Beowulf vs Thor

Joseph Campbell dedicated his whole life researching patterns that appear in almost every hero story or movie. He discovered that there are a few basics stages that just about every hero character goes through. This cycle is called “the monomyth” or more commonly known as “the hero’s journey.” This paper will compare and contrast Beowulf and Shrek and how each fits into the monomyth. Every story that involves a hero will subsequently follow the concept of the Heroes Journey.

Beowulf can be compared to Marvel universe’s Thor. Marvel has revived and modernized the Norse god, Thor, for 21st century audiences. Thor and Beowulf both demonstrate incredible physical strength in battle against villains. In the section “The Battle with Grendel” Beowulf

Beowulf had 3 fights with different monsters : The Battle with Grendel, The Battle with Grendel’s Mother, and The Battle with the Dagon. In each fight, he used different weapons, methods, and techniques. He was rewarded with different trophies in each fight and was given more respect from his people.

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.

All cultures have heroes and heroines who are present in a variety of myths and legends. But what exactly does it take to be a hero? A hero is a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. Thor and Hercules are both perfect examples of heroes. Both heroes are from completely different cultures. Thor is from Norse mythology and Hercules is from Greek mythology. Despite their different cultures, they share many similarities. Although Hercules is from Greek mythology and Thor is from Norse mythology, the two heroes have many legends about their lives that make them heroic, reveal their culture, and exhibit similar archetypal elements.

Strength is without a doubt one of the most important traits which a hero should possess and the Anglo-Saxon’s felt the same way. Beowulf’s strength can be compared to that of the American comic book heroes, Superman and Batman, for he is deemed the “strongest and greatest of the Geats”. The first time that his strength is witnessed, not just spoken of, is when he kills Grendel by ripping the monstrous villain’s arm off. But his most notable display of strength occurs when he enters into combat with Grendel’s mother. When everything seems to be going all wrong for Beowulf, he spies a “heavy” sword hanging on the wall of her lair. With all his power and might, Beowulf drew the sword, “hammered by giants...and….so massive that no ordinary man could life it”, from its scabbard. He “lifts it high over his head”, the sword clasped

Thor is the god of thunder and said to be the strongest of all men and gods in both Marvel’s and Norse Mythology. He is described to be a protector, and a hero for

His transition demonstrates that a different set of values accompanies each of his two roles. The difference between these two sets of values are clear early on in the outlooks of Beowulf and King Hrothgar. The young Beowulf, having nothing to lose wants glory, while the older Hrothgar, who has a lot to lose, seeks protection for his people. Though these two outlooks are somewhat conflicting, each character tries to act like society indicates he should given his particular role in society.

Beowulf and Achilles are both heroes that have been in many battles in they time on this world but they were very different types of heroes with very different traits that made them heroes. Beowulf was self-less, fights fate, and calm will on the other hand Achilles was hot tempered, accepts fate, and selfish. Even with all the things that are different between them they had one big thing that both of them had braver which was one of the things you need to be a good hero.

In Literature there has been many types of heroes but the type of hero that stands out the most is an epic hero. People in todays culture must wonder “what is an epic hero?” well an epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem. The two most famous epic heroes in literature are Beowulf from the epic poem “Beowulf” written by the Anglo-Saxons and Achilles from the epic poem “The Iliad” written by Homer. Beowulf was a noble and brave warrior who defeated many gruesome monsters and was king of the Geats and Achilles was a skilled Greek soldier and also known as the invincible warrior.

The story of Beowulf is one of a great hero. Beowulf is a very generous person who is always willing to help out when people are in need. Over the course of the story, Beowulf ends up in three major battles: the battle with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother, and with the dragon. All of these battles were different in their style and the way Beowulf approached them was different. Beowulf also had different reasons to participate in each of the battles.

In Norse and Anglo-Saxon culture, a hero is typically perceived as having god like attributes and flaws. Along with these qualities, Norse and Anglo heroes are warriors that fight for their polis and are worshiped upon by their people. They are well known and develop such a reputation for themselves that is typically described as fearful but outstanding. One of the most notable Norse/Anglo-Saxon heroes is Beowulf, from the 8th century epic: Beowulf. Beowulf is a prime example of the Norse/Anglo hero, and contrasts immensely with Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit. Beowulf is the protagonist from the country of Geats. He is requested by Hrothgar, the kings of Danes, who requires help. Hrothgar 's great mead hall, Heorot, is said to be terrorized by the demon Grendel. Some historians say Grendel is a direct descendant of Cain, from the Bible. Beowulf eventually kills Grendel brutally. His mother seeks revenge and Beowulf

At fist there is Beowulf, who fights a monster. Then, you have King Hrothgar that is the “King” of the people or Danes (as they call it). Grendel and his mother both are crazy. Grendel is a demon, while his mother only known by “Grendel’s mother.” Then you have the dragon, which Beowulf fights.

Two different cultures, two different men but two great kings; Beowulf was described as "a hope for the people" (l. 13, 36). He was a hope for the Geats in his ability to lead, to fight and to inflict change. Even Hrothgar voiced to Beowulf that he "have heard no man of the age that you are utter such wisdom. You are rich in strength and ripe of mind, you are wise in your utterance" (ll. 1840-43, 77). After defeating Grendel and his mother, Hrothgar tells Beowulf this. This foreshadows that Beowulf will be a mighty king in the future. Both are men whom people counted on and looked to for guidance. Both exemplifying what a ferocious warrior resembled and what a true hero was. Hrothgar "was granted glory in battle, mastery of the field" (ll. 63-4, 38). Knowing from experience, the glory of being looked up to as a hero, Hrothgar warns Beowulf of pride and arrogance. He tells Beowulf a story about Heremod, a fighter once known for being brave and destroyed all obstacles that came his way but turned into a monster himself when he

Thor (Þórr) was one of the most well-known Nordic gods, known as an object hope to people. Combining his strength with his hammer made him a force to be reckoned with. Always ready to fight, he was able to travel rapidly between realms on his goat drawn chariot. Tjälvar (Þieluar), his servant is so important to many of Thor’s stories that he also seen as Þjálfi in Icelandic stories. Thor is a god that is often told of battling and triumphing over the evil doers, however it is written that he does find an adversary that would not be subdued too easily. While there are not many original texts of Thor, There have been numerous stories, artifacts, comics, and films completed in his name, which tell various events of this fictional character.