Beowulf's Physical Strength

One example of Beowulf’s strengths was no other man could do the same tasks, and fight the battles he fought. Beowulf goes into many battles throughout his lifetime. Also, the quote in line 505-506 “If weapons were useless he’d use his hands, the strength in his fingers”. Beowulf also lifts the giant forged sword from the wall and swings it hard enough to cut of Grendel’s mothers head. A sword that is described as “so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated lengths.

Beowulf, like many modern heroes such as the ones we see in movies and read about in comic books has an unnatural amount of strength. Take superman for example, he has superhuman strength. Although Beowulf does not have the same amount of strength as superman he still has more than the average human. This gives him a typical “hero” trait that many people are familiar with today.

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.

Beowulf demonstrates a supernatural amount of strength throughout the epic. Beowulf defeats many monsters with his strength. “The tears torn out of Grendel’s / taunt throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms / of him who all of the men on earth / was the strongest” (Beowulf 469-472). This quote demonstrates that Beowulf is able to out power any monster

Beowulf’s strong abilities allow him to lift a sword made for the giants. Although Beowulf is like Incredible Hulk, they also have differences. Unlike Incredible Hulk, Beowulf is not mean. Beowulf cares for his country and only strives to protect them. Incredible Hulk is mean, and bullies anyone in his way. People run away from Beowulf, just like they would Incredible Hulk. People runaway from them because they are scared of their strengths. “Grendel’s one thought was to run from Beowulf…”(Raffel, 1963, l.330-331). Beowulf is capable of lifting very heavy things, and which make him very powerful to the world.

In Beowulf’s Society, physical strength was thought of a man who could conquer anything that he would be faced with, such as a monster like Grendel. Another example from Beowulf, is when he says to Unferth “I was the strongest swimmer of all” (Heaney 534). This shows that Beowulf was

To begin with, One of Beowulf’s characteristics for being an epic hero would be his strength. Beowulf first killed Grendel, which no one else could defeat because Grendel was too powerful. Then, Beowulf killed Grendel’s Mother who was defeated by Beowulf’s bare hands because his sword wasn’t powerful enough to kill her. Last, Beowulf defeated the Dragon by taking his heart from his body which is something no one else could have done. Beowulf’s dedication and strength set forth to him being able to defeat the dragon. "I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death, like Grendel, Gripped in my hands and torn limb from limb." (42). This quote means that when Grendel couldn’t be defeated by any weapons, Beowulf made it simple and said that he was going

Beowulf’s strength is beyond any of human comparison and has allowed him to accomplish tasks that would have obliterated lesser men and gain renown throughout the world. Beowulf’s boasts of his strength are not to be received as prideful or egotistical but rather as a true representation of his power as Beowulf always fulfils his boasts. When Beowulf pledges to vanquish Grendel, he does not take it lightly and tells Hrothgar and his wife, Wealhtheow, that “..I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud victory or meet my death here in the mead-hall.”(636-638), showing that he is prepared to die, if needed, to defeat this hellish creature. Later that night, in his battle with Grendel, Beowulf showed his strength. “The Captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth… in all his days, he had never been clamped or cornered like this”(749-752,755-756). Beowulf’s strength surpassed that of even supernatural beings and allowed his to go on the offensive against a foe that had ravaged Heorot for years and thus allowed him to fulfill his boast. Beowulf power is brought out in his recitation of his deeds and again later actions against the mother of Grendel and a fire breathing dragon that threatens his home. In all of this fights, Beowulf is not seeking glory for himself, but

unless the burning embrace of a fire engulf it in flame” (777-781). This shows his strength was outstanding when he fought with Grendel. Another example is when Beowulf’s duty is to fight in battles against people or creatures, he does not deny a challenge. In the poem, it states “Inspired again by the thought of glory, the war-king threw his whole strength behind a sword-stroke and connected with the skull” (2677-2680). This shows his strength and his values because Beowulf is keeping in mind that he has fame and glory to gain, so he fights every battle he is ordered.

