Examples Of Courage In Beowulf

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” (Nelson Mandela) This quote says that courage is not a natural occurrence but a man must work and overcome fear to obtain it. The Bible tells believers that their courage should derive from the protection and guidance of the Lord. Courage comes from faith in God and trust that He is with believers wherever they go. Beowulf, in Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, has courage based on strength and ability to overcome any obstacle he faces; whereas Christians know their courage comes from the love of God.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 states, “‘be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’  Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.   The Lord himself goes before you

and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
This verse tells believers that the Lord their God is with them; He will not leave them for He loves them. Fear is overcome by the strength of God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3.5-6 NIV). Courage is all about trusting in God and His nature. God gives His children everything they have, whether it be courage or ability, for He is what they must lean on when they are in thier times of need or in thier times of prosperity. This verse also explains how he may not always understand what the Lord does in the lives of others but do not be afraid, because He has a perfect plan for them. “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Hope and pray for He listens and wants to help all believers and take them past the hardships in their lives. As a Christian, a man has to know within his heart that his courage does not come from his own self. His courage comes from what God can do through him. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4.13).
Courage is defined as moral strength to push through and stand against difficult times, fear and danger. The King James Version’s definition of courage is “Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution. It is a constituent part of fortitude; but fortitude implies patience to bear continued suffering. Courage that grows from constitution, often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty, acts in a uniform manner.” (Courage) In simpler terms, courage is what helps a man stand against danger without a sense of fear; courage should not come from strength but from responsibility. God expects followers to be responsible for relying on Him and to praise and thank Him for the courage He gives.
On the other hand, Beowulf shows much less trusting of God to give courage. A true warrior's bravery comes from his attitude toward life and indifference to death. The first three lines of Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf say, “The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.” This foremost tells that courage is alike to greatness and a crucial trait to possess. As an Anglo-Saxon hero you must have courage to succeed. They must celebrate bravery and heroism above all else.
Early in this epic poem, Beowulf explains his belief that if fate hasn’t been completely decided, then anyone can get through life with complete nerve and courage.

The narrator explains that God does ultimately chose everyone’s fate. Still, the narrator also implies that one can get around that in lines 572-573, "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." Though if courage is not as large as they believed a warrior’s courage should be, a warrior will be put to shame, like Unferth on lines 590-594, "The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen and courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere”. This was said by Beowulf as he boasted about his courageous acts and what he planned to do to

Grendel.
Due to his courage during his slaying of the demons that terrorized the lands, Beowulf received much praise and gifts from all. He took complete credit and continued to build his very important reputation in life. Though he was building this reputation so he would be remembered for his courage and greatness after death, it seemed as though Beowulf did not believe he could die until the very last minutes of his life. Even when he was about to endure his great battle, his courage didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague. He had scant regard for the dragon as a threat, no dread at all of its courage or strength, for he had kept going often in the past, through perils and ordeals of every sort, after he had purged Hrothgar's hall, triumphed in Heorot and beaten Grendel” (2345-2353)
Beowulf refused to take an army but only a group of men too cowardly to even stay by their great king’s side. In turn, King Beowulf was remembered for his courageous feats of strength and was held high for years after his death, but for the wrong reasons.
In this world men and women are taught that courage is a very important thing to have, fear is weakness. Many people agree but when it comes from the wrong outlet it isn’t as helpful. We must follow our almighty God and trust in him to show us where and how to walk through life. Beowulf didn’t believe in the right ways to create this courage. Where do you get your courage?