All people need someone to look up to, someone who motivates them, makes them feel safe, and can be their hero. The same was true for the people of sixth-century Scandinavia (Raffel “About Beowulf,” 39). They were a bellicose group of people because they were constantly trying to defend themselves from the unknown dangers that approached them, and they needed an epic hero to save them. An epic hero is a person in a story who comes in and saves the day. An example of an epic hero is the character Beowulf in the epic “Beowulf,”, translated by Burton Raffel. At this time, the Anglo-Saxons were scared of the unknown disasters and evil in their lives. The were afraid of invasions, natural disasters, monsters, and the unknown. Beowulf was …show more content…
In many occasions through the epic of “Beowulf,”, Beowulf has exhibited superhuman qualities. During the battle of Grendel’s mother, Beowulf picked up a sword “so massive that no ordinary man could lift”(Raffel lines 533). In this line, Beowulf proves his superhuman strength, which is one of many of his superhuman qualities that he exhibits throughout the story. Beowulf has also proven to be larger that life. Beowulf’s “followers and the strongest of the Geats-greater/ and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”(lines 110-111). Any group of strong warriors needs a stronger leader and this larger than life group of people have Beowulf as their leader. An epic hero needs to be larger than life and be superhuman, as Beowulf has shown throughout the epic. Beowulf clearly fills the role of being an epic hero when it comes to having superhuman strength and being larger than life. To be an epic hero, one must also be noble and be and example for their culture and …show more content…
Epic heroes need to have connections to people of power to prove their nobility. Beowulf blazoned that his “father/ was a famous soldier, known far and wide/ as a leader of men”(lines 174-176). Back in the time of Beowulf, people explained their connections to important people, sometimes even despots. By Beowulf stating his relation to a famous soldier, he confirms his nobility presenting himself as an epic hero. Epic heroes are looked up to by their people, thus they present elements of their culture and heritage. Beowulf came to Hrothgar “with gleaming armor, going safely/ In that oak-hard boat”(lines 130-131). Both armor and sailing the sea was important components to their culture. Beowulf proves to be noble and he reflects his cultural heritage like an epic hero. Now to become an epic hero Beowulf must go on a quest and prove his courage, virtue, and
“Epic heroes possess qualities that mere mortals lack. Bravery beyond compare, superhuman intelligence, strength or skills and a driving desire to find success.” This is a description of what an epic hero is and it perfectly describes Beowulf and his actions throughout the story. Anglo-Saxon heroes are willing to risk their lives in order to do what’s right. Beowulf went to battle
During the time of anglo-saxon culture there is certain virtues that everybody must display to be considered an epic hero during that time period. Epic heroes are individuals that are good in society and they usually go out on journeys to defeat evil with god on their side. Beowulf is the main character in the story Beowulf and he's considered to be an epic hero because he displayed the virtues in anglo-saxon culture, this resulted in having his name passed down. Beowulf relied on the virtues to succeed in life because, if he failed to display them to be considered an epic hero his name and ruling in Geatland would cease to exist.
Epic heroes can have many different characteristics. Some heroes may even be mean. In this story our hero is Beowulf. Beowulf is a great epic for being so brave, fearless, and trustworthy.
Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They show great bravery, intelligence, strength and resourcefulness. They have a strong admiration for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they
True heroes are brave and bold. They often sacrifice themselves in order to save many others. In a multitude of works of literature, heroes are common and often symbolize the good of humanity and the strength of self. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the character Beowulf, the defender of Geat and Herot, clearly exemplifies the traits that mark an ideal hero. Beowulf’s strength, quest for glory, and egocentric personality characterize him as a true hero.
This shows why Beowulf is an epic hero because of his superior strength because to pull an arm socket off it would take 7Kn(Newton) to 30Kn, indefinitely it would at least take 1543 pounds and 3.77 ounces to 6746 pounds and 2.32 ounces. This means that Beowulf is a superhuman and an epic hero almost always superhuman. For another reason why Beowulf is an epic hero is because he has courage. In this text, “Beowulf shrugged. “My sword?
