Beowulf The Anglo-Saxon Hero A typical hero is someone who is known to be very powerful and have unusual traits that no human being can withstand. They use their powers as an advantage to fight any crime and to protect humans from the bad. However, a hero can be characterized in two different ways; an epic hero or an Anglo-Saxon hero. A character name Beowulf can be characterized as an Anglo-Saxon hero more so than an epic hero because of his actions. Some criteria of the Anglo-Saxon hero is bravery and generosity. Beowulf shows bravery throughout the book Beowulf. Bravery is a very difficult thing to have because it can be very dangerous, or you could be risking your own life for the good of the people. However, the hero himself did …show more content…
This quotation shows bravery because Beowulf knew the dragon was much more powerful than him, but he took it upon himself to fight the dragon alone and risk his life to protect the people. Beowulf defeated the dragon but also lost his life while fighting for his people. He states, “So God/Gives guidance to those who can find it from no one/Else” (Beowulf 12-14). This quote is saying, how Beowulf will do what others will not do, he’s showing his bravery towards Hrothgar. The other criteria the Anglo-Saxon hero shows is generous. Beowulf defines the trait generosity. This shows you're not being selfish and you care for other people more so than yourself. A good example in the story Beowulf is, “ The people suffered ,everyone/Lived in terror, but when Beowulf had learned/Of their trouble his …show more content…
Beowulf showed the characteristic of loyalty. To be loyal you have to be reliable and you have to be very trustful. Beowulf shows loyalty when he says,“ I sought out Hrothgar, first,came to him in his hall;/When Healfdane's famous son heard/That I’d come to challenge Grendel,he gave me/A seat of honor alongside his son”(Beowulf 322-24). This shows loyalty to Hrothgar because he came to him to tell him he will fight Grendel and kill him, and he wanted to do it alone because he did not want anyone getting hurt. He did it for the safety of his people, and he stayed true to his word and killed Grendel. Beowulf also shows loyalty by the statement, “Beowulf ruled in Geatland/ Took the throne he’d refused,once/And held it long and well” (Beowulf 451-53). This resembled loyalty toward Beowulf because it shows how he stayed true to his word and can be trusted. The last characteristic Beowulf showed as an Anglo-Saxon hero was friendship. Beowulf resembled an enormous amount of friendship throughout the novel Beowulf. An example of friendship that the hero himself showed was, “He gave Herdred/ All his support, offering an open/Heart where Higlac's young son could see/Wisdom he still lacked himself ”(Beowulf 619-21). This is showing friendship by showing him support and helping Hendred like a friend would do. That is how Beowulf has the Anglo-Saxon hero characteristic. Beowulf is not a regular everyday
This shows bravery because he is fighting a creature who has sharp claws that have snatched up and killed 30 men with ease. One final trait that Beowulf shows would be strength. Beowulf demonstrates strength when in the epic poem it says '' That shepherd of evil,
Beowulf instead praises up for God and regrets about missing Grendel’s death (Beowulf 471-484). Beowulf’s loyalty makes him humble and being a real hero of Dane. This Beowulf’s trait also fits adequately to Anglo-Saxon’s hero archetype as
Beowulf’s integrity, like many “heroes” of the modern world, depends solely on his socalled bravery and willingness to risk himself for the sake of others. His quick response to the
For instance, in the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, the hero defeats evil creatures and saves his people. In his battles, Beowulf displays the heroic characteristics such as bravery, confidence, and selflessness. To begin, throughout the poem, Beowulf demonstrates bravery in a variety of
“A Hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”, quoted by Christopher Reeve. Beowulf however, tends to be an epic hero based on the definition of one. Beowulf was definitely a hero, not because of his super strength, smartness, or even his sword. But because when everyone backed down he was the one to step up & sacrifice his life to save others. “ Beowulf fights in various battles which shows his hero characteristics such as supernatural, bravery, and leadership.
In Burton Raffel's, epic poem, Beowulf, one of the main values that stand out is essentially culture. Beowulf, the hero of all hero’s shows this through his willingness to come so close to death day after day, his insistence on having humility and being loyal to people in need. As readers, we see that in Anglo-Saxon society Beowulf is a valuable hero. He seems to have all of the qualities that a hero expected to have. Traits such as honor, valor, respect and bravery all come very easily to Beowulf.
