The Anglo-Saxon Archetype Of Beowulf As An Epic Hero

The courage and bravery that the character of Beowulf exemplifies throughout the epic, demonstrates reasons as to why he would reign as a strong king as time goes on. The reader learns quickly how important the act of being courageous is to the epic of Beowulf, as it is made clear in the first lines of the epic, stating, “So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by / and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. / We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns” (34. 1-3). The first few lines of Beowulf immediately use the act of courage as the definitive form of greatness. The Danes

“Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." This is a quote from Beowulf showing his courage and strength. Beowulf is the hero in this story. He proves this throughout the story by showing his strength, defeating villains and his great deeds. Anglo-Saxons describes a hero as someone who is strong and courageous as well as kind and generous. Epic Heroes also are extremely glorified and have a lot of fame and fortune. Beowulf shows throughout the story that he has all of these characteristics and this is what makes him an epic hero.

Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions in an adventure to repay a debt owed by his father to Hrothgar, a Danish king. A gargantuan monster that is terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead hall is Beowulf’s target and Beowulf sails across the sea to aid his father’s

Similarly to the great kings during the Anglo-Saxon time period, Beowulf is a great warrior who achieves many victories such as his battle with Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and the Dragon. He recognizes his own abilities and uses it to help others such as Hrothgar’s men, the Danes. The amount of strength that he has to battle one on one with the creatures that others deem unkillable is extraordinary. In his battle with Grendel, he uses his own tactics to gain victory and kill him. The text says, “The battle was over, Beowulf had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped, but wounded as he was could flee to his den…” (340-342)

An epic poem is a narrative poem telling the heroic accomplishment of a legendary hero. Epic hero is a hero who fights many battles and leaves a legacy. Beowulf is a true example of an epic hero. Beowulf was an epic hero because he showed courage, boastfulness, and loyalty.

According to the definition, a hero is one who embodies the values of their society. In the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous author, the character Beowulf is used to convey the value that Anglo-Saxons placed on courage, strength, and loyalty.

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

The model epic hero describes an immortal that can be a super human and that is better than regular human. Also, is an history myth, or a legend. The Epic hero Beowulf symbolize a man from the Anglo-Saxon time. Beowulf is a hero who represent a super-man that have power, love for his people, and courage.

Epic heroes are brave and noble characters who people admire for their great achievements. In John Gardner’s Grendel, Gardner portrays Beowulf as a stranger who defeats Grendel by ripping off his arm, whereas in Seamus Heaney’s translation of the epic poem Beowulf, he is characterized as hero because of his overall strength and courage. The first person point of view in Grendel emphasizes how Beowulf is superior, yet he shares some characteristics with Grendel. The third person point of view in Beowulf commends Beowulf for being a hero, but neglects to emphasize how his actions falsely represent his true selfishness. After considering the tone and point of view in Grendel by John Gardner and the Anglo-Saxon values showed in the translation of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is not an epic hero because he sacrifices other Danes lives in order to kill Grendel and results to use of revenge.

What defines a hero? Is it their physical or mental strength, is it their ability to influence, or is it their willingness to help others? In the epic poem "Beowulf" the definition of what a hero in Anglo Saxon culture is found throughout the poem in many places. The hero in "Beowulf", Beowulf demonstrates exactly what it takes to be a great hero in Anglo Saxon culture through his 3 battles in the poem. The battles that Beowulf goes through shows all the traits that are important to be a hero in Anglo Saxon culture.

In Raffel’s translation of the epic poem Beowulf , Beowulf is an epic hero, as he epitomizes all the traits and elements of a hero. The protagonist possesses supernatural qualities that are unusual to humankind and are an advantage, as he is set on a quest to prove his worthiness and capability of defeating mythical creatures. However, his pride got the best of him and fate dictates that his life must come to an end.

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

Beowulf is the classic hero archetype, his personality and heroics lauded and replicated in literature to this day. However, the same cannot be said about the Northern Anglo-Saxon society that fashioned him. A thorough dissertation of Beowulf exposes a society principally centred on opulence, strife, vengeance, brutality, superstitions, and chauvinism although underlying positive aspects subsist. Often disguised as “honor, glory, might and wealth” battle glory, affluence and retribution were rudimentary aspects of life for the Ring Danes, Geats and other pagan Anglo-Saxon warriors.

The Anglo-Saxon Hero A true hero is defined to be a person of great bravery and courage who has incredible qualities and is admired for having these character traits. An Anglo-Saxon hero is someone who has great leadership capabilities, is willing to provide for his people, and will be willing to run head first into danger despite the possible harm that may come of them. Anglo-Saxon heroes were usually kings or thanes, mainly because they distinguished themselves above their peers through proving their loyalty to the community and gaining the respect of those surrounding them. These leaders have to be willing to put their own lives in danger or on hold to benefit others.

The Anglo-Saxons’ cultures and traditions are rooted in their beliefs of the perfect hero. Their ideal hero has many key characteristics influenced by their culture including courage, strength, bravery, thick skin, loyalty, humbleness, and the ability to create strong trustworthy friendships. Beowulf is an epic poem that exhibits the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero. The Anglo-Saxon traditions illustrated in Beowulf accurately represent the Anglo-Saxon traditions of the time period. This is accomplished through the distinct correlation of heroic characteristics between Beowulf and the culture’s traditional depiction of an Anglo-Saxon hero.