The Tales of an Epic Hero
Throughout time, a topic that always resurfaces in literature is that of a hero. Most, if not all, major works of literature include a hero in some way shape or form. In the Bible, for example, Jesus Christ, the messiah, has come to save us all from the evil of sin. Even death could not defeat Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead after releasing the saints from hell. In Anglo-Saxon Culture the mighty warrior is the prime hero mentioned throughout literature. Beowulf, the epic hero in the epic poem Beowulf by an unknown scop, saves the Danes and his people, the Geats, from many monsters full of malice and hate. Beowulf fulfills the ideals of an Anglo-Saxon hero well, such as “one true hero”, and displays great courage.
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Anglo-Saxon epic heroes embody many traits that hold true to the core values of the Anglo-Saxon Culture.
Valor, honor, bravery, strength, perseverance and a strong faith are very prevalent concepts that encompass all that the Anglo-Saxon’s cherish and are all traits that their epic heroes possess. In Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, the epic hero can be the only true hero of the narrative. No one is bigger or stronger than the epic hero at hand. Epic heroes also are known to be very selfless when it comes to the task at hand. They risk their lives for the sake of the greater good and normally make very rash decisions in the process with no regard for their own lives, only thinking of others. They demonstrate great strength and agility and often boast of their great feats. Beowulf encompasses all that is an epic …show more content…
hero. There are many ways Beowulf displays the theme of one true hero. He is said to be, “greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”. He proves this by defeating Grendel, a descendant of Cain that represents evil and malice, with his bare hands after Grendel held the mead hall, Herot, under siege for twelve winters because no one else could defeat him. Beowulf is also described as the most worthy to take the crown of the Geats, “was there a warrior worthier to rule over men?” He was the strongest warrior of the Geats and had great success in protecting his people. After the defeat of Grendel and his mother, no one dared to test Beowulf or the Geats for nearly fifty years. Beowulf also displays great courage at various points in his life as he constantly pursues his wyrd.
With Grendel, Beowulf fights him and defeats him with his bare hands. After Grendel’s mother strikes Herot for retaliation he seeks her out in at the bottom of a fiery lake surrounded by dense fog and frost encrusted tree roots. He proceeds to sink to the lake bottom alone where he battled her and “, a host of sea beast who beat at His mail shirt, stabbing with tusks and teeth,” until finally she is slain with a sword forged by giants. Nearly 50 years later in his life he again rises up to protect his people from a hellacious fire breathing dragon hell bent on destroying his kingdom as revenge for a golden chalice stolen from his hoard by a thief. Despite his old age he goes into battle alone with the dragon saying “, I have never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now. But I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon dares to face Me.” Even when defeat seems inevitable he preservers, “that famous prince fought with fate against him… glory denied him. He knew it but he raised his sword and struck the dragon’s scaly hide.” It takes true courage to face death head on and not
waver. In literature, a main idea that presents itself in many cultures throughout time is that of a hero. Beowulf encompasses all that it means to be a hero in Anglo-Saxon culture. He is a mighty, courageous, warrior who defends innocent people until it is the death of him. By doing this, he displays the epic hero traits of great courage and “one true hero”, in turn making him a prime example of an epic hero.
society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.
When thinking about epic heroes people mostly have different type of images. Some might think of achieving small tasks is being a hero. Others might think of heroes that are powerful. Similar to what some people think today the Anglo-Saxon also beloved in heroes that are strong, famous and successful. For them it was Beowulf that they admired and thought of him as a hero. Equivalent to Beowulf The 13th Warriors were also known to be epic heroes. One of the significant illustration that both Beowulf and The 13th Warriors show is the importance of strength in battles.
There is an epic hero in almost every legend ever told. The hero could be a mortal human who came from nothing, a creature that used to be evil, an immortal god, or even a group of people. In Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf, the mortal man-of-the-hour is Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. After he settled the feud for his father, he then carried out more amazing deeds and accomplishments. Beowulf portrays great strength, bravery, and is also very faithful to his kingdom. The totality of these qualities is not just a large mass of adjectives; each characteristic plays a special part.
