stylistic:tone, structural:summarization
Blending of heathen and Christian cultural elements

Similarly, Old English literature attests to the combination and adaptation of Christian imagery and Germanic heroic traditions originating in the pre-Christian religion. Beowulf, for example, has been argued to be the result of Christian attempts to reinterpret the old lore in the light of the new theology. This is seen in their description of ettins (such as Grendel) and elves as kindred of Cain, harmonising Germanic folklore and Biblical mythology. Similarly, this combination of cultural elements is also seen in The Dream of the Rood when Jesus actively mounts the cross himself, in contrast to the typical Christian focus on humility and submission to death. The popularity of tales originating in the pre-Christian culture is attested by a letter sent in 797 by Alcuin to Hygebald, the bishop of Lindisfarne, in which he asks " Quid enim Hinieldus cum Christo? " ("What has Ingeld to do with Christ?"), in criticism of the monks' fondness of listening in the refectory to Germanic legends, which he described as pagan, instead of focusing on spiritual wisdom.