Beowulf In The Odyssey And The Iliad

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Along with Homer’s epics, The Odyssey and The Iliad, Beowulf is one of the great epics that defines the culture of the Anglo-Saxons. A story of a young prince, son of the king of the Danes, from Northern Europe, who defeats monsters and defends the weak. In Epic one through four, he fights a terrible demon who is a descendant of Cain named Grendel. Grendel basically terrorizes the mead hall of a king for almost twelve years, until no one dares to sleep there. The king, named Hrothgar, asks for Beowulf to personally deal with the monster, which he easily defeats. Beowulf is the pinnacle of the Anglo-Saxon's values. His character is defined by the Anglo-Saxon values of strength, reputation, and fate.
The trait of strength is both of physical …show more content…

When drunk Unferth calls out Beowulf’s deeds as being insignificant based off losing a childhood swimming race , Beowulf straighten outs the story to prove his reputation is pristine. “Yet i survived the sea, smashed the monsters’ hot jaws, swam home from my journey[...]I’ve heard no tales of your, Unferth, telling of such clashing terror, such contests in the night!” (308-316). He is even concerned that others think less of him if he uses a sword to defeat a demon known for slaughter everybody in it’s path. “My Lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to” (169-171). Being known by people without meeting them was important to the Anglo-Saxon’s sense of pride. They were proud people who defined others based on their reputation.
Like many early people, they believed their entire lives where predetermined. From how they die, to how many steps they take to walk a mile. When in the childhood swimming race with Breeca, Beowulf was forced to fight sea monsters. When he defeated them, he believes fate was the deciding factor, not his own strength.“But fate let me find its heart with my sword, hack my self free” (288-291). Beowulf completely believes when he dies, it will be because of fates doing. “If he wins. And if death does take me,[...] Fate will unwind as it must!”

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