Beewulf : An Analysis Of The Legend Of Beowulf

Beowulf-A New Telling by Robert Nye has a theme that runs deep in the blood of fantasy works:The millenia old battle between light and darkness. Although not directly mentioned, in many books including this one, Darkness and Light are portrayed as physical, however rather explaining conflict within humans, or even conflict between humanity and the mysterious outside. Robert Nye does amazingly well portraying this through many events and physical objects.

Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye is a story of horrendous monsters of legends Beowulf has to face. But, Beowulf is not your ordinary hero, and this story isn’t your ordinary hero legend of Good Vs. Evil. In Fact, the story shoes things aren’t so black and white. You will hear again and again, about light and darkness being in the same being, a kind of a yin and yang concept. That is one of many themes throughout this story, and the longer you read the more you see the deeper, overarching theme of the entire story.

Imagine a slimy swamp like place where only the most horrid monsters with the most disgusting features live, this is the fen. Now imagine A wonderful bright beautiful hall that’s almost castle like, these are the two elements of the story Beowulf a New Telling.

Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.

Slaying demons, fighting dragons. Just an ordinary life for a hero—a hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is known for battling massive and terrifying beasts with unwavering confidence. Many attribute his success to his courage and determination, but it also leads him to his untimely demise. Maybe his confidence is not an asset, but a tragic flaw, a vulnerability.

What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.

What do Achilles, King Arthur, Harry Potter, and Beowulf all have in common? They all demonstrate the qualities of epic heroes. Beowulf represents several characteristics of an epic hero and demonstrates the values of the Anglo-Saxons. He is the main character of his story, he has a main goal, he travels and fights with a group of people, and he accomplishes many valorous deeds; the values of the Anglo-Saxons are also shown through the actions of Beowulf, such as courage, loyalty, and fame. For example, when Beowulf heard a cry for help in a far off land, he answered. He fought larger than life monsters, and won. His exceptional strength proves his epic courage and heroism.

The Anglo-Saxons’ cultures and traditions are rooted in their beliefs of the perfect hero. Their ideal hero has many key characteristics influenced by their culture including courage, strength, bravery, thick skin, loyalty, humbleness, and the ability to create strong trustworthy friendships. Beowulf is an epic poem that exhibits the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero. The Anglo-Saxon traditions illustrated in Beowulf accurately represent the Anglo-Saxon traditions of the time period. This is accomplished through the distinct correlation of heroic characteristics between Beowulf and the culture’s traditional depiction of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

To begin with, One of Beowulf’s characteristics for being an epic hero would be his strength. Beowulf first killed Grendel, which no one else could defeat because Grendel was too powerful. Then, Beowulf killed Grendel’s Mother who was defeated by Beowulf’s bare hands because his sword wasn’t powerful enough to kill her. Last, Beowulf defeated the Dragon by taking his heart from his body which is something no one else could have done. Beowulf’s dedication and strength set forth to him being able to defeat the dragon. "I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death, like Grendel, Gripped in my hands and torn limb from limb." (42). This quote means that when Grendel couldn’t be defeated by any weapons, Beowulf made it simple and said that he was going

Beowulf is an epic poem being cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Herot has been under attack by a monster named Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. Beowulf is clearly a hero because of his brave deeds, he is a strong and responsible leader, and his courage. Beowulf is a hero because of his brave deeds. Throughout Beowulf, Beowulf does many deeds which are considered to be brave during the Anglo-Saxon period.“Grendel is no braver, no stronger/Than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not,Easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth.../ Beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him With my hands empty-unless his heart /Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting /Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom /Extend His hand where He wills, reward /Whom he chooses!”. In his first battle, Beowulf fights Grendel. He fights without any armor. Also, Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother. He then

