Who Is Beowulf?

“Beowulf” is an epic poem that contains monsters, bravery, and sacrifice during the Anglo-Saxon Period. Some people say that Beowulf is a great epic that everyone should read at least once in their life. But others despise the poem thinking that it is very boring.

Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.

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.

A hero, “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character”(“Hero”). A hero shows much more than honor and glory, they sacrifice their own life to selflessly help out the lives of others. By having heroes it gives us hope, wisdom, and justice throughout the nation. The three main types of heroes include an epic hero, superhero, and your own personal hero. These heroes show that it 's more than the cape or armour they wear, they show the true meaning of a hero by defining sacrifice, loyalty, and determination.

A hero is not born; he is self-made with heroic qualities. What qualifies for making someone a hero? According to Merriam Webster, a hero is defined as: “ a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability”. Beowulf perfectly fits that definition of a hero. In Seamus Heaney Beowulf, Beowulf has everything it takes to be known as a hero. Some of Beowulf’s vital traits as warrior includes bravery, courage, honor, incredible physical strength, and the will to serve the people for the greater good. This poem is centered around him and that is all he needs to be portrayed as the hero he is.

The concept of hero is never outdated in literary. Every author has their own understanding of how a hero should be like, and all heroes live and behave differently according to the society they live in. The definition of hero is much broader than a man with superpower. In Beowulf and The Great Gatsby, both of the protagonist, Beowulf and Jay Gatsby are considered heroes in the story. Although both of them embody the values of their societies, Beowulf is a more successful hero because he truly reaches the expectations that his society has for a hero and embraces the reality, which leads him to sacrifices his life for a more worthy cause.

Archetypal heroes are found in many literary works, and in varied forms. In literary terms, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is defined as a character that goes against adversity, has great strength, courage, bravery, and who makes unselfish sacrifices, usually for the greater good. The Collins English Dictionary defines “archetypal” as a perfect example of something. Archetypes in literature was first applied by Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist. Jung recognized patterns in mythologies and stories regardless of the time period that was covered by the literary work. Archetypal heroes present in various forms including warriors,

“… A fiend out of hell”(Heaney 100). These words describe the monster Grendel, who is truly an evil entity. Only an epic hero with strength, courage and confidence is able to defeat this mighty foe. This hero’s name is Beowulf. He displays all of these throughout the epic.

Beowulf, an epic hero who defeated monsters that plagued the land. He never shied away from a fight and always fought with honor and pride. For over 50 years he ruled facing any challenge that came his way. Beowulf's final obstacle would cause his demise. Beowulf certainly faced many challenges but his battle between the dragon, no doubt was his hardest.

Beowulf is an epic poem left from the Anglo-Saxon period out of the 30,000 lines of literature that remains about 4,000 lines are the preserved epic poem. The only manuscript of Beowulf that remains is from c. 1000 AD. The author of Beowulf is unknown like most of the poets of the time. There is not any knowledge of Beowulf being a real person, but his character fits into the framework of his society and family tree. “The Anglo-Saxon social structure consisted of tribal units led by chieftains ("kings," or "lords") who, theoretically at least, earned their respect from their warriors (or "retainers," or "thanes," the group being called a "comitatus")” (CITE). The king must share the spoils of war with his warriors giving him the name “ring-giver.” During the Anglo-Saxon time period fighting was a way of life. It was a social disgrace not to avenge the death of a family member; therefore, blood-feuds became an excuse to go to war. ”The two alternatives for ending a blood-feud were 1) paying "wergild" -- the man price, or 2) arranging a marriage” (CITE). The Germanic tribes such as the Anglo-Saxons hated peace; fighting was more honorable.

An epic hero is someone who performs a heroic deed, and is brave. Beowulf is an epic hero. From the beginning of reading Beowulf you can tell that he shows the characteristics of a epic hero. It all starts off when people in the mead hall keep getting attacked by this monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows courage and he goes and ends up killing Grendel. After killing Grendel he becomes wanted by Grendel’s mother, so he kills her too. In the end of it all beowulf kills the dragon. Beowulf’s courage and strength is what is shown while he is killing all of these evil monsters. All of these killings is what gave him fan in the lands. After reading Beowulf you will realize why he is now classified as a epic hero.

The excerpt from the story of Beowulf, tells of the hero’s triumph over the cannibalistic monster named Grendel. Although, the story if read literally is quite common for a hero’s tale, it truly is more about a hero’s duty, acceptance and loyalty.

One’s outcome and outlook on life are determined by the many decisions that one must make throughout their lifetime. In the epic of Beowulf, the reader is introduced to a man, named Beowulf, who is later crowned as King of the Geats, reigning for fifty years. Throughout the poem, Beowulf seems to exhibit characteristics, long before he is King, that lead the reader to believe Beowulf will be a successful and impressionable king. Beowulf displays four key characteristics, courage, strength, knowledge, and respect/trust, which are extremely important to the plot, as well as for the life of the Geats, the Danes, and Beowulf’s true identity. From the beginning, Beowulf is viewed as the epitome of a true hero. He may have been somewhat selfish at times and boast about his achievements, but when it really mattered he is there for his people. These traits truly expose the heroic king he becomes.

The exact author and publication date of “Beowulf” is unknown, but the epic poem itself is a staple when discussing the literary history of the Anglo Saxon Period. An unforgettable scene in this legendary work is when Beowulf fought against the dragon that was terrorizing his kingdom. This scene epitomizes the work as a whole, because it symbolizes Beowulf’s courageous and selfless attitude. Due to the optimal traits that the main character demonstrates and the battle’s incorporation of a fictional yet intriguing creature, the scene is quite effective.

In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf the main character Beowulf shows us that a hero has extreme strength and willpower to achieve what he desires. Beowulf shows us a glimpse of his willpower during the fight with Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s Mother was immune to his blade, but instead of abandoning all hope, as most people would do, he tosses the useless blade aside and decides to fight her with his hands alone. “Fame comes to men who mean to win it, and care about nothing else.” Even though the situation looked bleak for Beowulf, he continued on. Beowulf also shows us his superhuman strength in his fight with Grendel’s Mother. Pinned to the ground by her superior strength, Beowulf never gave up hope, but instead he noticed a giant’s sword