Beowulf Epic Hero

Beowulf demonstrated another important Anglo-Saxon characteristic, bravery, when he fought the dragon. Beowulf knew he was old when he decided to face the dragon but did not back down from the fight at hand. He decided to stand and fight the dragon instead of running even when he knew he could not defeat the beast by himself. Like the true hero he was

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 an Anglo-Saxon hero because of many reasons, the first being because he had bravery and courage. “Have watched me rise from the darkness of war. Dripping with my enemy’s blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all that raced from the earth, I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean and killing them one by one.” (247-254). This quote shows that Beowulf had bravery and courage because he went up against all of these monsters that could have killed him very easily. Which is what heroes do, they fight monsters and creatures that can easily kill average people. Another quote that shows how Beowulf had the characteristics of bravery and courage is, “If weapons were useless he'd use his hands. The strength in his fingers." (506-507). This quote shows how he had the courage to depend on his superhuman strength to kill any monster that could not be defeated by weapons. One more quote that shows Beowulf’s courage is, “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer...For hours he sank through the waves.” (467-469). This quote shows that Beowulf had courage because he leapt into a lake not knowing what was waiting below the surface.

The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an Anglo Saxon hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters many monsters and horrible beasts, but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills are outstanding and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for glory which to him meant eternal life.

Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.

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.

An epic hero is someone who is of great importance, they have supernatural abilities, have some form of connection with the Gods, and accomplish great deeds. In Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is the epic hero in his tale and he is considered great by those who know of his life. There are two versions of his story which portrays him in a certain way. The video version does not do its best to portray him as an epic hero but instead show that he is a liar, a womanizer, and a coward. The written version does not portray him as such, it portrays him as someone who is strong, brave, and fearless. The written version best portrays Beowulf as an epic hero by showing his actions involving superhuman deeds in battle.

An epic hero, an Anglo-Saxon hero, a modern-day hero; A hero is is often defined by certain qualities, looked upon traits. We have heroes amongst our lives everyday, from saving a life to simply helping someone out. In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, Beowulf was the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The Anglo-Saxon code reflects much of the code of Chivalry, the code of the Samurai, to the modern-day code of just doing good. He embodied courage, honesty, loyalty, and much more, attributes that were all valued by the Anglo-Saxon code. Beowulf was truly an Anglo-Saxon hero of his time as he possessed all the traits of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

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.

Beowulf shows he is an epic hero in three ways. These characteristics of Beowulf are superior strength and courage, performing brave deeds, and that he went on a quest. To start off, Beowulf is an epic hero he if has superior strength. In this text, “Beowulf had pulled off Grendel’s arm out of its socket”(Nye PDF 76).

The traits of an epic hero are having noble lineage, travelling to vast settings, being capable of great feats, showing nationalism and pride, being an excellent warrior and finally, showing humility and pride. Beowulf is an epic poem from Anglo-Saxon culture written between the 8th and 11th centuries. Anglo-Saxons were a warrior and seafaring culture and the result is that they loved tales like Beowulf because of his bravery and warrior-like demeanor. In the epic poem of Beowulf, Beowulf, a young Geat warrior, travels to Denmark to defeat Grendel, a monster who is said to be a descendant of Cain. Beowulf also defeats Grendel’s mother and a dragon at the end of the story. Anglo-Saxons were intensely interested in their honor and legacy, which is something Beowulf is as well because he longs to be remembered after he is gone. In considering the definition of an epic hero, Beowulf is an ideal example of one because he fulfills all the parameters of the classical understanding of this type of hero.

When starting to peruse his battle against Grendel, Beowulf shows his courageousness through his words to Hrothgar. “‘I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I.’” (31) Even when Beowulf is preparing to fight a murderous monster, he has no fear. Beowulf is a prime example of an Anglo-Saxon hero because of his positivity and bravery going into his first potentially deadly battle. Fast-forwarding towards the end of his life, Beowulf continually shows his bravery through how he dares to battle the undefeatable.

Originating in the Anglo-Saxon period, the epic poem Beowulf portrays a legendary hero. Beowulf established the earlier form of heroism, and was then later introduced in to the English culture. Praised and admired by many people, Beowulf possesses several distinct traits that allow him to be defined perfectly as an ideal Anglo-Saxon hero; his eagerness to seek glory and fame, rather than richness and treasures, his loyalty and graceful attitude not only to his rulers but also to his followers, and his contradictory beliefs of faith and fate

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.

Beowulf is an example of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry. An epic poem is a narrative poem that that tells the stories of an amazing hero’s life. In Beowulf, great heroism is expressed through a character that travels extreme lengths to show his strength despite the odds he faced. The most prevalent characteristics are the features of heroic traits and the containment of grim realism. The first characteristics of heroic traits in Beowulf are seen on page ten when the writer said, “firm with our Lord’s high favor and his own bold courage and strength.