Beowulf As A Modern Hero

“Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster, God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip. Grendel’s plan, I think, will be what it has been before, to invade this hall and gorge his belly with our bodies.” (Lines 268-273) This quote was said by Beowulf a little while before he fought Grendal. This quote shows that Beowulf is ready to risk his life to save his people from a monster that has killed many people. He does this throughout this epic; fighting battles with different monsters that put his people’s lives in danger. Also during some of the fights he has faith in God and he believes that God will be there to help him when he needs it. Beowulf is a blending of Christian traditions and beliefs such as

Written at a time when Pagan and Judeo Christian beliefs were both in the Scandinavian region, Beowulf provides a unique blend between the two, creating a vibrant and fascinating world full of monsters, magic sword, and mighty heroes who save the innocent. God plays an immense role in Beowulf as defender of men, giver of victories, and provider of Beowulf. What is unique about the God in Beowulf is He is not truly Christian or Pagan, but rather a blend created from the beliefs of the Celtic people. This God upholds righteousness and condemns immorality. He decides the outcome of battles through Fate and guides leaders decisions on vital matters. “But the Lord was weaving a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats”(696-697). This clear

Both the U.S soldier and Beowulf portray characteristics of a hero. Courage, bravery, and selflessness all play a huge role in their lives. Although one is past and the other present, hero is the only word that comes

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.

Most people in modern day society believe that heroes are like Batman, Superman, or even Spiderman. These fictional characters are children's modern day heroes since they are portrayed as brave, loyal, and fearless. However, as these children are growing up, their perception of a hero is changing when they come across celebrities, civil rights leaders, or someone highly inspirational in their life. According to the Anglo Saxon society, a hero is portrayed with the qualities of being brave, loyal, and fearless and these qualities are in the pagan warrior Beowulf. Just like Beowulf, the main character of “The Hunger Games”, Katniss Everdeen , who fights in a battle to save her district from poverty, is also an embodiment of a true hero. Though

The Christ of the Anglo-Saxons Many view the way that Jesus lived his life as a guide on how to live purposefully, rightfully, and justly in society. In Beowulf, an epic poem written by a yet unknown author, Beowulf, a courageous and brave young man, gives up everything to serve his people in battle and sacrifices his own life for the safety and betterment of the people that he had come to know and love. By living his life selflessly, Beowulf embodies many characteristics of Jesus Christ throughout the epic poem. According to Beowulf, God guides him and empowers him to fight.

Who Are They? Hero; a person who has the courage or confidence to take a stand, but many people may consider a person with superpowers a hero as well. Heroes can come from many different places; they also come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. All heroes have their own abilities and ways they cope with a situation. Both Beowulf and modern heroes of today are great examples of heroes, but Beowulf has a greater amount of strength, confidence, and a better purpose for what he does.

He put himself in harm’s way to protect the group of people he barely knew. Jesus did that in His life by saving all of us (Matthew 18). He came and defeated the beast which was death and rose again on the third day. Though Beowulf didn’t die and come back to life, he did do some very Christ-like actions as a man. He saves lives just as Jesus did.

God was always on Beowulf’s side. When he arrived at Denmark, he “gave thanks to God” (228) for an easy crossing. Beowulf went to Denmark to help Hrothgar get rid of Grendel, a frequent offender at Herot. Beowulf was confident that he could defeat Grendel, but he still believed that “God must decide / who will be given to death’s cold grip.” (440-441).

Savior of the Danes For this year’s conference the theme is Pilgrimage, which is a religious or spiritual journey of moral significant. The epic poem “Beowulf” which was written by a unknown Christian poet, is a great example for representation of a Pilgrimage. In the poem the character Beowulf can be compared to Christ during his spiritual journey in many ways, but there are differences in those way. There are three major battles that Beowulf encounters throughout the poem, after each battle he grows more spiritually as well as his growth of a warrior. The Danes recognize Beowulf as their savior, just as Christians recognize Christ as their savior.

Beowulf Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a man that gives everything he has for the sake of others? Have you ever wondered what it was like to lay your life down on the line to seek glory and riches in present life, and in the afterlife? Many people throughout the world everyday sacrifice their life's just for us, so we can live a peaceful life. Some people do it for the glory, some people do it for people they care for, and some people do it to be remembered so that when they die they go to a better place. A lot of this all depends on what religion we go by because a lot of times our religion shows through our life’s and defines who we are and how we live.

This heightened importance of the characters is continued in the descriptions of Beowulf. We can liken Beowulf to a religious man. He seems to be a man ordained to carry out God's righteousness. When he arrives in the land of the Danes, the first thing he and his crew does is thank God for a safe passage (225-226). Wulfgar shortly after Beowulf's arrival says, "I am convinced that Holy God, of His great mercy, has directed him to us West-Danes and that he means to come to grips with Grendel" (378-381). Hrothgar also says, "Yet God can easily prevent this reckless ravager from committing such crimes" (471-472). These men of the Danes are completely convinced that God has brought Beowulf

Beowulf describes a world not of Christian harmony and logos but rather of barely restrained chaos, in which life is at best somewhat futile and at worst totally meaningless. Religion and courtly manners have not become as elaborate, and are generally more fluid. Beowulf is judged a hero, then, against different criteria. His deeds are valiant because they bring him reputation and glory: among his very first words to Hrothgar upon his arrival Beowulf proclaims, "the days/ Of my youth have been filled with glory" (Beowulf chapter

Taking place fifty years after the death of Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is now the king of his people, and the narrator describes Beowulf’s rule as prosperous “until one began to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl” (2207-2212). As a serpent-like creature that guards treasure, the dragon easily parallels with the devil and human temptations. Although Beowulf dies, he ultimately manages to kill the dragon and win the treasure for his people; moreover, Beowulf’s death can be looked at as a sacrifice to save his people. In the same way, Christ died for humanity, so humans could be saved from their sins and enter heaven. The last section of Beowulf, which takes place after Beowulf’s death and funeral, details the mourning of Beowulf’s kingdom. “They extolled his heroic nature and exploits and gave thanks for his greatness; which was the proper thing” (3173-3175). In this, if readers view Beowulf as a representation of Christ, the narrator is telling people to praise Beowulf’s life and be grateful for his sacrifice while also suggesting to readers that this is the proper thing to do. The narrator continues by having the Beowulf’s people say “that of all the kings upon earth, [Beowulf] was the man most gracious and fair minded, kindest of his people and keenest to win fame” (3180-3182). As the last lines of the epic

by God to that nation. He knew what they had tooled, the long times and troubles they'd come through without a leader; so the Lord of Life, the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned. (12-17) Throughout Beowulf, whenever any great men manage to achieve heroic feats, the narrator will be careful to attribute their prowess to God's favor and divine plan. Christianity is still the same in today’s world, me being a Christian I can relate to Beowulf because like Beowulf I acknowledge God as my protector. I also believe that early success, given by God, must be treated with humbleness. This value is still a value today after a 1000 years because till this day you can find different philosophy’s of Christianity. “Treat my sons with tender care, be strong and kind. Here each comrade is true to the other, loyal to lord,