Superheroes In Beowulf

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

Close your eyes and imagine yourself living in the time of 700 A.D. There is a guest speaker at and evening entertainment and he begins to tells the story of Beowulf. Now fast forward to the 21st century, modern times, the evening entertainment is now a Batman movie. The screening shows Batman resembling much like Beowulf, who is an all around hero just like Batman. Heroes are often seen as mythological legends, who are endowed with great courage and strength. Some may also say heroes are noted for their rise of courage or nobility of purpose. Although, Beowulf and Batman come from completely different time periods, they each share similarities of strength, both endure courage, but they both are quite different.

Beowulf, like many modern heroes such as the ones we see in movies and read about in comic books has an unnatural amount of strength. Take superman for example, he has superhuman strength. Although Beowulf does not have the same amount of strength as superman he still has more than the average human. This gives him a typical “hero” trait that many people are familiar with today.

Beowulf can be compared to Marvel universe’s Thor. Marvel has revived and modernized the Norse god, Thor, for 21st century audiences. Thor and Beowulf both demonstrate incredible physical strength in battle against villains. In the section “The Battle with Grendel” Beowulf

Superman and Beowulf have some obvious similarities. For instance, Superman is just about the coolest superhero around, just like Beowulf was in the Middle Ages. First, a little background. In the story, Grendel had been stomping around the land, ripping people to shreds and eating them. Beowulf, a

When discussing a hero’s journey, it is nearly impossible to describe that task without including their place in society and how that shaped them into the hero that society knows them to be. Beowulf as well as Batman face problems and go through incredible tasks to receive the recognition they have as heroes. And although the obstacles that Beowulf and Batman face may be the same in many ways, they also manage to differ in more ways than one.

Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.

Lastly, Beowulf is brave like Superman. Beowulf and Superman are both trying to help save their areas. Beowulf is trying everything he can do to save his country including doing things

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon hero because of many reasons, the first being because he had bravery and courage. “Have watched me rise from the darkness of war. Dripping with my enemy’s blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all that raced from the earth, I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean and killing them one by one.” (247-254). This quote shows that Beowulf had bravery and courage because he went up against all of these monsters that could have killed him very easily. Which is what heroes do, they fight monsters and creatures that can easily kill average people. Another quote that shows how Beowulf had the characteristics of bravery and courage is, “If weapons were useless he'd use his hands. The strength in his fingers." (506-507). This quote shows how he had the courage to depend on his superhuman strength to kill any monster that could not be defeated by weapons. One more quote that shows Beowulf’s courage is, “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer...For hours he sank through the waves.” (467-469). This quote shows that Beowulf had courage because he leapt into a lake not knowing what was waiting below the surface.

Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude.

Beowulf and Superman have many similar traits that almost every epic hero has. Both of these heroes are courageous, brave, strong and loyal to their people. Beowulf can be considered brave because he defeated Grendel with his bare hands which shows his courage. Similarly to superman who fought against Zod who wanted to take over planet earth and transform it into his own planet, Krypton. This also shows Superman’s bravery, confidence and courage because he fought against his most prominent enemy and saved a whole world, which shows all the traits a hero needs.

Beowulf and Superman are characters that define what it means to be an epic hero. Epic heroes are leaders, warriors, or rulers that possess characteristics that provide for the betterment of their people. Although they are similar in many ways, Beowulf and Superman are also different in many ways to. Beowulf is known as a great warrior with unmatched fighting skills, and Superman is known as a man from another world that has god like powers. Beowulf and Superman possess the characteristics of battling supernatural foes, superhuman capabilities, and unmatched warriors.

In society today, we have many superheroes in our mainstream media. We have Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many others. In ancient times though, a story was written about one such fictional hero. His name is Beowulf, and he could be called the first superhero. Beowulf is just an ordinary man, yet he shows extraordinary strength, almost like that of a superhero. He also has a strong sense of duty, which gives him a strong moral code. Lastly, he has a strong sense of bravery and courage, things he has to use to gain the fame and fortune he deserves. These are all characteristics that make him an Anglo-Saxon hero.

Heroes, from Beowulf to Superman our cultures have always created heroes. We may always have political, social, economic and religious differences, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common, heroes. They help define who we are and what we want to be. They give us hope and inspire us to head in the right direction. They show us that good will always triumph over evil and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Heroes give us the inspiration we need to overcome problems in our own lives and that is why we create them. Beowulf perfectly embodies the idea of a hero. He defeats the evil Grendel and his mother, slays the dragon and saves his people. He is

One quality that makes Beowulf a hero is his unnatural strength. Beowulf could take down giants and other monsters with his bare hands. The text points out Beowulf’s strength when it says he is “...greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world.”. He killed many of his enemies, and hunted