Epic heroes usually exemplify the character traits most admired in their societies, and Beowulf is no exception. "Beowulf" is set in the Anglo-Saxon society, a time when war was rampant among the many peoples trying to take over the different kingdoms of England. In this dangerous, violent time people lived in constant peril and jeopardy. These conditions only allowed people of great bravery to survive and men of outstanding courage were admired the populous. These warriors fought for their leader and tribe in return for treasure and protection. This relationship between the lord and his men was the basis of the Anglo-Saxon society. The epic poem "Beowulf" is a perfect example of how this system worked in these trying times.
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
The second thing that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his strength. Beowulf’s main weapon against any opponents, he face is his mighty strength, which makes him the true epic hero. Beowulf fights many battles throughout his life, he killed all the monsters he faced, which shows his mig...
Beowulf, physically and emotionally, is representative of the Germanic ideal hero. Beowulf is ?brave? (688), honest, and strong. One of the first scenes in the poem describes Beowulf?s arrival on the beach of a foreign land. Instead of fearing the large warrior that has arrived and summoning for help, the ?watchman? (229) is in awe of Beowulf. Before even getting to know Beowulf, the watchman thinks that this warrior is one of the strongest and noblest men he has ever seen: ?Nor have I seen/a mightier man-at-arms on this earth/than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken,/he is truly noble? (247-250). Therefore, Beowulf?s towering height and stature convince others that he is a hero. Like the typical hero, Beowulf gives boasts. While in Hrothgar?s kingdom, Beowulf defends himself against the kin-killer Unferth; Beowulf brags that he will kill Gren...
A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.
What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.
An epic hero according to Anglo-Saxon literature is a hero who is larger-than-life; someone with self-confidence, great strength, and the qualities of loyalty, bravery, and honor. Beowulf can be considered an epic hero for multiple reasons throughout “Beowulf.” Beowulf is a character constructed on all of the Anglo-Saxon epic hero qualifications. For starters, Beowulf is seen as a noble character, that is willing to provide security for the people by risking his own life. As a character, Beowulf conducts superhuman strength, and can complete impossible tasks. These are only some among many other reasons and characteristics Beowulf can be classified as an epic hero.
Beowulf swings his sword at Grendel's mother but his sword cannot penetrate the monster’s skin. Running out of options, Beowulf then resorts to using his bare hands to defeat her, which fails as she matches his movements. Lastly, Beowulf notices an enormous sword hanging on the wall nearby, he clinches the sword for dearly life and swings slicing Grendel’s mother’s neck flawlessly; a triumphant feeling as Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf displays an act of moral courage during his apotheosis, as he finishes his
Day by day, individuals are faced with challenges that lead to extremes. People confront hurdles while achieving everything they are obligated to do. Every day, ordinary people are to some extent heroes. It is normal for people to face obstacles and barriers when performing their duty of duty. But within those people, the ones that do not quit due to their frustration are the real heroes.
Raksha Karthikeyan Mr. Lesh Honors English 3 10/23/14 The epic poem of Beowulf revolves around three dominating battles. All these monsters that get defeated by Beowulf portrays the strength of Beowulf. It shows that even the epic hero is an example that shows bravery in Anglo-Saxon History. Clearly, everyone should interpret that Beowulf is an epic hero.
The desired qualities of epic heroes includes bravery and strength, but the most common quality that these heroes yearn for is glory. The anonymous epic poem Beowulf is about the battles of a Geatish warrior named Beowulf. Beowulf defeats multiple grotesque monsters, some of which afflict pain on humans and kill them. In his final battle with a dragon, Beowulf dies, but he ends up earning considerable of glory and honor. People see Beowulf as savior from vicious beasts. The epic poem Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel depicts that Beowulf’s personality and actions embody the classical traits of an epic hero instead of a traditional hero because he is a braggadocio and exhibits superhuman strength and courage.
What characteristics should an hero of a epic embody? Are they brave enough to undertake tasks no-one else dares attempt? Are they able to match their valor with charisma? Or do they perhaps have impressive qualities that make them unlike any ordinary man. Beowulf accentuates all of these characteristics in his epic.