Beowulf: The Ideal Anglo-Saxon Hero

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Originating in the Anglo-Saxon period, the epic poem Beowulf portrays a legendary hero. Beowulf established the earlier form of heroism, and was then later introduced in to the English culture. Praised and admired by many people, Beowulf possesses several distinct traits that allow him to be defined perfectly as an ideal Anglo-Saxon hero; his eagerness to seek glory and fame, rather than richness and treasures, his loyalty and graceful attitude not only to his rulers but also to his followers, and his contradictory beliefs of faith and fate

In the Anglo-Saxon society, an ideal hero does not seek riches of gold and treasures; instead, he seeks fame and glory through his accomplishments. To ensure immortality and spread his name across kingdoms, Anglo-Saxon warriors had strong aspirations to boast their achievements with contests and challenges in order to prove their capabilities. Unferth challenged Beowulf’s swimming contest with Breca, “The pair of you agreed out of pride and folly to race in the ocean at the risk of your lives and could not be dissuaded by a soul on earth,” (Chapter 8). Although he failed to triumph with victory, Beowulf secured his high reputations and gained glory by encountering intense battles and slaying evil monsters. Ultimately, by challenging himself, Beowulf was able to boast his name and earn much glory to achieve immortality as an Anglo-Saxon hero. Another way for heroes to obtain high reputations and fame was to pursue adventures and quests. Beowulf decided to travel to the land of the Dane as soon as he heard about Grendel. Desperately to gain fame and glory, Beowulf was eager to assist Hrothgar to eliminate his enemy Grendel, who has troubled him and his people for 12 years. “… the highborn son o...

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... between Beowulf and god. After the extermination of Grendel , Hrothgar congratulated Beowulf to have god on his side assisting him. “With God's assistance this foreign prince has performed a task that we, with our deep wisdom and cunning, attempted in vain.” (Chapter 14). Again, Beowulf illustrated an ideal hero, because god had been alongside with Beowulf throughout the poem. Aside from faith, Beowulf also allowed fate to take over the results of his battles. As Beowulf was prepared for his battle against the dragon, he explained “…let fate decide our doom as it will, our destiny---fate, and almighty God.” (Chapter 35). Since fate had resulted to permit Beowulf to wins in every battle he encountered, Beowulf was destined to become a hero. Although contradictory, faith and fate represent the most vital attribution that label Beowulf as the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero.

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