoven with this Christian idea of destiny, however, is a more pagan sense that fate is unknowable but (likely) harsh. The poem speaks mournfully, for instance, of a glorious past that seems fated to have vanished: "Wanes all this noble host; joys have departed; / weaker remain and rule this world, / live here afflicted" (86–88). In thinking about the role that fate plays in "The Seafarer," then, it might be helpful not only to look at lines that explicitly mention God or destiny (e.g. lines 115–116, which reiterate the power of both), but also to think about how the speaker combines the pagan idea that the world is basically in decline with a Christian understanding of human destiny.
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