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The Definition Of A Hero In Beowulf

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Hero, a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. As well as a person who in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, bravery, or strength often sacrificing their own personal concerns for a greater good. While there is a basic definition for hero, people may have different ideas of what it means to be a hero. While we tend to favorite the idea of a well dressed superhuman like Superman or Captain America. A hero can be a firefighter, a man in spandex and a cape, a Geatish warrior, legendary knight and king, or a protective archangel. All of them have the basic underlying definition previously stated. Now that we have covered the basics of a hero and established a somewhat simple definition for it. I would like to go back to heroes of British literature and discuss the popularized definition of them have changed over time.
First, I would like to start with Beowulf, a heroic epic about an a Geatish warrior during the Anglo-Saxon times. Beowulf is respected and could even be called a legend in some places. He fights in the name of his king and for his men. He even goes out of his way to help other kings and kingdoms. Beowulf goes through the whole heroic journey. He fights of powerful and magical monsters such as Grendel, a demonic man eating outcast. Grendel is not Beowulf’s or his king’s problem. However, he goes out of his way to protect others, even when they question his strength and courage.

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