In the era of my rule, a king was not someone who simply delivered orders to his “men” while he sat on his throne awaiting confirmation of a victory. Men admired their leader for: outstanding courage, selflessness to his tribe, personal valor, and ability to survive despite the toughest opposition. Heroism and leadership are characteristics that brought my fellow men to abide by my side despite the situation, which in response led me to become such an aspiring leader, and in the end a hero – the demonstration to attain glory through brawls. Traditions, natural laws, and religion are descriptions of my heroism and leadership.
In medieval literature, heroes are defined to be courageous, valiant, courteous, generous, and loyal. According to Napierkowski, he adds more to the nature of an Anglo-Saxon hero; a hero should be able to have the: ability to live in harmony with both the laws and noble norms of society, to overcome opposition, and to demonstrate the acquisition of virtue by the way they live... at the same time, heroic leaders are exemplars for their followers and receive much of their power by personifying the virtues to which both they and their followers are committed. (503)
Napierkowski adds relationship to the list. The relationship is between the follower and leader – how they rely on each other. To attain a heroic title as a leader, the followers must obey the codes of nobility put upon society and successfully put it into play, as well as build a strong bond with the fellow leader.
Every Hero was a leader once, and every leader was once a follower. I am a great Heroic figure, but I was also a follower. I followed and performed duties for the second child of Healfdene, Hrothgar; head of operations in Denmark and the...
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...es. In the Company of Predators: Beowulf and the monstrous descendants of cain. Angelaki Journal of the Theoretical Humanities. Vol. 13, No. 3, 2008. 41-51. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Works Cited
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
Cooke, William. “Who Cursed Whom, and When? The Cursing of the Hoard and Beowulf’s Fate.” Medium Aevum 76.2 (2007): 207-224. Literary Reference Center. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Napierkowski, Thomas J. Beowulf: The Heroic, The Monstrous, and Anglo-Saxon Concepts of Leadership. International Journal of Public Administration, Volume 28, 2005. 503-16. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Phillips, James. In the Company of Predators: Beowulf and the monstrous descendants of cain. Angelaki Journal of the Theoretical Humanities. Vol. 13, No. 3, 2008. 41-51. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Each leading figure in Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Paradise Lost possessed qualities that made them leader worthy each made some sort of sacrifice, their near omnipotent strength, they were revered by all in the land, and they were alone. Each work imbues into its leaders these qualities, to place them above all others and show the ideal leading figure, perhaps in attempt to show readers how they themselves should behave if they wish for a chance to become as great as these characters.
Great leaders come once in a generation. Two tremendous examples of historical leadership come in the form of Beowulf and The Rule of Saint Benedict. Beowulf and The Rule of Saint Benedict provide clear depictions of ideal leaders and subjects.
Leadership can be defined in a myriad of ways; but for the purpose of the question, it is but not limited to the affect someone who takes charge of a group of people with authority or rank; to be an influence to those who look to the leader. In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, there are two different views on leadership based on their leaders {i.e. King Hrothgar and Beowulf). With King Hrothgar, he accepted the help of Beowulf to fight in order to defend the people of the Herodot, “Beowulf my friend/fight for us” (457-458). Due to the understanding of his age, King Hrothgar shows humility and admirable stance, adapts to someone who admires him, allowing Beowulf to fight for the people of Herodot. Beowulf on the other hand, shows his leadership by taking the initiative and offering his aid to King Hrothgar’s people, to fight the demon Grendel, who is terrorizing the people. This leader...
Beowulf: The Selfless Hero Beowulf is an epic poem that describes the heroics of a man with superhuman strength and bravery to go with it. The poem starts with a journey across the sea to defeat an enemy that has plagued the land of Herot for twelve years. The poem ends with Beowulf’s final deed of defeating a dragon that was plaguing his own land, but with the defeat of the dragon also comes the death of Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem of bravery by one of King Arthur’s knights. Sir Gawain takes up the deed of playing a Christmas game with the challenging Green Knight.
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Wherever human beings accumulate together in large numbers, they need a leader. A school needs a principal to mentor and escalate the school's rank; armies need generals to lead them to a courageous victory; civilians need governments; captains of industry and intellectual leaders of thought. However, Some characteristics are commonly found in most great leaders. The Epic of Beowulf contains different leaders that people follow. Among the various characteristics these men share, a few great qualities shine through, like courage, willingness, loyalty, bravery and selflessness. The leader Beowulf portrays these qualities multiple times throughout the story, which defines him as a model of leadership of all time.
Literature is found in all parts of the world, whether written or oral, and boasts the cultural differences of each area. No matter how different each of the stories is they all have one thing in common: a great leader. Each culture may have slightly different standards of a great leader, but there are a few indispensible traits that make up every leader no matter how big or how small. The story of Beowulf, the fearless warrior, is a fine example of what a great leader is made up of.
Some people are born to lead and some work their way up to being leaders. The kind of leader they are all depends on their traits. In the poem “Beowulf” by an unknown author, the hero by the same name faced the struggles of leadership throughout the story; he led warriors to victory and a country to live in peace. The extreme difficulty in being a good leader include tests of loyalty, strength and generosity all of which Beowulf succeeded of.
this remind you of anyone? First person that comes to mind is Beowulf, he is indeed not a leader.
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
"Beowulf." U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 177-182. Gale World History In Context. Web. 27 Sep. 2011.
Tolkein, J.R.R. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. Tuso, Joseph F. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1975. Print.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.