Supernatural Qualities Of Beowulf

Frequently, throughout Beowulf, Beowulf showed superhuman strength. In many cases, he showed off his extraordinary powers, by defeating demons. The most eye catching part of Beowulf’s superhuman strength is The Battle with Grendel. Beowulf showed true superhuman strength when during the fight, Beowulf defeated Grendel using only one hand his arm (323-324). In addition, Beowulf showed true super human strengths in The Battle with Grendel’s Mother when

To begin the story of Beowulf is a short and very grand epic poem that gives the reader a platform of a hero’s supernatural strength.For example when Grendel attacks Beowulf the scene described as “claws bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm, that shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that no where on earth, he had met a man hands whose hands were harder.No doubt that this quote emphasis Beowulf strength, Grendel a monster probably ten times bigger than man is terrified of how he is gripped by Beowulf hands.Furthermore stating how Beowulf a man born with this ability is quite capable enough to eventually kill Grendel by ripping his arm off.

When Beowulf has a contest with Grendel, his strength is put to the test. People thought he was amazingly strong as it states, “Before then, no Shielding elder would believe there was any power or person on earth capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall

Beowulf’s strength is exemplified many times in the story. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty men in his mighty handgrip.” He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all but his last. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explains the reason he lost a swimming match with his opponent Brecca. Not only had Beowulf been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf is also strong enough to kill the monster Grendel with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s mother, he is able to slay her by slashing the monster’s neck with a giant sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf. When he chops off her head, he carries it from the ocean with no difficulty, but it takes four men to lift and carry it back to Heorot. This strength is a key trait of Beowulf’s heroism.

The Supernatural is described as something that is unable to be explained by science or laws of nature or of relating to, or seeming to come magic, or a god (Merriam-Webster). In Beowulf the supernatural presents instelf in it’s monsters. Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon, all mythical creatures that only exist in tales of fiction. Beowulf also possess another element of the supernatural. The juxstapositon of a strong christian world view against those from the past who were well known pagans. In turn Beowulf positions the monsters in the work as biblical descendants of Cain. In Sir Gawain and Green Knight, supernatural plays a simlar role. The Green Knight is presented as a supernatural being from the start. He is able to move

While Beowulf was battling the monsters, he used all his strength to try and defeat them. With his strength, he was able to defeat Grendel and Grendel’s Mom. Throughout the battle with Grendel’s Mom, Beowulf expressed his strength in multiple ways. The narrator states, “He raised His arms and seized her by the shoulder; anger Doubled his strength, he threw her to the floor” (37). It takes strength to be able to throw a monster to the floor, and Beowulf has that strength.

Not only had Beowulf been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf is also strong enough to kill the monster Grendel with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel's mother, he is able to slay her by slashing the monster's neck with a giant sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf. When he chops off her head, he carries it from the ocean with no difficulty, but it takes four men to lift and carry it back to Heorot. This strength is a key trait of Beowulf's heroism.

The fight with Grendel shows both Beowulf 's power and strength. Although anyone who ever fought Grendel wore armor and used weapons, Beowulf showed bravery by using absolutely nothing. Ultimately, he was characterized as the strongest man ever during the fight and freely bragged about his strength. As stated in the text, "The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he has ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth," (749-752). Grendel was notably being overpowered. "He was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of his life," (787-789). The two quotes show the strength of Beowulf being that Grendel has never come across anything so powerful. To sum up, the fight between Beowulf and Grendel shows

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

Throughout the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf does not fail to showcase (superhuman) strength. We first see this strength displayed when Beowulf goes into battle with Grendel(lines 710-1007). The

Supernatural Elements Beowulf’s epic monster Grendel and Grendel’s mother transcend the natural world. Sir Gawain’s Green Knight, Lady Bertilak, and Morgan le Faye possess magical powers. In Morte Darthur, Merlin is a prophet and a wizard capable of casting spells and telling the future. Although supernatural elements pervade these classic tales of Medieval Literature, the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is solely propelled by fantastical characters and other worldly events.

The author of Beowulf utilizes the techniques of fate, supernatural, and symbolism to give the Anglo-Saxon epic its theme of a quest for glory. First, the open acceptance of deaths possibility vindicates Beowulf’s courage and faith and furthers the stories idea of the struggle for glory. Willing to attempt what others won’t, Beowulf battles three monsters and fate paves a glorious life of adventure for himself. Next, the supernatural has tested the heroes of ancient stories, and the evil Beowulf faces transforms into his test and opportunity for glory. The “throne, protected by God,” serves as an example of the importance of what Beowulf strives to protect from the supernatural (169). Protecting both people and kings, Beowulf must end the evil

Beowulf was a hero not only because of his physical strength, but also for his concern for other people. “The hero must move beyond human limits in order to have the capacity to combat the monstrous forces that threaten the social order;” (Sharma 264) Beowulf has been deemed by most to have superhuman strength, but his superhuman strength alone does not make Beowulf any more a hero than Grendel’s strength makes him a hero. Beowulf rises above the limits of a regular human being

The supernatural theme of the monsters in the poem can clearly be seen in the literary work. This theme of supernatural has been considered to be important in the last decades and for that reason, therefore, it is important to address this theme and how relevant it is to the present generation. The role of the monsters can be addressed by focusing on Grendel, his mother and the dragon as well as the hero (Beowulf). Since the poet had a strong Christian standpoint, there is also a comparison of the monsters to some Biblical characters such as Abel, Cain, and Satan (Bartz 1).

The epic poem of Beowulf was passed down orally through important people called scotts. These “scots” had high positions being known as story tellers. The poem of Beowulf was the first poem to ever be translated and written by these scots. Beowulf is known as one of the oldest and most popular poems to be passed down through scots. This oral story was passed down for decades until eventually it was translated and written. Part one of the epic was translated by Burton Raffel, and part two was translated by Seamus Heaney. The poem of Beowulf is an epic proven through long journeys alongside the people he fought with and led. Beowulf goes through extreme conditions and hardships to keep his people safe. Beowulf is a true heroic. There are many examples of the obstacles Beowulf had to overcome in order to become an epic hero.