Heroes Vs Beowulf

Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history, it was originally written in Anglo-Saxon, and it was told orally with many literary devices so it could be remembered throughout generations. It shows what their society was based on back in the Anglo-Saxon era. Although throughout history the poem has been changed to fit our modern day society. For example, having different values and morals and how we look at religion has all changed. In the Beowulf poem and movie there are many similarities and differences in Religion, Characterization, and Morals it highlights the value and beliefs of each society.

Beowulf, a legendary hero of Geatish lore, from the epic poem named after him, is the definition of a hero. There is one being who can be collated to Beowulf: the mighty Thor, god of thunder. Derived from Norse mythology, Thor is hot-headed, with an appetite for food and drink. He also is one of the strongest gods, serving as the protector of the people. Both of these characters share similar qualities in what some would define a hero, despite one being a man, and the other being a deity.

Beowulf’s triumphs are short lived due to another attack on Herot. This time, Grendel’s mother comes to the great mead hall to avenge her son. The battle between Grendel’s mother and Beowulf differs greatly from the previous battle with the beast’s son. After another attack, Beowulf now must seek out his new enemy, and fight her on her own turf. As it stood, the scores were even between the monsters and the Danes, but Beowulf now looked for victory over the monsters, not revenge. Beowulf also had to regain his reputation. He had just won a trophy, when the bigger, badder bully came up to him and took it straight from his grasp. Now Beowulf traveled to the burning lake, which proved a test of its own. He then swam to the bottom of the lake where the monster resided. All of this just to get to the monster shows that this brave hero would do anything to set the scores right for his people and for the glory that came with it.

This poem also uses a lot of religion throughout the story and so Beowulf is pretty much depicted as a god in the story. All he does is fight monsters and help people. The story is a combination of Christianity and warrior values. Beowulf is the amazing and well-known hero because of the battles that he’s been involved in and has won because he puts all of his own trust into the hands of god and that’s why he is such a good warrior. There are also some pagan values that Beowulf possesses which is things such as, loyalty, courage, strength, and just a good reputation among all the people that know him. Which makes him into such a great example of what a hero should exactly be like. Beowulf only survives through the protection he receives from god and throughout the entire story Beowulf countlessly acknowledges god as his one and only protector.

Beowulf’s departure is the first part of his journey. He announces to everyone that he will take on the challenge of fighting Grendel and when he announced this no one tried to stop him. They all honored him for being the brave warrior that he is and accepting a challenge that many before him had turned down. Many hero’s throughout literature have supernatural aid and Beowulf’s aid is his natural strength. There is no other like him on the earth and this truly shapes him into the strong hero figure he is and gives him the confidence to take on great challenges.

Beowulf is an epic poem you can relate to life today. He was like any other hero very brave, loyal and a really great leader. His followers looked up to him and obeyed him. Beowulf also had a few enemies, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing anything to keep his people save from the monsters. In this poem you would see several ways that shows Beowulf being a great hero.

This helps reassure Beowulf as an mighty, valiant hero rather than portraying him as a mediocre, ordinary mortal. The kingdom of Hrothgar is agitated and frightened by the attacks of the vile Grendel, who is unable to be defeated nonetheless harmed by a warrior's sword. “I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none”(Beowulf Poet 38). Grendel shrieks at the sound of jubilant music as well as the sounds of joy coming from Hrothgar’s mead hall. To compensate for this agonizing pain, Grendel decides he is going to kill some of Hrothgar’s men. Grendal murdering Hrothgar’s men reassures Grendel’s evil nature and his constant intent to carry out malice. Hrothgar looks far and wide for a brave, noble warrior who will help rid them of this behemoth. Beowulf accepts the strenuous task of obliterating the malevolent Grendel in order to retain the kingdom of Hrothgar and his people. Beowulf accepts Hrothgar’s task not for the wages he will receive, but for the bravery and honor that come with killing such a magnificent beast. The acceptance of this challenge bolsters the fact that Beowulf is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the people rather than a person of greed who is in it for their

In the Battle of Beowulf his battles where epic. Everyone praised Beowulf’s name and the stories of his heroic battles of the monsters he battled and defeated. Battles will forever be recognized and remembered.

The hero is an age-old concept that describes someone that will defend their honor to the end. In Beowulf, the author portrays the warrior Beowulf and his three battles in such a way as to clearly define what it means to be a hero. Fred Robinson and J. R. R. Tolkien addressed heroism in Beowulf regarding the warrior’s traits, as well as his battles and burial. The author of Beowulf defines the hero through Beowulf’s three battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. In this poem, each monster possesses a specific quality undesired by heroes. Beowulf battles anger/jealousy, vengeance, and greed/selfishness for the good of his Geat nation. As Beowulf fends off these anti-hero traits, he becomes capable of being a great leader of

Heroes willfully put their own life in the place of someone else’s. In other words, a hero risks their life for another person because they wish to benefit the society they live in. This creates a more superior society for the

Throughout the poem, Beowulf is very set on being the hero for the Danes and his people of Geatland. This first starts with the explanation of his battling with the sea monsters beforehand. The explanation came about through his argument as to why Beowulf can defeat the monster Grendel. “I swam into the blackness of the night, hunting monsters out of the ocean and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned,” (Beowulf ln 421-425). This explains how he had killed the sea monsters all by himself and how then with this “success” he can kill Grendel by himself without the help of Hrothgar’s men. The narrator also alludes to the fact that Beowulf may be stretching the truth about his victory in this battle because there seemed to be no witnesses to this event. This raises the argument that although Beowulf used this as an explanation supporting his claim of defeating Grendel, the declare of

Archetypal heroes are found in many literary works, and in varied forms. In literary terms, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is defined as a character that goes against adversity, has great strength, courage, bravery, and who makes unselfish sacrifices, usually for the greater good. The Collins English Dictionary defines “archetypal” as a perfect example of something. Archetypes in literature was first applied by Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist. Jung recognized patterns in mythologies and stories regardless of the time period that was covered by the literary work. Archetypal heroes present in various forms including warriors,

The modern day hero contributes positively to the society; he or she is a role model to different race, age and gender. In Beowulf, the king was in charge of the kingdom and he was obligated to fight with his warriors while the modern day, the President is in charge of the people but he does not fight with them in battle, he sends his soldiers off. Modern day heroes are not out looking for fame or fortune, they operate with great passion and drive to fulfill their dreams; if they get recognized for their great work, it is not publicized, it is done within the confines of the work environment. Modern day heroes do not depend on physical strength, they think of other ways to positively impact the society for example, Philanthropy is a great way to impact change in the community and philanthropist are seen as heroes in the eyes of the people they help. A person who donates his kidney to save

The Importance of Beowulf in Modern America By Jennifer Carley Modern culture and literature include many stories of great heroes and fictional adventures. Many people grow up reading about these great adventures and looking up to the heroes of the stories. Heroes are great roll models because they are portrayed as courageous and trustworthy individuals, two very admirable qualities. Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, life in modern America continues to bear resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon world of the hero Beowulf. The poem Beowulf, though written many centuries ago, still contains the same universal themes of any great action-adventure story in today's society. The poem is about a great hero who overcomes seemingly

“It’s not true that there are no heroes anymore…” (Oliver Stone SB 63) Heroes. Today when we hear heroes we think of superheroes with powers. but have we really thought what heroes really are? Heroes are your regular everyday people that work to the best of their abilities to make a difference in the world. A hero is not someone who thinks about themselves but someone who does things that they believe are right and are admired or idealized for their courage.