Beowulf also ripped off Grendel’s arm and hung it from the ceiling in the Herot so his legend would beremembered.One of the most persuasive parts of Beowulf that makes him seem heroic is after many years another monster would arise terrorizing the Geats. It was a great fire breathing dragon, Beowulf aftermany years of not fighting and at a much older age would return to battle against a much greater opponent than Grendel, the beast was so massive and powerful that Beowulf would break his sword on the dragons massive scales. In this battle Beowulf would kill the great beast and he would be forever remembered as a hero. In the quote “ The brave geats build me a tomb when the funeral flames have burned me , and build it here, at the waters edge, high on this split of land so sailors can see this tower and remember my name, and call it Beowulf’s tower and boats in the darkness and mist crossing the sea will know it.” This is a good example of his legend being carried on and him being remembered furthering his reputation as a hero and insuring him being remembered.In conclusion Beowulf was a great hero and a great protector of his people. Beowulf always looked to further his reputation as a hero and insure that he would be remembered. So to finalize my thoughts I feel like that Beowulf was a true

As the Martian Manhunter once said, “The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight”. This modern day superhero mentality, that fighting the good fight is worth it because it is the right thing to do is seen everywhere today. Movies, comic books, and videos games come out yearly featuring superheroes who fight for justice using their superhuman abilities. They possess characteristics such as bravery, strength, a stong moral compass, and loyalty. Interestingly, these modern day superhero traits can be traced all the way back to the Anglo-Saxons were the first hero ever, Beowulf lived. It is Beowulf who not only exemplifies modern day hero traits, but he more importantly shows the ideals of an Anglo-Saxon hero. Without a doubt, Beowulf demonstrates the traits of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

Strength is without a doubt one of the most important traits which a hero should possess and the Anglo-Saxon’s felt the same way. Beowulf’s strength can be compared to that of the American comic book heroes, Superman and Batman, for he is deemed the “strongest and greatest of the Geats”. The first time that his strength is witnessed, not just spoken of, is when he kills Grendel by ripping the monstrous villain’s arm off. But his most notable display of strength occurs when he enters into combat with Grendel’s mother. When everything seems to be going all wrong for Beowulf, he spies a “heavy” sword hanging on the wall of her lair. With all his power and might, Beowulf drew the sword, “hammered by giants...and….so massive that no ordinary man could life it”, from its scabbard. He “lifts it high over his head”, the sword clasped

Comparatively, another particular attribute that sets Beowulf and Harry Potter apart from the typical norm is their special attention to the importance of loyalty and friendship. Beowulf is perceived as a strong man capable of holding his own, but even heroes need help from time to time. Therefore, it is the support that Beowulf receives from his soldiers that makes him great. During the final scene right before his dying breath, Beowulf engages in battle against the dragon that has been terrorizing the kingdom after a thief stole a golden goblet from the dragon’s lair. Beowulf, now old and frail, is adamant that he alone must kill the dragon, “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will only abandon his earth-fort and face me in the open… Men at arms, remain here on the barrow, safe in your armour, to see which one of us is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray. This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth. I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (Beowulf 2510-37). However, while doing battle with the dragon, Beowulf becomes mortally wounded. Amidst the turmoil, all of Beowulf’s men flee in fear except for Wiglaf, the son of a Shylfing warrior named Weohstan related to Aelfhere, who comes forward to aid his lord:

Treasure not only appeals to pirates but to knights and townspeople who appear in the epic Beowulf. It is something that has undoubtedly been at the core of communities for ages and ages. In fact, even today, it is still a substantial part of towns, cities and communities. Treasure is something that has been given value by a culture, person, or town. Certain things one person may find valuable and someone else may feel that it is trash. This goes for moral values also, which religion has a large impact on, since it sets standards of how one should behave. Therefore, when a person mentions the word “treasure” they may or may not be referring to the treasure that pirates spend their lives seeking after. This is also the situation in Anglo-Saxon culture. While the text does not always come out and say it, there is proof of the different things they put their value on. Many examples can be found in text to be used as evidence that they loved treasure. There is even a great battle that is where the main character ends up dying over treasure. Anglo-Saxon culture relies on treasure in three forms; moral values, physical treasure, and treasured heroes.