Beowulf’s virtues of courage and strength appear throughout the poem during his life as a warrior and as a king. He begins the story with courage and “the strength of thirty / in the grip of each hand” (380-381), which are vital to his accomplishments as a warrior. His courage and strength are apparent when he fights Grendel without the use of weapons. Both virtues are crucial to his success in that battle and lead him to become a leader of wisdom and stature. As king of Heorot he uses his courage and strength in the battle against the dragon. Before the fight he has a feeling of uncertainty and it is stated “He was sad at heart / unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. / His fate hovered near, unknowing but certain: / It would soon claim his coffered soul.” (2419-2424). His sense of forthcoming death may illustrates a lack of confidence in his ability to slay the dragon; however, it also shows tremendous courage by involving himself in an unevenly matched fight. Although his physical strength may have abandoned him in his last fight against the dragon, his courage and wisdom intensified his glory beyond his death.

Beowulf was very, very strong as heroes are. The evil monster was shocked at the strength of Beowulf, not expecting to encounter one with such strength. Beowulf ripped the monster’s arm off. (Line #__) . Fearful for his life, Grendel struggled to free himself from the grip of Beowulf. “Grendel’s one thought was to run from Beowulf and flee…” (314-315). Great strength, as exhibited by Beowulf and recognized by Grendel, is yet another characteristic of an ultimate hero.

During the fight with Grendel, Beowulf displays absurd vitality throughout his battle. For example, Beowulf exhibits his superpower by tearing the arm of Grendel. In the text, Beowulf has profound strength by tearing apart Grendel’s arm from his shoulder, “ Hygelac’s kinsman kept him helpless/ locked in a handgrip… The monster’s whole body/ was in pain, a tremendous wound/ appeared on his shoulder” (Heaney 812-816). Nonetheless, Beowulf 's strength is remarkable, because Beowulf is capable of tearing apart the arm of an monster who murdered thirty men during his first appearance at the mead hall. Not only that, no mere mortal is capable of slaughtering the villainous fiend that haunts the mead-hall, nor possesses the fortitude to challenge the beast. Furthermore, Beowulf reveals his might by crushing the bones of Grendel. During his fight with Grendel, Beowulf is capable of crushing Grendel's bone, "Every bone in his body/ quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape" (Heaney 753-755). Therefore, this feat is astonishing since bones are considered one of the strongest structures in the human body, and he presents his powers by shattering the bones of the malevolent demon, Grendel. Additionally, Beowulf displays his vigor by defeating Grendel with his bare hands despite Grendel unable to be wounded by

In the poem, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without weapons and to only use his bare hands. “Behind some broad linden shield: my hands Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (267-269).Using only your hands to battle someone not only shows the bravery of him, but shows super strength because bare hands have a small strength to them unlike swords that have an amazing amount of strength. Beowulf decides to show the other Geats how it is really done. Within the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf uses a sword to defeat her named Naegling. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their the best of all weapons, but so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length. He drew it from its scabbard, broken the chain on its hilt, and then savage, now, angry and desperate, lifted it over his head and struck with all the strength head left, caught her in the neck and cut through”(530-539). Naegling is one of the most heaviest swords that needs a lot of power to hoist and obtain its strength. Beowulf used all of his might and God was able to give Beowulf the strength he needed to lift Naegling with its cover and use it against Grendel’s mother. Before even fighting in her lair, Beowulf uses his lung strength to stay underwater for hours while killing the other sea monsters. Normally, people cannot hold their breathe for so many hours underwater. Beowulf used his lungs which takes a lot of effort to hold his breathe and he was able to breathe successfully after he got out of the water once he defeated Grendel’s mother which proves that he has strength not only in his arms, but everywhere else in his

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

Fortunately Beowulf was ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father, to Hrothgar. This Geat warrior possesses almost miraculous qualities: “He was the strongest of men alive in that day, mighty and noble.”  Upon spotting Beowulf approaching, the sea-guard of the Danes says, “Never have I seen a greater man on earth…”  King Hrothgar of the Danes says of Beowulf, “Seafarers who took gifts to the Geats say that he has the strength of 30 men in his hand grip.” Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel by himself and without shield or weapons; previously the hero slew nine sea monsters with his sword. And he is fully willing to sacrifice his very life for this: “… I alone will fulfill the wish of your people … or die in the foe’s grasp.” Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day