How Is Beowulf Loyal

Beowulf possesses the fundamental qualities of a hero. He has Bravery beyond compare, super human strength, and loyalty to sacrifice. The epic hero often battles to help people, putting aside fear in trade for his faith in God. Beowulf is very aware of his strength and power which enables him to effectively help people who can not help themselves. His heroic qualities were bravery, loyalty, wisdom and physical strength.

Loyalty is a decision and in Beowulf’s loyalty is a guiding virtue. When one is loyal to another they have decided to invest in someone no matter what. Choosing to be loyal can be uncomfortable and inconvenient and if one is not ready to endure personal suffering to be loyal than they are not loyal at all.

Choosing to invest in someone just to reap benefits is not loyalty at all. Beowulf is a hero so he is selflessly loyal and Beowulf is an effective leader which mandates selfless loyalty. A true hero lives to serve and help others even if it costs them personal danger and this is what we see in Beowulf. He continually does whatever he can to help people.
Because of his loyalty to his king, Beowulf saved the country, Hrothgar, and his people. In comparison to other men in the country, Beowulf’s loyalty stands out because every time Hrothgar the king was in trouble, he gave himself wholly without any expectations or from a position of entitlement to the throne because of his selfless actions. His loyalty is apparent to people around. --- says “Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what's said and what's done. I believe what you have told me: that you are a troop loyal to our king."
Beowulf’s loyalty to the king Hrothgar when they Grendel’s cruelty and rampages of murder occurred leaving everyone including the king, Hrothgar, in a state of fear. The loyalty Beowulf has to these people is not one that he knew going into battle would benefit him. In fact, Beowulf even gave Hrothgar instructions in the scenario where Beowulf was killed in the battle with Grendel. This shows that he did not know how or if he was going to reap benefits from the situation yet he acted anyway. This loyalty is a portrayal of love and selflessness that are both attributes of Beowulf.
Beowulf is also loyal to his people.

His loyalty is portrayed when he fights the dragon in his old age. He was in no condition to fight but he fights for his people. This is what a king, queen, and any type of leader should do, demonstrate an unconditional love and service to his people. It’s important to keep in mind that not all would treat Beowulf with the same loyalty. During he dragon scene, it is Beowulf’s men who abandon him to the dragon and only Wiglaf who stays behind. That was a sharp contrast to the loyalty of Beowulf; these men could not be loyal when their first priority was self-protection. The loss of Beowulf left many in the kingdom heartbroken and of course this is the case because there were few like Beowulf who with bravery and love would sacrifice themselves to be loyal in helping others. Beowulf’s death then was a course a monumental loss of a

hero.
When Beowulf first arrives to aid Hrothgar he goes about informing him about his strategies and plans for fighting Grendel and this is Beowulf first refernece to fate.

He tells Hrothgar “The Lord will decide who will and who will die. If Grendall wins it will be an awful sight……Fate works as it must” (chapter 6) Beowulf’s ability to set aside fear is strength possessed by the best heroes. Beowulf puts his faith in God and His plan which is what Christians are called to do. Hebrews 2:15 says “And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” It’s impossible to be a hero when you are enslaved to fear because a slave by definition is in bondage and a hero can not be restricted by bondage and be effective. It is overcoming fear that makes a hero, yes heroes still have fear but they do not let it enslave them. Faith in God’s plan freed Beowulf from enslavement to fear. This faith in God’s divine providence is also seen in Hrothgar, the wise king. Hrothgar says “For Wyrd hath swept them into Grendel’s grasps. But God is able this deadly foe from his deeds to turn!” These two great leaders have this in common, a profound ability to set aside fear through faith and in this case, faith in

God.
In many ways a reader can interpret Beowulf as similar to Jesus Christ through his actions, traits, and through symbolism. Beowulf is an obvious hero because he acts in Christ likeness with a love, sacrifice, and faith that is supernatural. Hrothgar said “ God, in His mercy, has sent him to save us” (page 13) If this quote was to be read in a Church or anyone who has had a special revelation experience by itself with no context people would make the assumption that this refers to Jesus Christ. After all, Christ was sent as our savior to save us from our sin. This supports the Christ like connotation of the character, Beowulf.
Beowulf and Jesus Christ both walk into situations when they knew they could die and they gave themselves up as the ultimate sacrifice for their people. This couldn’t have been easy for Beowulf because even Christ himself dreaded dying on the cross but He didn’t cease and neither did Beowulf. Beowulf of course wasn’t oblivious to his condition and from what I analyze I believe Beowulf knew that he could not win at his current age and condition yet he sacrificed himself anyway losing his life for his people.
Yet another similarity is the fact that when Beowulf did fight the dragon in his last days he was abandoned by his people. They betrayed him and we know this to be true about Jesus when he died on the cross. His people in which he came to save spat on him and mocked him as he sacrificed himself for them. Beowulf’s men betray him by leaving him in his darkest hour when------.