Beowulf: The Anglo-Saxon Culture

Hrothgar, the king of the Danes is faced with the issue of a horrible monster, Grendel tearing apart his soldiers and causing bloodshed. This is where Beowulf comes along, he is prepared with his men to defeat this monster and when the time comes Beowulf is more than ready to face him. Beowulf

Beowulf, the main character of the heroic epic poem Beowulf, conveys fundamental examples for leaders in many aspects of life. Many of the stated ideals are pertinent to a leaders time as a warrior and as a king. In the beginning of the story, Beowulf, the hero of the Geats, aids the Danes and King Hrothgar whose people are harassed by a demon, Grendel. After Beowulf destroys Grendel and his mother, he returns to Heorot, the court of Hrothgar, for a feast of happiness. Here, King Hrothgar gives a speech that advises Beowulf how he should lead his people in the future. Hrothgar’s advice to Beowulf details how he should be the protector of his people and lead them with truth, justice, and tradition as the

In the epic poem of Beowulf, many leadership skills and attributes are demonstrated. Beowulf, as the leader of his band of warriors, makes the evidence of excellent leadership skills clear. He sets an example for his band by being a protector of his people in which, he came to them in a time of need (McArthur). He also upholds the standards of truth and justice by taking the life of Grendel (McArthur). Beowulf also leads his band by having an inspirational vision through his behavior and actions (Loughman). His confidence in his abilities is another factor that plays into his role as a leader (Loughman).

Beowulf accomplished what may be the most difficult of all challenges in today’s times, he was able to aid other countries in times of need and respectfully communicate with them as well. After hearing word of Grendel’s attack, Beowulf decided to sail to Denmark and help defend Hrothgar’s people. In doing so, Hrothgar praised Beowulf and vowed to him that there was to always be an alliance between the Geats and the Danes from that day, forward. Beowulf was also idolized for the great amount of riches he brought to his people. After defeating Grendel, Hrothgar indulged Beowulf in a tremendous amount of riches. Instead of keeping the generous reward for himself, he took the riches home and gave them over to his king, Higlac, in hopes that the gifts would benefit his people. Beowulf was designated the king of the Geats for 50 winters, and always went to great lengths to protect his people. When dangerous situations arose, he stepped up to the plate and defended his people, no matter what the cost. In his old age, Beowulf made the ultimate sacrifice. He battled the dragon, and eventually met face-to-face with death. As a leader, Beowulf sacrificed his life in protection of his people; his heroic sacrifice is the ultimate demonstration of how an epic hero defends their people and serves as a positive influence in their culture.

Even though Beowulf knows that he could lose his life, he is concerned about what will happen to his people should he die. Beowulf makes Hrothgar promise him that if he dies he, Hrothgar, will look after his warriors and make sure no harm comes of them. Lastly, Beowulf is offered a position of leadership by Hrothgar for his courageous efforts at saving his people. "In all things you are even-tempered, prudent, and resolute. So I stand firm by the promise of friendship we exchanged before. Forever you will be your people's mainstay and your own warriors' helping hand" (Heaney 1705-1708). Beowulf's ability to protect his people without any care of losing his own life made him a true hero and also gave him the qualities of a great leader.

Beowulf is a model of leadership for our own times because he is very courageous and his strength is super human like. His skills and traits would not be good in our times though because a leader of a nation in our time doesn’t need to be very courageous and very strong to fight off people or go to war.

Beowulf, the leader of the Geats warrior tribe, portrayed the perfect type of hero. It is obvious that he portrays the natural hero role through his confidence and strength. He first displays his leadership skills whenever he felt called to come help Hrothgar and his monster problem. By using his strength, he defeated Grendel. His loyalty came about when Grendel’s came back and terrorized the town and hurt the king’s best companion. Beowulf continued to fight because he felt that this was his responsibility. Beowulf also portrays loyalty to his homeland by giving his gifts to the the king and queen. When King Higlac died, the position of King was presented to Beowulf. But he denied the position because the King’s son was still alive and deserved to the rightful heir to the throne. But

Beowulf is the hero of all. He has courage, strength, and is considered the prince of the Geats. He always stand by his word no matter what happened, no matter if he must risk his physical integrity for it. He likes to be there for the people that need his help to be saved from the evil. He is willing to risk his own life in order to save the life of his ideals, and that selfless help identifies his heroic identity and character. He defeats three monsters, two of them were the descendants of Cain, demonstrating his capabilities of performing great feats of strength and courage. This heroic icon demonstrates how brave he is, not only with himself but with other people that need his useful help and he is always there to help others, using his ability of strength and courage.

The tale of Beowulf has been taught and studied for hundreds of years. As such, it only makes sense logically that scholars should discern certain lessons from the text, relevant to the original tellers’ lives and to our own. Throughout the poem, we see examples of leaders in Hrothgar and Beowulf, both epitomizing great leadership and displaying characteristics that people could learn from today. Beowulf shows us that a great leader inspires courage in his followers, remains true to his word, can swallow his pride, and rewards loyalty and acts of valor.

A huge part of being a charismatic leader is contributing acknowledgement to who ever deserves it. Also to not subsidize all pride to him self, but Beowulf was not that kind. In the story Beowulf states, “No one else could do what I mean to, here, no man but me could hope to defeat this monster. No one could try. And this dragon's treasure, his gold and everything hidden in that tower, will be mine or war will sweep me to a bitter death!” pg. 63”. This quote illustrates Beowulf desires all the glory to him self and he contemplates that no one else

     Beowulf displays the qualities of a good leader that were mentioned in the speech given by Hrothgar. The speech speaking of the vices and virtues of great political leaders contains many of the same qualities that Beowulf embodies. His boastfulness, generosity and kindness are evidence that he is a good leader and provides for his people. Although the qualities he posses may not be the best-fit qualities of a common man, they are admirable qualities of a strong leader.

Beowulf’s charismatic leadership style is adequate for him to achieve the role he deserves over the Danes, although it comes along with several drawbacks. Beowulf comes to power by being a courageous figure that comes to help the Danes in their time of need. He often brags about his courageous acts to show his greatness, we see this when he is confronted by Unferth, "The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen and courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere" (590-594). After defeating Grendel, the Danes look to him as their invincible hero

Beowulf exhibits many obvious heroic qualities, such as his strength and confidence in battle. These along with more subtle diplomatic actions serve to define him as both a great warrior and leader.

What others deem impossible, a hero makes possible. There are only a few great heroes that come about in this time and Beowulf is definitely one of them. He is a great warrior and leader, a perfect description for him. Heroes only came along once in a while in this culture but it was well known when they did.

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