Beowulf: A True Anglo-Saxon Hero Essay

While the initial judgments of the main character Beowulf were that he was seen as the hero of the fictional epic poem “Beowulf” by an anonymous writer, this assertion may be skewed with the information of the reasonings alluded by the narrator as to why this character vanquished the monsters. The evidence of Beowulf showing that his actions of slaying the monsters were for the prominence of the title shows that Beowulf cannot be portrayed as a true hero for he did not have the selfless characteristics a warrior at this timeline would usually be seen possessing.

Beowulf demonstrated honor when he fought Grendel without using a weapon. Beowulf decided not to use a weapon while fighting Grendel because Grendel was unarmed. By doing this Beowulf had made the fight fair and was able to keep his honor. Beowulf would have also fought the dragon without a weapon had it been possible, but due to the dragons immense size, strength, and fiery breath he could use his sword and shield while retaining his honor. Honor is an important characteristic for an epic hero to have and Beowulf demonstrates it quite well throughout the poem.

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.

Not only is Beowulf honorable and well respected, he is brave as well. His courage is shown by not hesitating to risk his own life to pursue the Dane’s enemies. By being self-assured, Beowulf is able to successfully defeat the fiends, Grendel and his infamous mother. At the time Beowulf is planning to pursue the vindictive dragon, the epic poem states, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, If the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me.”(ll. 2511-2515). He feels no fear, is confident in fighting the dragon alone, and has no qualms in risking his life to save others. He declares his bravery by saying, “When he comes to me I mean to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins... No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster.”(ll. 2525-2534). In his actions, Beowulf’s bravery is clearly shown throughout the poem.

Set in an era long before the customs of contemporary western civilization, Heaney’s translation of Beowulf follows the courageous hero through an epic journey that solidifies his figurative immortality. Much like the Greek’s great Odysseus or the Roman’s devout Aeneus, Beowulf serves as an impressive and almost godlike warrior for the Anglo-Saxons, providing insight into the constituents of greatness for that society. Confident in his abilities and committed to his task, Beowulf voluntarily embarks on a mission to defeat Grendel, the treacherous enemy of the Danish kingdom. Beowulf solidifies his classification as an epic hero as he satisfies his quest for glory, saves a kingdom from destruction, and reveals the values of an era.

The most heroic of traits within Beowulf is that he is not afraid to die. He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. “…and if death takes me…send to Hyglac the best of war clothes that protects my breasts, finest of male shirts. It is a legacy of Hrethel, the works of Weland. Fate always goes as it must.” He is aware of the heroic paradox; he will be glorified in life or death for his actions. He knows that when he fights an enemy like Grendel or Grendel’s mother he will achieve immortality as the victor or the loser. “I resolved when I sat down in the sea-boat with my men, that I should fulfill the will of your people or else fall in slaughter. I shall achieve a dead of manly

Throughout the poem, Beowulf’s actions are supported by loyalty and from the start his loyal nature is evident. Beowulf’s sense of loyalty is so great that he goes back to pay off his father, Ecgtheow’s, debt to Hrothgar. This is due to the fact that Hrothgar gave shelter to Ecgtheow when he was exiled from Geatland, also Hrothgar, “healed the feud by paying” so that Ecgtheow could return home (470). As the poem progresses even Beowulf’s final moments are tinged with his loyal nature as he bravely states that he "will not shift a foot" against the dragon, for Beowulf breaking his promise to his people is the most disloyal action he could commit as a warrior in Germanic culture (2524). Even Beowulf’s most loyal warrior Wiglaf understands how intricately loyalty is interconnected to being a Germanic warrior and to one’s reputation, he reaffirms this concept rather bluntly when he says, “A warrior will sooner/die than live a life of shame" (2890-2891). From Beowulf’s actions and nature, it is obvious that to survive and prosper in the Anglo-Saxon culture, it was absolutely necessary to be

Courage is certainly a trait which every hero must possess, particularly because no one wants a hero who is a coward. Thankfully, Beowulf is no coward. When Beowulf hears of Grendel’s exploits in Denmark, he travels to the “distant” land, without hesitation, to rid the Danes of that “demon…conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God”. Beowulf’s courage is displayed even more when he chooses not to fight with weapons, despite knowing