While the initial judgments of the main character Beowulf were that he was seen as the hero of the fictional epic poem “Beowulf” by an anonymous writer, this assertion may be skewed with the information of the reasonings alluded by the narrator as to why this character vanquished the monsters. The evidence of Beowulf showing that his actions of slaying the monsters were for the prominence of the title shows that Beowulf cannot be portrayed as a true hero for he did not have the selfless characteristics a warrior at this timeline would usually be seen possessing.
Another way in which Beowulf represents a characteristic of an epic hero is he travels and fights with a group of people. “So Beowulf chose the mightiest men he could find,/ The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen/ In all,” (ln. 119-122). Beowulf personally chose the warriors he journeys with himself; although Beowulf is generally the one to conquer the monsters, these soldiers are with him through all of his battles. In The Battle With Grendel, all of the men are sleeping in Herot; yet, when Grendel appears, Beowulf is the one to fight and execute him. The story is similar in The Battle With Grendel’s Mother; his men follow him to the edge of the lake, yet he is the one to explore the lake and fight and kill Grendel’s mother. Likewise, in The Last Battle when Beowulf fights the dragon, he begins fighting with all of his men, yet all but one abandon him. Beowulf obtains a strong group of people that he travels with, yet ultimately he solves problems himself.
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.
Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They have a noble birth and show great bravery. They display great intelligence and resourcefulness. They have a reverence for G-d and for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they conquer evil (Vivone 9/27/99). In addition to Beowulf’s heroic qualities, he is very strong. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty [men] in his mighty handgrip” (Bloom 11). Early proof of Beowulf’s extraordinary strength is evidenced by his dismemberment of Grendel’s limb, the fight in the cave under water, and the
Beowulf is a true epic hero because he is fearless, very strong, and well honored. Beowulf portrays all of the traits of a hero throughout the epic. He never hesitated to kill a monster, or even to give a helping hand at any time. He could always back up his boast with perfection. Beowulf is not a god, or a supernatural man, but he was the closest man to
The main characteristics of an epic hero are strength, courage and loyalty. Beowulf demonstrates his strength in his battle with Grendel. With his extraordinary strength, Beowulf is able to bend back the claws Grendel “as Beowulf leaned up on one arm” (Beowulf line 190), and he keeps hold of Grendel’s hands long enough for Grendel to eventually fight back so hard his arm rips off. Not only is he strong enough to defeat Grendel with his bare hands, but Beowulf also lifts the sword of a giant to defeat Grendel’s mother. He courageously volunteers himself into battle with “A powerful monster, living down / In the darkness” (34-35). This monster also has a mother who is stronger than him, but Beowulf does not fear. Beowulf courageously goes down to the darkness where their den lies and comes up with Grendel’s head and the handle of the sword he uses to kill Grendel’s mother. Later in life, “Beowulf [utters] his final boast: / “ I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought / in endless battles. I am old, now, / But I will fight again” (483-486). Beowulf utters his final boast before he courageously goes into his final battle which he loses to the dragon. In loyalty to the men that serve him, Beowulf makes sure that if he does not return from his battle with Grendel’s mother they will be able to return to their homeland. He
An epic hero displays bravery, courage, and strength. An epic hero also wants to achieve immortality through heroic actions. Beowulf can be categorized as a legendary epic hero. There are many things that prove Beowulf is an epic hero in the poem. He proves that he is an epic hero through his heroic actions that occur throughout the poem.
Beowulf is known as an epic hero because he has many great leader qualities. Beowulf is loyal, generous, and brave. He shows these characteristics in different ways within the story.
An Epic Hero is a brave, noble character in an epic poem, and they are admired for great achievements or affected by a grand event. In another point of view, A Epic Hero has to have strength, faith and Braveness in order to perform heroic deeds. In the story Beowulf , Beowulf is an epic hero because he kills Grendel the monster, Grendel’s Mother and a dragon that no one else could have defeated. All the things Beowulf did throughout this story showed evidence of an epic hero, also with his personality and dedication. Beowulf is an epic hero because of how he sacrificed his life to perform heroic deeds. Also for his extraordinary strength, Braveness, and Faith.