Beowulf: Similarities Of An Anglo-Saxon Hero

Beowulf is an epic poem you can relate to life today. He was like any other hero very brave, loyal and a really great leader. His followers looked up to him and obeyed him. Beowulf also had a few enemies, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing anything to keep his people save from the monsters. In this poem you would see several ways that shows Beowulf being a great hero.

Courage, bravery, and strength are three heroic Anglo-Saxon characteristics that tie together perfectly. Without courage, you will not have strength and bravery. Without strength and bravery, you will not have the courage to face your challenges. Anglo-Saxons believed three of these characteristics were perfectly interwoven in the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero (Garcia). Beowulf identifies to three of these Anglo-Saxon characteristics flawlessly as he fights the monstrous Grendel. Courage means fighting even if it means death; it means challenging your fate and being brave no matter the circumstance (Cascio). Beowulf shows special strength and bravery when he has the courage to renounce his use of weapons and protection when battling Grendel. “No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he [Grendel] shall face me if face

Beowulf, the leader of the Geats warrior tribe, portrayed the perfect type of hero. It is obvious that he portrays the natural hero role through his confidence and strength. He first displays his leadership skills whenever he felt called to come help Hrothgar and his monster problem. By using his strength, he defeated Grendel. His loyalty came about when Grendel’s came back and terrorized the town and hurt the king’s best companion. Beowulf continued to fight because he felt that this was his responsibility. Beowulf also portrays loyalty to his homeland by giving his gifts to the the king and queen. When King Higlac died, the position of King was presented to Beowulf. But he denied the position because the King’s son was still alive and deserved to the rightful heir to the throne. But

This shows Beowulf’s strength, courage and fearlessness. Through this it is evident that he possess courageous traits.

As the story progresses, the deeds Beowulf is capable of are developed. He is respected in battle, as his people “have seen [his] great strength for themselves and watched [him] rise from the darkness of war” (ll. 151-152). They believe in his strength, which pushes him to sail across the sea in hopes of honoring a favor. Beowulf

An epic hero, an Anglo-Saxon hero, a modern-day hero; A hero is is often defined by certain qualities, looked upon traits. We have heroes amongst our lives everyday, from saving a life to simply helping someone out. In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, Beowulf was the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The Anglo-Saxon code reflects much of the code of Chivalry, the code of the Samurai, to the modern-day code of just doing good. He embodied courage, honesty, loyalty, and much more, attributes that were all valued by the Anglo-Saxon code. Beowulf was truly an Anglo-Saxon hero of his time as he possessed all the traits of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

Secondly, Beowulf shows his sense of justice throughout the poem to show he is an Anglo-Saxon Hero. In the beginning, Beowulf traveled to Heorot to take down Grendel because he heard that no one would step up to fight Grendel so he stepped up.“And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world-Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror And quickly commanded a boat fitted out, Proclaiming that he'd go to that famous king …” (111-114) Beowulf showed his sense of justice because he knew that it was right for him to come to Heorot and take down Grendel and the other bad people. Next, Beowulf knows that it is the right choice to fight Grendel. “They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called Together, and I've come. Grant me, then, Lord and protector of this noble place...” (254-261) Beowulf killed Grendel because he knew that he had to and he knew that it was the right thing to do. After, Beowulf took off to fight Grendel’s mother without thinking twice about it. “As his words ended, he leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer…” (467-468) Beowulf had the sense of duty to go right for it because he knew that it was what had to be done in order to keep everyone safe in Heorot.

Beowulf had all of these Anglo Saxon value, he was courageous, selfless, and he was very honorable. “Courageous is defined as possessing or expressing courage(Dictionary.com).” Beowulf shows his courage many times throughout the poem. “Beowulf the announces that he will fight the monster that night without weapons(Raffel 210). “ Beowulf expresses his courage by fighting Grendel (who was an enormous monster) without weapons because Grendel will not fight with a weapon.

In the Anglo-Saxon culture, heroes must be strong, courageous and loyal. Without these defining features there are no heroes. Beowulf is a prime example of an Anglo-Saxon hero. He possesses relentless loyalty to his king and his allies, and his courage is unyielding. Beowulf's strength is exceptional, as the is able to conquer each of his adversaries and conducts endeavors of unparalleled endurance.

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

Beowulf, an epic poem, was written by an anonymous author who described the Anglo-Saxon era. During this era, Anglo-Saxon heroes were classified as courageous, generous and faithful. In the poem, the character Beowulf is classified as an Anglo-Saxon hero. People of the Anglo-Saxon era spoke what is now known as Old English.

The word “hero” has had many different definitions throughout history, but all of them seem to include something about being courageous and having a desire to help other people. In the epic poem Beowulf, the main character (Beowulf) has many heroic qualities. Beowulf was a hero born in Geatland who sailed out to Denmark to protect the people. This piece of literature displays to the reader what Beowulf is like in his youth and in his old age. Over the course of his life, he shows many heroic qualities, making him a hero.

The Anglo-Saxon story of Beowulf shows considerable heroic statements. Beowulf was an admirable hero that everyone looked up to, much like modern heroes today like, Spiderman and Batman. Beowulf was thought of as a strong character that was virtually flawless. Everyone that went up against him failed. There are many things that separate him from an everyday hero, and there is much that is alike between the two.

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

The epic poem Beowulf was handed down orally for centuries, until it was finally written in the eighth century. Beowulf- who is a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar- the king of the Danes, whose mead hall is being attacked by a monster named Grendel. In Beowulf, The Anglo-Saxon culture is often shown. The Anglo-Saxons believed that to be a hero was to be a warrior. A hero had to be strong, intelligent, and brave. Warriors had to be willing to face any odds, sometimes this meant fighting to the death for their glory and people. In literature Beowulf is, perhaps, the perfect example of an Anglo-Saxon hero. An example where the Anglo-Saxon culture is shown when Beowulf states, “For every one of