Anglo Saxon’s history is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery. Beowulf our protagonist is symbolized as a hero, who represents the Anglo Saxons at the time. Beowulf earns his fame and respect through battling creatures nobody else would want to face. These creatures symbolize the evil that lurks beyond the dark. Beowulf’s intense battle with these creatures’ symbolizes the epic battle of good versus evil. In the end good triumphs over evil but one cannot avoid death. Beowulf’s death can be symbolized as the death of the Anglo Saxons. Beowulf’s battle through the poem reflects the kind of culture that the Anglo Saxons had. The youth of a warrior to his maturity then the last fight which results in death. Beowulf wanted to be

The other leading heroic trait that Beowulf possesses is loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon warriors believe in the idea of comitatus, which are the faithful and unbreakable bonds between his king and his warriors. Throughout the story, Beowulf had shown devotions to both his leader and his followers. As mentioned earlier, Beowulf easily passed all the treasure to his uncle noting that “since every benefit I have ever received I owe to you, my closest and kindest kinsman on earth." (Chapter 31).He shows great gratitude to his king by presenting all of his treasures that he had gained. He was then portrayed to be “loyal and true and loved him dearly,” (Chapter 31). Additionally, not only he is committed to his rulers, Beowulf is also loyal to his followers. As described by Wiglaf, one of his most faithful men, “Our ancient king often gave us---heroes while in hall!---helmets and mailcoats, the finest treasures he could find for his men anywhere on earth, armor like the brilliant well-wrought war-gear you are

Coinciding with courage and strength, both loyalty and courtesy are two other key elements that lay at the core of being both a great warrior and leader. Beowulf perfectly exemplifies these two traits in his willingness to help Hrothgar and his current need for help. What proves his loyalty doesn’t come straight from his heart, but rather the past and Hrothgar’s history with Beowulf’s father. In order to resolve a gruesome blood feud between the Wulfings and Ecgtheow, Hrothgar paid a sum of money to settle their differences. Hrothgar explains, “This man is their son,/ here to follow up an old friendship” (375-376). Although Beowulf has no obligation to Hrothgar, he understands the sacrifice that was made for his father and is grateful for his past help. Therefore assisting in the slaying of a

It was an epic story hero full of brave heroes and Anglo- Saxons had brave heroes. The story had courage, strength, and loyalty warriors in here and this was an Anglo- Saxon honor base. A warrior had to face all obstacles and fight for glory. “I have never seen a mightier warrior on earth than is one of you, a man in battle-dress" (Beowulf, 7).

Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day in this mead hall.” Even Grendel recognizes the hero’s superior strength: “The criminal knew he had not met in this middle-earth another with such a grip.” Other warriors when thinking of Beowulf “would quickly compose a skillful tale in words.” Hrothgar refers to Beowulf as “the best of warriors.”  The Danish queen Wealhtheow compliments after Grendel’s defeat, “You have earned forever the praise of men from near and far.” Hrothgar expounds on good warriors: “This is the best-born man – my friend Beowulf … the best of warriors.” When the dragon burns the mead hall of the Geats and Beowulf prepares to retaliate, he “scorned a host, a large army … he didn’t fear the dragon’s war …” Beowulf is also superior in a moral sense: When Hygelac’s wife Hygd previously offered Beowulf the kingdom, he declined to accept because there was a legitimate heir to the throne. Beowulf’s example of extreme heroism motivates others to extraordinary deeds: Wiglaf, seeing Beowulf’s strength compromised by the dragon’s fire, risks his life to aid Beowulf in his final battle. It is obvious that the hero possesses superhuman qualities. As

Beowulf is the classic hero archetype, his personality and heroics lauded and replicated in literature to this day. However, the same cannot be said about the Northern Anglo-Saxon society that fashioned him. A thorough dissertation of Beowulf exposes a society principally centred on opulence, strife, vengeance, brutality, superstitions, and chauvinism although underlying positive aspects subsist. Often disguised as “honor, glory, might and wealth” battle glory, affluence and retribution were rudimentary aspects of life for the Ring Danes, Geats and other pagan Anglo-Saxon warriors.

In Beowulf the classic epic, Beowulf, the hero of the epic, and other major characters reflect heroic ideals and beliefs of courage, generosity, unquestioning loyalty and devotion. Courage is most evident throughout Beowulf Beowulf does not back down from any challenge that stands in his way whether it be Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the dragon. His bravery is most evident in his preparation for his fight with Grendel, Beowulf, “took off his shirt of armour, the helmet from his head, handed his embellished sword, best of irons to an attendant,…” He chose to bravely fight his foe, man to beast without weaponery for he knew it would be “cowardly” to defeat Grendel with a sword and armor when Grendel himself had none. Even in his