Beowulf A Hero's Journey

Slaying demons, fighting dragons. Just an ordinary life for a hero—a hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is known for battling massive and terrifying beasts with unwavering confidence. Many attribute his success to his courage and determination, but it also leads him to his untimely demise. Maybe his confidence is not an asset, but a tragic flaw, a vulnerability.

My son and I haven’t had the best life, his father has not been around for a very long time, and ever since people found out that he is the “seed of Cain,” they treated him horribly and did not see how good of a boy he was. I could tell Grendel was getting tired of the way he was being treated because all the goodness that was once in him was no longer there, he soon started lurking in the shadows, like you might consider a “monster” to do. I always wanted more for him, more friends, and to be well liked. Although Grendel and I never had the best life I always tried to be kind to him and show him what he may have to do to survive our way of living and what it would take for people to stop looking down on him. Nobody can understand what it is like to be us, and I would not want them to feel

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.

What action made your favorite hero become the hero he now is? Joseph Campbell, the author of The Hero With A Thousand Faces believes every hero is called to adventure by some act that opens his eyes to become a hero. In the story “Beowulf” translated by Barton Raffel, Beowulf is “woken up” by the news of Grendel’s destruction. The story of Beowulf follows along with campbell’s “call to adventure” claim. The epic poem “Beowulf” exemplifies the claims made by campbell regarding the hero’s call to adventure.

The movie The legend of Hercules was captivating. It depicts the archetype of a Greek hero. Betrayal, treachery, slavery and the odds of his life did not stop him to fight his way back to his rightful kingdom. He was bold and brave. We can find a very similar hero in the Anglo-Saxon literature of Beowulf. In the Anglo-Saxon culture a hero was a warrior. He/she was strong, clever, God-fearing and venturesome. Beowulf, a famous Anglo-Saxon poem, was about the adventure of a hero who had inhuman strength that fought a monster named Grendel, Grendel’s mother ,and a fire-breathing dragon that’s hung-over from sleep. Beowulf exemplifies the archetype of a perfect hero through his warrior like, admirable, and loyal characters.

In society, there are many different types of heroes. Heroes throughout time have changed and from culture to culture they differ for example, in the early times they were defined as someone who will lead them into battle but now it's more about having a positive impact on other people and society as a whole. 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 one who is selfless, relentless and brave. The Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, is a brave, well respected and selfless person that will do anything for the good of the people and he will even risk his life to protect them.

The second main stage in a hero's journey is Initiation. The hero is initiated into a real hero by several trials. Through severe battles, the true hero surfaces. The road of trials is a sequence of assignments, tests and difficulties that the hero must bear to start the shift in his or her character. Every trial may be more challenging than the last but the hero becomes more confident and experienced. Beowulf has to defeat Grendel, Grendel's mother and a dragon. Initially his first test is to slay Grendel, he completes the task. "Clear proof of this could be seen in the hand of the hero displayed high up near the roof: the whole of Grendel's shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp." (831-35) Taking Grendel's limb as a souvenir to show that he

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”( Christopher Reeve) In 1000 A.D. a group of people were formed, these people were called the Anglo-saxons. They were also known as what people now refer to as Vikings. The Vikings were explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe. While these Anglo-saxons were raiding and trading they also had some down time, where they would sit down around a fire and tell tales of Heroic adventures. These sorts of tales were things that the Anglo-saxons would look up to, it was almost like a handbook of how they should live their lives. During these stories was created one of the earliest examples of heroism and adventure. The epic poem of Beowulf was born. While the author is to be unknown, the

eowulf: He is the hero in the poem's story. Beowulf is noted for his incredible strength. He helped out Hrothgar, king of the Danes, in getting rid of Grendel the monster. Beowulf also got rid of Grendel's mother, when she wanted revenge over Grendel's death. Years later, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats after his uncle passes away. Beowulf's last battle involved defeating the dragon that guarded jewels in a tower. He sacrifice his life to save the Geats. eowulf: He is the hero in the poem's story. Beowulf is noted for his incredible strength. He helped out Hrothgar, king of the Danes, in getting rid of Grendel the monster. Beowulf also got rid of Grendel's mother, when she wanted revenge over Grendel's death. Years later, Beowulf becomes

As I sit at home waiting for my son to arrive home, I think about how much he has grown up these past ten years. When Grendel was a young boy he would never go out of our lare. Anything and everything would scare him even a small snake slithering on top of the green muckey water. Seeing him overcome his fear of things makes me an extremely proud mother. Being a single mother has been difficult. I have stayed up a million nights making sure he is sleeping and is save. Also, I know my son needs guidance as he starts his journey in the world. It is my job to give him that guidance and help him when he needs some.

In the poem Beowulf, there is a great example of what a hero is about in this time. Beowulf is the great warrior of the Geats and he will do anything necessary to keep peace and to

The heroic ideal of the Anglo-Saxon culture, governed by traits of bravery, loyalty, and generosity, is a driving force which contributes to the creation of a legendary hero. Within the epic poem of Beowulf, the main character Beowulf displays bravery, loyalty, and larger than life characteristics (derived from the heroic ideal). For the Anglo-Saxon’s, their main goal after death is to be remembered, in all of their glory, as a hero. Because of this endeavour, Beowulf allowed his traits of bravery, loyalty, and larger than life characteristics to help achieve both honor and glory; it was his usage of the heroic ideal that allowed him to reach his full potential and become legendary after death.

When I first began reading Beowulf, it was difficult at first to keep track of everyone names but, as time went along I was able to manage okay. The footnotes at the bottom were also helpful in remembering which person was related to which and the historical references helped put things into context. I was sad when King Hrothgar knew that he wouldn’t see Beowulf again (1875) because Hrothgar already had one foot in the grave and it made me realize how easy we have it now to travel when way back then it was an arduous journey. I also found it interesting on the depictions that they had of the women in this poem. I remember in our previous discussion how Queen Wealhtheow and Grendel’s Mother were portrayed as opposites of one another. Again,

In today’s age, the definition of a hero takes form in many unique ways perceived by society. People hold many opinions on what a true hero is. However, our society is gifted with a clear representation on what qualities make a true hero in the epic poem Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney. Although there is no true author, fortunately Seamus Heaney’s translation gives a deeper analysis which allows the reader to better grip key concepts and get the closest possible to the actual translation. This epic poem dates back to around 700 to 1000 AD during the Anglo-Saxon period and was originally transcribed in Anglo-Saxon. During that time of no technology, stories were passed down orally from generations. Astounded by this deep rooted

In today’s society, heroes are considered to be ordinary people. They are simply everyday heroes who go beyond the call of duty by risking their lives to protect others in dire need of help. In the Anglo-Saxon period, however, heroes were described as supermen with extraordinary strength and courage. These heroes can overpower monsters and fire-breathing dragons. In the classic poem, Beowulf, the main character has the characteristics of a sixth century hero because he is a noble who follows a code of honor and has courage and strength greater than anyone else in the kingdom. Beowulf is an epic hero who puts his reputation and life on the line for an entire kingdom.