Beowulf As An Epic Hero

Beowulf is an epic poem dated back to 700-800, composed by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet. There is not an exact date on when it was composed because many of the stories were sung by a scop rather than written. Beowulf, the main character fits the mold of an epic hero by his supernatural or “larger than life” abilities and how he is charged with many difficult quests. There are eight characteristics by which someone is determined as an epic hero. Beowulf holds many of these characteristics and here are two examples.

The poet wanted to express the greatness of Heorot hall, as shown in: “hall of halls… the hall towered/ its gables wide and high and awaiting” (7, lines 78-82). Imagery was also used when describing the boat and the surroundings when Beowulf and his crew were traveling to the land of the Danes. For example, the poet said “boat was on water/in close under the cliffs… sand churned in the surf… shining war-gear in the vessel’s hold… wood-wreathed ship… flew like a bird” (17, lines 210-218). Strong verbs like churned and alliteration in wood-wreathed add to the great descriptive imagery of setting. The description of the lake where Grendel’s mother lives also had great imagery and helped the reader feel the fear and suspense of the Geat warriors who were about to face the terrible monster. “Frost-stiffened woods…. above a mere… maze of tree-roots… water burns” (95, lines 1363-7) conjures terrifying images of a burning lake. Even further description of the lake is given in “narrow footpaths… dismal wood… mountain trees growing at an angle above grey stone… bloodshot water” (99, lines 1409-1417). The reader can imagine climbing through the wild forest on a dangerous cliff and seeing the water that they know houses a terrifying monster. This use of imagery can pull the reader into the story and help them form better connections to the characters and

Beowulf is the story of good vs, evil and shows unbelievable courage, and strength battling 3 different monsters. Beowulf battled Grendel, Grendel’s mother and a Dragon. I believe that Beowulf has every characteristic of an Epic hero because he does everything in his power to protect others. Beowulf is heroic in many ways he slew Grendel, to rid Hrothgar of this creature. After the battle with Grendel, Beowulf made peace with Grendel’s mother creating the third monster, the dragon.

"Beowulf" was an epic poem that included the character Beowulf, a great soldier who became an even greater king. Beowulf slayed great Pagan creatures such as the Grendel and the Dragon of the Tower. Beowulf even reigned as Geatland's ring-giver for a whole fifty winters without being besieged by an opposing force. Some people dispute that Beowulf is not actual epic hero, despite all of the hard, cold evidence that states otherwise. A classical epic has traits that designate whether or not the hero is an epic hero. Beowulf is considered an epic hero within the story because of these heroic characteristics that he displays: being a figure of legend, possessing supernatural strength and abilities, and having the assisstance of gods in his

In the epic Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, there are many warriors but only one is an epic hero. Beowulf, the main character, uses his abilities to defeat different opponents. However, Beowulf is not a normal warrior. He uses inhuman abilities to perform brave honorable actions. Many of his characteristics show how Beowulf is easily characterized as this poem’s epic hero.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the character Beowulf demonstrates the majority of the characteristics of an epic hero. There are numerous characteristics of an epic hero, including being the central character of a story and going on a quest, which is a long, dangerous journey to prove heroism and win honor. They are a “larger-than-life” figure compared to the rest of the characters. An epic hero can be noble or semi- divine from birth and can demonstrate courage, skill, and virtue. Epic heroes often go against opposing or evil forces throughout the story. Occasionally, an epic hero can even be hidden at birth due to some power obtained. Once the hero is grown and the time has come, he will be released to complete the task he was destined to do.

Epic heroes are typically characterized by their strength, leadership, bravery, and ethical choices, modern examples include Batman, Superman, and Spiderman which are a huge part of popular culture. They all astonish us by their phenomenal attributions, but none of them compare to Beowulf. He was the first example of an epic hero and has all the characteristics that the modern ones have. The story of Beowulf clearly show his attributions in action.

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?

Anybody can be a hero, but being selfish or selfless defines what kind of hero you are. Most of the time, a selfish hero can be categorised as an epic hero, and a selfless hero with the modern day hero. An epic hero, such as Beowulf, is a type of hero coming from centuries old tales and poems from the Anglo-Saxon period. The modern day hero hails from a much more recent time, but the difference between the two isn’t just time period, but is character traits sometimes associated with time period and situation.

An explosive battle cry fills the great Hrothgar’s mead hall, instructing the Anglo-Saxon warriors crowding it to erupt in laughter and joy. The jubilant feast, however, quickly turns deadly when the ghastly Grendel sweeps in and tosses the warriors about as if they were simple trinkets. It is then that the English language’s oldest archetypal hero, Beowulf, rushes in. The epic poem that emblazons his deeds, Beowulf (author unknown), exhibits that he has the quintessential traits of every literary hero: intrepidness, fortitude, loyalty, etc. Yet even in his journey through life, his personality fails to burgeon beyond his box of heroic adjectives. In the epic poem that bears his name, Beowulf can be classified as a static character, for he

The poet describes Beowulf as the mighty protector of men, exaggerating that he of all men is strong and brave enough to defeat the great monster Grendel. The author writes, “He was happy, Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them; Beowulf, a prince of Geats, had killed grendel, ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering, forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend” (Beowulf 349-355). This demonstrates Beowulf’s courage and his ability to defeat this monster and protect his people from evil. Clearly, Beowulf is an epic hero, for he uses his trait of being courageous to mentally have the will to physically defeat the monster

Since the beginning of time we’ve always needed a hero. Beowulf is an epic hero in the Middle Ages because he has superhuman strength, he is ethical, and most importantly he puts his life in danger to protect the safety of others. Beowulf was famous amongst the Geats, his people, for his bravery. Beowulf fought in many battles and showed his great character to others.

An epic poem is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. An example of an epic poem is, Beowulf. The author of the epic poem is unknown. An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem. In the poem, Beowulf, the character Beowulf is an epic hero.

Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English around 700 A.D. An epic poem tells the story of a heroic figure with the culture’s history, values, and to entertain the audience. The characteristics of an epic hero are special qualities, significant battle, and is aided with supernatural powers. Beowulf consist of all this characteristics throughout the poem that indicate that he is an epic hero. For example, “may the Divine lord / in His Wisdom grant the glory of victory” (685-686; Beowulf) demonstrates the supernatural powers that Beowulf is aided by God, which is actually his trust in God before going into battle. Another characteristic displayed in the poem is a Significant battle, “The hall clattered and hammered, but somehow survived the onslaught and kept standing:…”(796-771; Beowulf) this quote from the poem illustrated the difficult battle between Beowulf and Grendel. “When it comes to fighting, I count myself / as dangerous any day as Grendel” (677—8; Beowulf), “Mighty and canny”(736; Beowulf), and “Then down the brave man lay”(688; Beowulf) are all example of the Special qualities that portray Beowulf throughout the poem which are confident, boldness, strength, bravery, and intelligent. This epic hero characteristics also depict the values of an Anglo-Saxon, “The Anglo-Saxon also brought their own religious beliefs,…”(BBCHistory).

The epic poem Beowulf, is an Angelo Saxon tale that represents heroism and strength. This poem was written be an unknown poet between around 1000 A.D and showcases the heroic character named Beowulf who comes to save the land of Danes from the beast Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel and then faces his mother the evil monster who is killed as well and is viewed by all the people of Dane as a hero who can never be beaten. An evil Dragon comes and Beowulf is able to kill the Dragon but sacrifices his own life as he is killed by the Dragon’s poison. Beowulf is about more than heroism this epic poem shows true English narration, represents Angelo-Saxon religion, and depicts women’s roles in Anglo-Saxon society