What Makes Beowulf An Epic Hero

“He would sleep in the fire, soon. His soul, left his flesh, flew to glory.” This very quote from the epic Beowulf, sets the tone and very intense qualities of older epics. This specific epic, focuses on the hero and Beowulf, who is the only warrior capable of defeating the vicious villainous creature Grendel, and his mother. Beowulf shares the qualities of many other epic heroes such as showing the nature of being almost superhuman, being the deciding factor in the wellbeing of his people, and showing uncontested bravery no matter the obstacle they must face. In more modern times, the United States Delta Force can be considered an epic heroes based on the sheer values and courage held by its members.

During the time of anglo-saxon culture there is certain virtues that everybody must display to be considered an epic hero during that time period. Epic heroes are individuals that are good in society and they usually go out on journeys to defeat evil with god on their side. Beowulf is the main character in the story Beowulf and he's considered to be an epic hero because he displayed the virtues in anglo-saxon culture, this resulted in having his name passed down. Beowulf relied on the virtues to succeed in life because, if he failed to display them to be considered an epic hero his name and ruling in Geatland would cease to exist.

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 is a Hero Beowulf is the classic example of a modern hero. He exhibits all traits a hero should have. Throughout his epic poem, Beowulf constantly performs acts of bravery. The readers get to learn about his undeniable strength, too. He is also very loyal to the people that he loves and respects.

In this poem is a story of a magnificent hero who happens to appear at the place, at the right time. He will grow through many foes that include Grendel, his mom, the people who doubt his ability, and a mighty dragon who will in turn defeat them all. Beowulf would later become king, but died of dragon poison. So the crown was handed down to his most trusted man,Wiglaf. He was sawt out as the mightiest man in this realm. But the real question is, what made him a hero?

The loyalty of the characters in the epic poem Beowulf, translated by , exerted towards Beowulf through his battles that shows how his men look up to him as a sentiment of man who passes traited a heroic figure. Beowulf came to what we now know as Denmark, but was know as Herot, looking for eternal life in fighting the monster heard around the different kingdoms as Grendel, but will change his life and the way he is perceived forever. Anglo Saxon heroes would search in other countries to find monsters that would give them eternal life. “We are geats” Beowulf comes to the shores of the Kingdom known as Herot and was greeted by the men watching the Danes under the King known as Hrothgar, who wants to know the reason he has come to his kingdom.

In “The Coming of Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel section of the epic, Beowulf shows all the aspects required to be an exemplary epic hero: doer of a brave deed, a warrior who possess attributes that are valued by society (wisdom and courage), has a supernatural power, fights and overcomes evil, saves a race of people, and has noble blood running through his veins. First off, Beowulf is performing a brave deed by going to the kingdom of Dane, ruled by King Hrothgar, and helping them fight off the murderous spawn of Cain, Grendel. Beowulf is an epic hero because even though Grendel has wiped out a vast amount of Dane warriors, Beowulf still goes to Dane to help even though he knows that by doing so he’s putting the life of his warriors and his own. Additionally, Beowulf possess courage, that allows him to fight off

Robert A. Castle III Miss Sibbach English IV 12 December, 2014 Beowulf: A true hero Beowulf did many heroic deeds in his life that make him a great epic hero. Beowulf did many great deeds that prove that people should consider him a true hero. He exposed a very adept display of traits that occurred prevalent in epic heroes in literature of the time while he completed his deeds.

The Anglo-Saxon culture praised someone who was successful on the battlefield and showed great respect to his lord and tribe. He promised to fight and overcome any obstacle that he faced. Beowulf, in the story(translated by Burton Raffel), faces many obstacles including Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and the dragon. He showed great loyalty to the king during his adventures. Beowulf is a epic hero because he is an important person in Anglo-Saxon history, he helped the king defeat his worst enemy, he is very reliable.

Timed Beowulf Essay The story “Beowulf” is an epic story set in an Anglo-Saxon society. Beowulf is the main character or the epic hero of the story. The following characteristics that make Beowulf an epic hero are his superhuman strength, his courage, and his importance. The first characteristic that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his superhuman strength.

What is a hero? The technical, dictionary definition of a hero according to the EOD (English Oxford Dictionary) is “a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, and noble qualities” (“Hero”). While this seems like a fairly reasonable definition, do all heroes possess all of these qualities?

A common Anglo-Saxon tradition of literature were epic poems. These were poems of great length that told a story of a society that was usually in a crisis and reveals the societies values through conflict. During these Epics, the society needs a hero to save them from the evil that plagues them. In the Epic, Beowulf, the warrior and future king of the Geats Beowulf serves as the society’s hero. He protects his society through killing several beasts that threaten the lives of his people and others.

The 3D animated film Beowulf was released in 2007 and captured a completely new look at the story of the epic hero Beowulf. The film compared to the epic poem, written nearly a thousand years before, is different story wise. Critics had opposing opinions on the movie, some immensely enjoyed it, while others were not fond of the approach the writers took. Although the animated feature Beowulf made several changes to the original poem, Beowulf is a great movie that embodies the epic while having its own story, because the film shows that Beowulf is flawed, the transformation of Grendel’s mother’s character provides a compelling narrative, and the modern spin on the poem made the film more fascinating. While Beowulf is seen as a flawless hero in the poem, the movie presents him as not just a hero, but a flawed one.

If you have ever found yourself captivated by a novel, or whisked away following a journey, you have most likely read an epic. An epic by definition is “a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation”. Every epic has a main character that undergoes the same archetypal journey as all other heroes, an epic hero. There are specific qualities one must have to be considered an epic hero. Each epic hero possesses superhuman strength, displays a strong sense of leadership, and reflects their culture in a positive, admirable manner.

An Epic Hero is a brave, noble character in an epic poem, and they are admired for great achievements or affected by a grand event. In another point of view, A Epic Hero has to have strength, faith and Braveness in order to perform heroic deeds. In the story Beowulf , Beowulf is an epic hero because he kills Grendel the monster, Grendel’s Mother and a dragon that no one else could have defeated. All the things Beowulf did throughout this story showed evidence of an epic hero, also with his personality and dedication. Beowulf is an epic hero because of how he sacrificed his life to perform heroic deeds. Also for his extraordinary strength, Braveness, and Faith.