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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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…
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
Beowulf is one of the most bravest legends. He has no fear! This man will go and fight whoever needs to be fought, with or without help. As soon as Grendel's mother came to get her son’s arm back, Beowulf immediately set out to go find and kill her. He went to the place where she lives and after he plunged into the water, Beowulf swam all the way down to her lair. After he reached the lair, “Beowulf got ready, / donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; / his mighty, hand-forged, fine-webbed mail / would soon meet with the menace underwater” (1442-1445). This task also seems to be a death sentence written all over it, but Beowulf looks death in the face, and goes after his mother. He knows that they are immortal, but right next to Grendel’s mother, is the only sword that can kill them. Beowulf is brave enough to grab that powerful sword, and kill both Grendel and his mother. Men today would not do that. Beowulf does not just stop at Grendel and his mother: he continues to fight more monsters to defend what is his. He then took a break and now decides to come home to Sweden. The son of Ecgtheow bids Denmark farewell, and has a moment with Hrothgar. Hrothgar says, “You are strong in body and mature in mind, / impressive in speech. If it should come to pass / that Hrethel’s descendent dies beneath a spear, / … and you are still alive, then I firmly believe / the seafaring Geats won’t find a
Without mental strength and stability, one cannot lead or rule efficiently and may cause more harm than good. Beowulf is not just a hero in the terms of Joseph Campbell, but is also the definition of an Anglo-Saxon hero. Christopher Garcia, author of The Anglo-Saxon Hero, declares that to be an Anglo-Saxon hero, one must be a warrior which Beowulf is. Although he is the interpretation of an Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf does not bask in his own glory. He controls his mentality which demonstrates how he is mentally strong. As Garcia says, “warriors had to be willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for the glory and people.” Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf fulfills his job as a hero by using his mental strength to display a proper attitude without being overconfident in his abilities. An example of his properness occurs in a formal boast when he claims, “I mean to perform to the uttermost / what your people wanted or perish in the attempt” (634-635). Presented in this quote, Beowulf shows the obvious power of his mentality and willingness to put his life at risk to save others. Beowulf is a definite hero by definitions and exhibits the proper mental strength to relieve the fear the Danes have from Grendel’s multitude of fatal
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
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.
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...
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.
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
When the story begins, Beowulf has gone to the land of the Danes to kill Grendel for the people, not for the glory. Beowulf brings his own hand picked, group of soldiers with him throughout his battles, and refuses to allow help from others. Beowulf also tells the readers he will not use weapons unless necessary. Before the battle against Grendel, a Denmark officer states, “A chosen warrior who bravely does battle with the creature haunting our people, who survives that horror unhurt, and goes home bearing our love” (ln. 210). Also, when Beowulf’s men abandon him in the battle against the dragon, he does not choose to run in fear, but to continue fighting. In this moment much like in his past, Beowulf shows how honorable he really
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.
Beowulf and The 13th Warrior: Exposing true Anglo-Saxon warriors battle. 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.
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.
Beowulf is brave and he does not avoid doing anything that might be dangerous or risky. Beowulf is even willing to give up his life, when he performs some of the courageous deeds. For example, when Beowulf plans to fight Grendel, he tells Hrothgar: “‘the monster’s scorn of men / Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. / Nor will I’” (433-35). Beowulf has the audacity to fight Grendel, who frightens everyone with no weapons. He wants to kill Grendel with just his bare hands, even though it is a very challenging task and he could possibly die. Another time Beowulf demonstrates his bravery is when he goes to fight Grendel’s mother alone. When the Geats and the Danes arrive at the lake where Grendel’s mother lives, they see that the bloodstained water is full of “serpents swimming in the boiling / Lake, and sea beasts lying on the rocks” (1426-27). After seeing this lake, nobody is brave enough to dive in and fight the mother, except for Beowulf. Beowulf, who decides to help the Danes one more time, dons his armor and jumps into the hellish lake. Even at the end of the poem, Beowulf continues displaying courage, when he fights a savage fire breathing dragon. At this point in the poem, Beowulf’s youthful days are gone and he is an old man. Even though Beowulf is old, he declares, “‘I will fight again’” (2513). After stating this, Beowulf goes alone with a shield and a sword to
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.
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...