Beowulf Hero's Journey

Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon, epic hero and his story has been told since the eighth century. He must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s quest was first described by Joseph Campbell in 1949, and defines the typical adventure of the hero and narrative pattern of the story. Each journey has twelve stages that go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf faces several different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant

His call to action is when Grendel’s mother comes into the mead hall a few nights after Grendel’s death and takes two items: Grendel’s arm and King Hrothgar’s best friend. He then goes to fight her, this time with armor. “After these words, the prince of the Weather-Geats / was impatient to be away and plunged suddenly: / without more ado, he dived into the heaving / depths of the lake” (1492-1495). This piece of evidence shows Grendel’s departure into the special world of the lake. From here, it takes a day for Beowulf to reach the inmost cave. He faces various problems, and finds a divine treasure in that lake. “Then he saw a blade that boded well, / a sword in her armory, an ancient heirloom / from the days of the giants, and ideal weapon, / … only Beowulf could wield it in a battle” (1557-1562). The sword is a wonderful piece of treasure, not just because any warrior would envy and want it, but also because Beowulf uses it. In the result stage, Beowulf uses the sword to kill Grendel’s mother. He comes out of the lake, tells Hrothgar about the fight, and becomes even more famous. The last part of this mini-hero journey is the new status quo. “Happiness came back, the hall was thronged, / and a banquet set forth” (1788-1789). The Danes are now safe from any evil forces trying to harm the people. Beowulf leaves Denmark and returns