Beowulf Embodies The Anglo-Saxon Hero

Being a hero can mean many different things. A modern day hero might be someone who has a strong moral code or someone that has extraordinary powers and abilities but, looking back in time the meaning of a hero has changed slightly. During Anglo-Saxon times, being a hero meant being loyal to their lord and god, having a sense of duty, being selfless, having honor, being intelligent, and boasting. It also meant being brave and having courage, having a sense of justice, and having larger than life strength. A great example of an Anglo-Saxon hero is Beowulf from “Beowulf,” written by an unknown author. In this poem, Beowulf exemplifies the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero because he was brave and courageous, he had superhuman strength, and he had a unique sense of justice.

As a matter of fact, Beowulf is a strong man who takes it upon himself to protect others and commit many acts of courage, bravery, and pride. At the same time,

This shows his strength, his courage, and his lasting capabilities which start his life as a hero. Beowulf is extremely courageous more than your average warrior at this time. Once in Herot he offers to fight the monster Grendel with only the help of his men. As quoted in the following sentences “that i, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall.”

Beowulf’s last test of courage comes in his old age when his people are threatened by a “mighty” dragon. Beowulf felt as if something he had done had caused the irascible beast to wreck havoc on his people, “killing and destroying” them and their homes with its “molten” breath. Knowing what had to be done, Beowulf bravely faced the dragon, while all of his people, except for one, fled in fear. His last battle, which ended in death, displayed Beowulf’s unwavering courage, the type that every hero should possess.

Originating in the Anglo-Saxon period, the epic poem Beowulf portrays a legendary hero. Beowulf established the earlier form of heroism, and was then later introduced in to the English culture. Praised and admired by many people, Beowulf possesses several distinct traits that allow him to be defined perfectly as an ideal Anglo-Saxon hero; his eagerness to seek glory and fame, rather than richness and treasures, his loyalty and graceful attitude not only to his rulers but also to his followers, and his contradictory beliefs of faith and fate

Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious

Beowulf has been king for about fifty years and has been encountered with a lot of stress. Beowulf has some doubt in this battle claiming, “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”

Beowulf, in Burton Raffel’s translation, is portrayed as a religiously conflicted Anglo-Saxon cultural hero. The story blatantly conveys Beowulf’s Christian faith with excerpts like, “Jumping to the ground, the Geats pushed their boat to the sand and tied it in place, mail shirts and armor rattling as they swiftly moored their ship. And then they gave thanks to God for their easy crossing” (224-228). Without any analysis, the reader can safely assume that Beowulf practices Christianity because the character gives thanks to God on a regular basis. Moreover, through sacrifice, the brave soldier embodies Christian values. Beowulf’s altruistic decision to sail to Denmark could save a kingdom to which the Geats are not in any way indebted. Comparatively,

Foremost, look how Beowulf's strength never seems to change throughout the epic. Even fifty years after he slays Grendel and his mother he still is able to fight a dragon almost single-handedly. In his first battle, he

Beowulf does not fail his people, even at the last, when as an old man

“Their intention, I think, was to make Beowulf and the ancient world of the epic more engaging for modern audiences, particularly those unfamiliar with the story . . .” (Wood). Incorporating modern-day issues into the plot created an altogether better

The personality of the heroes in medieval stories are what causes us to classify them as heroes. Beowulf has physical strength that can not be compared to anybody alive. That physical strength helps play into Beowulf’s character which causes him to defeat his enemies with much more ease than everybody else. In addition to Beowulf’s physical strength Beowulf is a courageous person. Beowulf fights and defeats the terrible monster Grendel without being asked or told to by any person to help out Hrothgar and the Danes. After that, Beowulf defeats Grendel’s mother to help out the Danes once again. In the end of the story, as an old king of the Geats Beowulf protects the Geats from a vicious dragon that is attacking the kingdom. Doing this ultimately

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.

A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.

Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.