With those three qualities you can very much fit Beowulf into a hero mold. Of course every hero has to have other qualities, as Beowulf does, like Loyalty, Courage, Smarts, and Patience’s all that can clearly be seen in some way or manor in the epic story Beowulf. So, while Beowulf is different from other, more sought after, traditional heroes such as say Superman or Captain America, he is still a hero in the eyes of others and has many of the characteristic that would be seen in a traditional
Boasting and self-possession were another common custom of the Anglo-Saxons. (“Anglo-Saxon Warfare Group”). Beowulf represents a quintessential Anglo-Saxon hero through his confident poise, his willingness for self-sacrifice, and his tenacity through near-impossible odds. Beowulf possessed the trait of self-assurance, almost to the point of hubris. Beowulf quickly rose through the ranks and was entrusted by King Hrothgar simply by asserting himself as the leader and savior of the Danes.
For example, Beowulf displays loyalty by offering his services to Hrothgar because he feels in debt to him since Hrothgar once helped Beowulf’s father in the past (page 49, line 375-6). Another honorable trait that Beowulf possesses is generosity. When Beowulf returns to his home,
Beowulf is the obvious Medieval archetype, or paradigm, of a hero, and Lesslie Hall’s translation of Beowulf reflects that throughout the texts in the words and actions of Beowulf. Beowulf references his own “undaunted courage” (line 572) when describing his swimming race with Breca, and then later describes the warriors of Geatland (his home) as “heroes unnumbered.” In fact, Hall refers to Beowulf and his group of Geats as “heroes” nearly every time she mentions them throughout the story. His actions reflect his heroicism too, confronting the monster Grendel who no one else dares fight, conquering the throne of the Thanes, and eventually dying in battle, arguably the most heroic possible action for a warrior. Beowulf is possibly the epitome of a hero, in that he has totally shed his fear of death in favor of victory and eternal
Beowulf is an epic poem written many centuries ago about a legendary Anglo-Saxon figure named Beowulf. The epic tells of his struggles and battles as well as his life story. Beowulf is an example of a stereotypical Anglo-Saxon hero; this is shown through the qualities of his character, such as his physical strength and his moral fiber. Beowulf demonstrates the qualities that are deemed as important by the Anglo-Saxon people, such as compassion, strength, honor, glory, and courage. These qualities in Beowulf can be used as lessons that can be transferred to modern life; these lessons, such as the importance of integrity, loyalty, and courage, are still applicable to everyday life in the modern world.
An Anglo-Saxon hero is perfectly portrayed by Beowulf who contains values of Anglo-Saxons like bravery, loyalty, honor and the willingness to risk his life for the greater good of his people. The latter is primarily why he gains the trust of his people which is why he claims the title of King and therefore gets hold of power. While Beowulf is the symbol and representation of heroes in Anglo Saxons, we have multiple personalities who we consider as heroes. People who work, people who dream, people who act. Today, what we people believe in is that if you have money, you have everything.
Beowulf from Beowulf has very few things about him that are not chivalrous. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero and the Anglo-Saxon ideal of being strong, fearless, bold and loyal. One example of Beowulf being a chivalrous warrior is his bravery and courage. The evil demon Grendel has been terrorizing Herot for the past 12 years, so Beowulf wants to try and defeat him. When he arrives in Denmark Wulfgar greets him by saying “My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me to tell you that he knows of your noble birth and that having come bravely and are welcome.”
Beowulf's bravery was shown when he volunteered to help the Danes in their fight with Grendel, and not only did he stop there, but when he had defeated Grendel he stuck around for a little longer to slay Grendel's mother who had made herself known after the death of her
The Anglo-Saxon Hero Everyone is influenced by the world around them; the way one acts reflects that world. Every culture has their own hero and the way a hero reacts to certain situations reflects their upbringing and their values as a human being. In the epic of Beowulf, the main character Beowulf himself does not only portray characteristics of a traditional epic hero but he also displays the values and virtues of the Anglo-Saxon culture which include bravery, loyalty, selflessness, and honor. Bravery is a virtue not easily achieved, but throughout the course of this epic, Beowulf exhibits great bravery in everything he sets out to do.