Beowulf: A Hero In The Anglo-Saxon Era

Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.

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.

Being a great leader can depend on what circumstances are given and how they are handled. It can also fall upon the leader to be devoted, strong, humble, caring, and to be there when people need help, no matter the situation. Even in modern day, a leader has a duty to protect his/her followers, in order to stay in command and gain his/her trust and commitment. The Anglo-Saxon hero demonstrates these qualities by relying on his mental strength to overcome his age to defend and physical strength to hunt and destroy evil threats for the people who can not defend themselves. Future leaders can also use Beowulf as an example and can base their own leadership styles off of his characteristics.

The epic-poem, Beowulf is an adventurous and bold account of the trials and tribulations of an Anglo-Saxon hero. The main character in the poem, Beowulf, encounters three monsters throughout the poem that are enraged for three different reasons, which cause them to wreak havoc on society. First, he faces Grendel who is an angered social outcast of the Heorot community. Next, he defeats Grendel’s mother who is out to avenge her son’s death. And lastly, he faces his death when he fights the Dragon who awakens from his deep sleep very angry from being burgled. In this epic-poem written in the eighth century, Beowulf is portrayed to be an extremely heroic figure to the people of the Heorot and Hygelac societies because of his braveness to

An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. The epic hero of a story embarks on a quest in search of fame and glory, and encounters challenges throughout their journey. No matter the adversity, the epic hero maintains bravery and courage, never backing down. However, what the epic hero does not know is that the “real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge” (Foster 3). In the epic Beowulf, Anonymous employes the affection of a king, bravery in battle, an eternal quest and a lasting legacy to show Beowulf as an epic hero.

An epic hero, an Anglo-Saxon hero, a modern-day hero; A hero is is often defined by certain qualities, looked upon traits. We have heroes amongst our lives everyday, from saving a life to simply helping someone out. In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, Beowulf was the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The Anglo-Saxon code reflects much of the code of Chivalry, the code of the Samurai, to the modern-day code of just doing good. He embodied courage, honesty, loyalty, and much more, attributes that were all valued by the Anglo-Saxon code. Beowulf was truly an Anglo-Saxon hero of his time as he possessed all the traits of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

As the Martian Manhunter once said, “The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight”. This modern day superhero mentality, that fighting the good fight is worth it because it is the right thing to do is seen everywhere today. Movies, comic books, and videos games come out yearly featuring superheroes who fight for justice using their superhuman abilities. They possess characteristics such as bravery, strength, a stong moral compass, and loyalty. Interestingly, these modern day superhero traits can be traced all the way back to the Anglo-Saxons were the first hero ever, Beowulf lived. It is Beowulf who not only exemplifies modern day hero traits, but he more importantly shows the ideals of an Anglo-Saxon hero. Without a doubt, Beowulf demonstrates the traits of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

For Beowulf to retain its relevance after a journey from single surviving manuscript to famous epic poem, one can assume its star role is filled by a character extraordinary. The poem’s hero, Beowulf, strikingly resembles many renown principal characters. It would be an uphill battle arguing against him joining the likes of Hercules, Jesus Christ, and many more in their Übermensch status. Based on his words and actions, it is painstakingly clear that Beowulf is an archetypal hero; someone who shares the common characteristics of a hero, and follows what Joseph Campbell calls “the hero’s journey” (Campbell 45-221).

Beowulf is a character that exudes the qualities of an epic hero. Throughout this epic, Beowulf is seen as a hero to many and a major threat to the evils he encounters. The values of the Anglo-Saxons, who would have read and admired this poem, included loyalty, bravery, and honor. Beowulf’s character exemplifies all of these qualities to the highest degree. The values and traditions of the original composers of this story cause Beowulf’s character to be the perfect example of an Anglo-Saxon epic hero.

To be a hero in the Anglo-Saxon period the person must be a warrior, One that must be able to face any situation, and be very intelligent. The hero must also be courageous and willing to fight and die for their people. To become a real hero the person must go through the cycle that all heros experience during life, referred to as the “Hero’s Journey”. It is steps and stages on the hero’s life which includes, the calling to adventure , supernatural or aid by mentor, the facing of the issue or calling, and return home. To be honored for their success by their people when returned back to their home.

Throughout his journeys, Beowulf is portrayed in different ways based on which monster he is battling. What starts off as the conquest of a young, prideful hero when fighting Grendel, switches to more of a reliable hero with the battle with Grendel’s mother, and finally concludes with the epic battle between Beowulf and the dragon. The latter shows Beowulf as an old and wise king. Beowulf is motivated to succeed and prove to his king he is a courageous protector of people.

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

“Beowulf” is a classic poem because it demonstrates the classic yet memorable characteristics of a certain type of character called a hero. Heroes have always been around in the era this poem took place, The Dark Ages. It seemed to be almost a way of life and not just a bunch of campfire stories. But, in order to become a hero, people had to attain the necessary characteristics. Those characteristics include strength, selflessness, and bravery.

“Beowulf” the poem is the first recorded piece of the Anglo-Saxon literature also know as Old English.  During those times the viking lived by nine virtues, which made them an Anglo-saxon hero.  Beowulf is an embodiment of a typical Anglo-saxon hero, because he demonstrates courage, honor, and

Since the creation of man, there has been one thing that has always been consistent. That thing is the yearning to acquire information and knowledge. For the majority of history, most people have not had the privilege of being able to read. As a result, stories and information had to be passed down orally. This is absolutely true when focusing on the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons told stories that were phantasmagoric and revolved around the concept of fate, also known as wyrd. There is no piece of literature that accurately represents the Anglo-Saxon way of telling stories that is better than the epic of Beowulf.