Beowulf's Superhuman Strength

One example of Beowulf’s strengths was no other man could do the same tasks, and fight the battles he fought. Beowulf goes into many battles throughout his lifetime. Also, the quote in line 505-506 “If weapons were useless he’d use his hands, the strength in his fingers”. Beowulf also lifts the giant forged sword from the wall and swings it hard enough to cut of Grendel’s mothers head. A sword that is described as “so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated lengths.

The character of Beowulf demonstrates several characteristics that make a great epic hero. Throughout his lifetime he displayed several characteristics such as honor, bravery, physical superiority, leadership, and glory. These characteristics all formed how the Anglo-Saxons believed one should live their life. Along with the valorous deeds that Beowulf accomplished he is considered to be a prime example of an epic hero. Beowulf would have even been considered a model human to the Anglo-Saxons due to how he consistently demonstrated these qualities.

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.

Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is the hero. He shows that he is a great man by always putting other things before his own needs. He is important and needed by his people and is known by many as a strong, courageous and a helpful person. He shows all of the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses.

Beowulf demonstrates a supernatural amount of strength throughout the epic. Beowulf defeats many monsters with his strength. “The tears torn out of Grendel’s / taunt throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms / of him who all of the men on earth / was the strongest” (Beowulf 469-472). This quote demonstrates that Beowulf is able to out power any monster

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.

The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an Anglo Saxon hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters many monsters and horrible beasts, but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills are outstanding and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for glory which to him meant eternal life.

Beowulf is an epic hero from the Anglo-Saxon period, who takes on a great deal of challenges and adventures. The character Beowulf embodies the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon culture and beliefs. He incorporate the traits of Anglo-Saxon society with strength, bravery, honor, and the desire to help the helpless.

Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is the hero. He shows that he is a great man by always putting other things before his own needs. He is important and needed by his people and is known by many as a strong, courageous and a helpful person. He shows all of the qualities and traits that a true hero possesses.

Beowulf displays his unconquerable strength when he defeats a monster that no one else can defeat. He proves his mighty strength by defeating the monster, Grendel; “Beowulf was granted / the glory of winning; Grendel was driven / under the fen-banks, fatally hurt, to his desolate lair” (Heaney 817-820). Although Beowulf does not actually kill Grendel directly, he does give Grendel a wound that would eventually lead to his death. During the battle, Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off with his bare hands, as shown in the following: “Clear proof of this / could be seen in the hand the hero displayed / high up near the roof: the whole of Grendel’s / shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp” (832-835). Beowulf has the strength of 30 men in his each of his arms, which he uses to tear Grendel’s arm off and decides to give to the king as a trophy of his win. In the end Grendel decides to go somewhere else to perish and reflect, “The ignominious marks of his flight / where he’d skulked away, exhausted in spirit / haling his doom to the demons’ mere” (842-845). Grendel, who was just utterly defeated faces death. In conclusion, Beowulf’s strength leads him to his victory and fame.

In the beginning of the book Beowulf travels to see King Hrothgar , where he makes it his obligation to defeat the malicious demon named Grendel. Beowulf begins to boast about incredible strength when he went up against supernatural monsters. Beowulf states “All knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me boltered in the blood of my enemies when I battled and bound five beast, raided a troll-nest and in the night sea-brutes” (Heaney 419-423). The audience begins to get an image about the kind of character Beowulf is since he talks about single handling killing these supernatural beats that an ordinary person couldn’t successfully kill. Beowulf is obviously a vigorous anglo-saxon warrior as he is the one to go up against Grendel to save the kingdom from his horrid acts. In the book it said “He was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and the strongest in his days” (1225). In the first battle Beowulf fights Grendel till the death and Beowulf shows his strength by gripping Grendel in a tight embrace and is able to overpower him, causing Grendel to run off as he dies alone. At the end of the duel Beowulf proves that he is the strongest warrior and is granted victory. This quote is mentioned “Beowulf was granted with the glory of winning, Grendel was driven under the fen-banks” (1370-1372). Grendel

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

During the time of Anglo-Saxons, a man was greatly measured by his strength. A wide variety of events, whether it is a matter of life-and-death or status-and-muscle, presented an opportunity for men to show off their strength and skill. Although Beowulf was but a man, he exhibited superhuman strengths and skills that helped him defeat the monsters, labeling him an epic hero. The fight with Grendel showed both the great skill and strength of the mighty Beowulf.

Beowulf travels around the land, battling the huge, malicious creatures that debilitate his kingdom. He does so for the benefit of his kingdom and at the same time, he improves the situation his own reputation. In Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon hero is all around characterized by the actions of Beowulf. The qualities mostly seen throughout the Anglo-Saxon period are strength, bravery, loyalty and belief in God. Beowulf states “So I praise God in his heavenly glory...” this shows Beowulf’s faith in God and how religion was an important characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon period (Heaney, 1778-9). Clearly, Beowulf is a perfect representation of an Anglo-Saxon hero. His strength and courage are unparalleled, and he is much more honorable than any of the corrupted knights around him.

Influences that Anglo-Saxon and medieval cultures have left on today’s society are their idea of who a hero is and the characteristics of a hero. In Beowulf, Beowulf is the hero because he fights for what he believes and what the thinks is right. In the Anglo-Saxon culture, heroes are people who fight for what their culture or what they believe in, even if it means dying.