Qualities of an Ideal Anglo-Saxon Warrior Illustrated in Beowulf

Although cultural heroes ultimately serve the purpose of solidifying the values of a particular culture , the ever-changing, dynamic nature of heroism identifies itself as religious or a natural trait. Heroism is considered putting yourself at risk when in danger, helping those in need, and being the first one to step up and help, In the read Beowulf, he does just that. “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” This quote is perfect in relation to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon beliefs. Heroism is displayed in many ways, It is showed all throughout the articles as well. Beowulf displays and greatly achieves one of the Anglo-Saxon values heroism through strength and greatness. As the story continues he resembles the traits of a protagonist more and more, for example, they place their careers in a high positions as if they are more important than their lives. Beowulf is seen in my eyes as almost fearless, how he goes about his quest and actions, slays Grendel and Grendel 's mother. Beowulf seems to put his life of adventure and intensity in front of his personal life. He focuses more on the Military part then he does his family or close friends. For him to put that in front of his morals and beliefs makes him an even greater hero.

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.

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, and the author of Beowulf is unknown. Beowulf is the The setting of Beowulf is in Sweden and Denmark(the book 1231). Beowulf is divided into three parts in which Beowulf fights a dragon, a monster named Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. The Anglo-Saxon people have many values. There are many Anglo-Saxon values throughout Beowulf such as loyalty, strength, bravery, generosity, honor, and glory.

Humbleness was also key for an Anglo-Saxon hero as it proved respectability and honor towards the hero. Anglo-Saxons wanted their hero to prove their strength and courage, however, they did not want the hero to become a dictator of any kind. Strong friendships were known as the most trustable alliances an Anglo-Saxon hero could form for battles (Trekker2392). It was key for an Anglo-Saxon hero to have the ability to create strong friendships around him. Beowulf perfectly identifies to all five of these main characteristics throughout the epic poem.

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.

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

Beowulf embodies the Anglo-Saxon archetype of an epic hero. A key moment in the epic is when king Hrothgar welcomes Beowulf to his kingdom and says “But to table, Beowulf, a banquet in your honor:/Let us toast your victories, and talk of the future” (ll. 223-224). Here it is shown that even a king is acknowledging Beowulf’s bravery and is throwing him a feast, one of the highest honors a king could bestow upon anyone, showing Hrothgar’s great admiration for Beowulf. During the feast Unferth questions Beowulf’s honor but is shown to be a coward himself when Beowulf refutes his claims and inspires king Hrothgar with a speech: “The Geats will show him courage, soon/He can test his strength in battle. And when the sun/Comes up again, opening another/Bright day from the south, anyone in Denmark” will be able to enter Herot (ll. 332-342). Much like they typical Anglo-Saxon

While the actions of Beowulf may seem heroic, he obtains the opposite of Anglo-Saxon traits since he does not protect the Danes during the fight with Grendel. The Anglo-Saxon traits include bravery, strength, gumption, and selflessness; Beowulf does not exemplify these traits while waiting to attack Grendel. Beowulf felt “mighty and canny” and “was keenly watching/ for the first move the monster would make” (Heaney 736). As Beowulf waits to fight Grendel, he witnesses one of the men whom is supposed to be protecting get devoured by Grendel. Not only does he watch the murder, but stays

Anglo Saxon values are portrayed throughout Beouwulf and allows reeaders to understand the concept of a hero. The warrior Beowulf is introduced as “Higlacs / follower and the strongest of the Geats” (ll. 109-110). To quench his thirst for fame and an epic quest, he sets sail to honor a favor. Because of Beowulf’s great strength and noble birth, he is able to complete his quest which in turn makes him and epic hero.

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.

First, loyalty is very important quality to the Anglo-Saxon people. The term “loyalty” basically means to swear allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else, and Beowulf most likely would never have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to the Danish king Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes defeat Grendel for glory and because Beowulf felt devoted to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow,

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.

The king, besides god, is one of the highest honor to the Anglo-Saxon. That being said everyone shows great loyalty to them but a hero looks to their king for protection and guidance, just like everyone else. Beowulf’s king’s name was Higlac but Beowulf had this sense of pride to where he had to help another king and his people with an evil monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows loyalty to this other king by slaying the beast and protecting the kingdom. Beowulf also shows loyalty to God by thanking him and dedicating his victory to him. In the poem Beowulf it states “[Beowulf] Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror And quickly commanded a boat fitted out”(Beowulf 112). Showing that he wanted to help directly after he heard the news of this beast.

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

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.