What Is Beowulf A Hero

Throughout the story, Beowulf’s boasts resemble nothing less than a symbol of his arrogance. “…sailors have brought us stories of Herot, the best of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon hangs in skies the sun had lit, light and life fleeing together. My people have said, the wisest, most knowing and best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together, and I’ve come…I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall. 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. My lord

Another obvious heroic characteristic that Beowulf portrays is the defeat of monsters and other malevolence. He does this throughout the story, not only using brute force, but also cunning tactics, such as the time when he attacks Grendel’s extremely sensitive ears. Beowulf also disposes of Grendel’s Mother, using a gigantic sword in her lair to decapitate her, and ends the reign of terror on the Danes. Years later, after Beowulf is crowned King, his land is assailed by the Dragon. This epic battle proves just how valiant Beowulf actually is, going after the beast single-handedly, instead of endangering any of his men. It is a long, hard-fought battle, in which Beowulf contests with all his might. Beowulf ultimately kills the Dragon –rips out its heart-, but not without a price; the battle costs the King his life.

Beowulf’s strength is exemplified many times in the story. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty men in his mighty handgrip.” He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all but his last. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explains the reason he lost a swimming match with his opponent Brecca. Not only had Beowulf been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf is also strong enough to kill the monster Grendel with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s mother, he is able to slay her by slashing the monster’s neck with a giant sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf. When he chops off her head, he carries it from the ocean with no difficulty, but it takes four men to lift and carry it back to Heorot. This strength is a key trait of Beowulf’s heroism.

Beowulf’s strength is beyond any of human comparison and has allowed him to accomplish tasks that would have obliterated lesser men and gain renown throughout the world. Beowulf’s boasts of his strength are not to be received as prideful or egotistical but rather as a true representation of his power as Beowulf always fulfils his boasts. When Beowulf pledges to vanquish Grendel, he does not take it lightly and tells Hrothgar and his wife, Wealhtheow, that “..I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud victory or meet my death here in the mead-hall.”(636-638), showing that he is prepared to die, if needed, to defeat this hellish creature. Later that night, in his battle with Grendel, Beowulf showed his strength. “The Captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth… in all his days, he had never been clamped or cornered like this”(749-752,755-756). Beowulf’s strength surpassed that of even supernatural beings and allowed his to go on the offensive against a foe that had ravaged Heorot for years and thus allowed him to fulfill his boast. Beowulf power is brought out in his recitation of his deeds and again later actions against the mother of Grendel and a fire breathing dragon that threatens his home. In all of this fights, Beowulf is not seeking glory for himself, but

The last battle that Beowulf partook in was perhaps the most heroic of all. Although the battle ended his life, it proved that of all the men in the story, Beowulf was the only true Anglo-Saxon hero. All of his troops proved to be fickle. They abandoned him in a time when they were needed the most. Though his men lived, they lived as cowards, yielding to the dragon apprehended by all the Geats. Never the less, Beowulf’s strength of heart and mind gave him the will to fight the dragon, although none of his men were there to help him. In this part of the tale, Beowulf was older and his physical strength had dwindled. But despite this, his tremendous heroism remained. He fought the dragon to his death and died with a pride, gallantry and chivalry that no man at the time had

Beowulf’s next test of courage came when he fought Grendel’s mother in her lair, she like Grendel, has incredible size and strength. Grendel’s mother wants to get revenge for the murder of her son, Grendel. Beowulf jumped in the lake, leading to the lair, going after Grendel’s mother without any thought that would suggest the slightest hint of fear. After swimming in these murky waters Beowulf finds his enemy. “Swift she grappled and grasped the warrior with horrid grip, but could work no harm, no hurt to his body; the ring-locked

In a gesture of boasting (as archetypal heroes do), Beowulf put the monster’s arm on display like a trophy for all to see. Grendel was not dead, but Beowulf had caused significant damage to the creature.

Grendel’s mother kills Hrothgar’s closest advisor and took Grendel’s arm, which the Danes had hung on the wall as a symbol of victory. Beowulf takes this threat very personally and vows to defeat Grendel’s mother or die trying. Finally, Beowulf answers the call one last time, many years later in Geatland. Fifty years after defeating Grendel and Grendel’s mother, Beowulf had been king of Geatland for many years and happily rules over the Geats. A dragon destroys Beowulf’s mead hall while seeking revenge on an escaped slave who has stolen treasure from the dragon. Beowulf was an extremely prideful person and would not let the dragon go unscathed for destroying his mead hall. This is the third and final time Beowulf answers the call to his Hero’s Quest.

He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. “And if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac...”. Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all of them but his last. He understands that fate will work its magic no matter what, and he could be killed at any point in his life. He faces that reality by showing no fear and preparing for a positive or a fatal outcome.

Heroes are everywhere in human history. From modern examples such as Superman, The Avengers, to early history such as Hercules, or Ulysses. Beowulf is a great example of one of the early heroes written about. But what is a hero? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a hero as: "an object of extreme admiration and devotion; a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability." Beowulf has many of these characteristics including great strength, and is portrayed as a legendary figure by those who look up to him. Through the entire poem, he is the epitome of a hero and displays many heroic qualities. In the poem, it states: "He worked

He was defenseless and the dragon attacked him. He fell to the ground and was a beaten warrior. His elven warriors ran except for Wiglaf, was the only warrior to go back to his king. Beowulf and Wiglaf kill the Dragon. Beowulf was badly injured; he told Wiglaf to take the treasure and lead his people.

Beowulf is the prince of the geats, and he is called upon to fight a monster named “Grendel” who has been attacking for 12 years. Grendel attacks out of jealousy, anger, and hatred. The king of the deans called for beowulf the kill the monster. Beowulf gets there and wait grendel out while everyone sleeps. Beowulf sees grendel walk in and grendel takes one of beowulf’s men and tear him apart. Then, grendel goes for beowulf, beowulf grabs his hand and beings to fight back, and

The first thing that Beowulf is known for his almighty strength against the foul beast named, Grendel. Grendel can not be defeated with any one man’s weapon, so Beowulf decides to fight him with his bare hands. In the battle he fights the beast, holding on to his arm with all his might. He will eventually rip Grendel's arm off ,which no man has ever done, and forces Grendel into submission. Beowulf would show great strength against Grendel’s mom killing her with a giant's sword which no other man could even lift, not to mention a swift blow to her neck.

Beowulf’s last test of courage comes in his old age when his people are threatened by a “mighty” dragon. Beowulf felt as if something he had done had caused the irascible beast to wreck havoc on his people, “killing and destroying” them and their homes with its “molten” breath. Knowing what had to be done, Beowulf bravely faced the dragon, while all of his people, except for one, fled in fear. His last battle, which ended in death, displayed Beowulf’s unwavering courage, the type that every hero should possess.

Later in his life, Beowulf is himself king of the Geats, and finds his realm terrorised by a dragon whose treasure had been stolen from his hoard in a burial mound. He attacks the dragon with the help of his thegns or servants, but they do not succeed. Beowulf decides to follow the dragon into its lair, at Earnanæs, but only his young Swedish relative Wiglaf dares join him. Beowulf finally slays the dragon, but is mortally