Beowulf Essay

The characteristics of a hero have varied greatly over time. In today’s era, heroes are viewed a brave individual whose valiant acts either provide for or help others. However, the Anglo-Saxons valued very different ideals in their Germanic heroes. These ideals included showing courage in the face of doom, upholding honor by avenging, and achieving feats of strength and skill in battle. In the heroic epic Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf perfectly embodies the ancient Germanic heroic ideals by showing courage, upholding honor and achieving feats of skill and strength. The first major ideal of a Germanic hero is the act of showing courage in the face of danger. In Beowulf, the character Beowulf himself shows this quality many times. Throughout the tale, Beowulf fights many different monsters. He first shows this bravery by offering to get rid of Grendel. “Now Grendel and I are called Together, and I’ve come…That I, alone and with the help of my men/ May purge all evil from this hall” (Beowulf 120). In the final fight scene, Beowulf must slay a dragon to protect his kingdom. Before this, Beowulf had never lost a fight because he always had fate on his side, but this time was different. In this scene, fate was working against Beowulf. During the battle, Beowulf begins having a very hard time of dealing with the dragon and foresees his own death. However, even though is aware that he will most likely die, he continues to fight. Towards the end, Beowulf is badly wounded and on the verge of death but still finds the strength to slay the dragon in the end. “And Beowulf drew/ His battle-sharp dagger; the blood-stained old king/ Still knew what he was doing. Quickly, he cut/ The beast in half, slit it apart/ It fell, their courage had killed it” (Beowulf 136). The way that Beowulf is able to overcome the difficulty of his wounds, shows his valor. His resiliency allows him to slay the beast in the end, making it a courageous act. The way that Beowulf shows courage in the face of this danger, perfectly embodies one of the Germanic ideals of a hero. Another major ideal of a Germanic hero is the act of upholding honor by avenging. This is show many times throughout Beowulf. The first example is when Beowulf hears of Grendel terrorizing Herot. He feels he needs to step in and help because a connection he has with the land. When Beowulf defeats Grendel he is celebrated and publicized as a major hero for the people of Herot. This is due to the fact that Beowulf had avenged the destruction of their land. Later Beowulf goes to finish off Grendel for revenge after the battle with his mother. “His heart still angry. He was hunting another/ Dead monster, and took his weapon with him/ For final revenge against Grendel’s vicious/ Attacks” (Beowulf 131). This was his way of avenging all that Grendel has done to Herot. Another example of this is when Beowulf goes to fight the dragon. A villager accidently awakens the dragon from its slumber causing it to bring terror to Beowulf’s kingdom. In order to avenge the destruction of his kingdom, Beowulf goes to fight it. Even though Beowulf dies in battle he is still able to defeat the dragon and keep his homeland safe. An additional honorable thing that Beowulf does happens to not involve revenge. When Beowulf decides to fight Grendel without his weapons, he is being honorable. “My lord Higlac/ Might think less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind some broad linden shield; my hands/ Alone shall fight for me” (Beowulf 120-121). This is noble because he is making the fight even between himself and Grendel, giving no one an advantage. Beowulf’s honorable actions throughout the story help him to embody the ideals of a Germanic hero. The last important ideal of a Germanic hero is the ability to achieve feats of strength and skill in battle. This characteristic fits Beowulf perfectly since he is a known warrior and likes to battle. This shines through in all of the fights that take place in the story. In the first battle against Grendel, when Beowulf gets a hold of him, the monster fears for its life because it senses Beowulf’s great strength. “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime/ Knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had he met a man whose hands were harder; / His mind was flooded with fear” (Beowulf 123). This helps to imply that his power is beyond that of a regular human, especially in battle. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel’s mother, it is a bit more difficult than Grendel himself, but he is still able to overcome and defeat her. In the last battle against the dragon, Beowulf is losing because fate is against him. Somehow from somewhere he finds the strength, even though on the verge of death, to slay the beast. “And then, savage, now, angry/ And desperate, lifted it high over his head/ And struck with all the strength he had left/ Caught her in the neck and cut it through” (Beowulf 130).Not only does display his great strength, but also his skill in battle to overcome difficulties. The ability for him to find power, even though badly wounded demonstrations this ideal of a Germanic hero. This shows how Beowulf is able to obtain great amounts of strength and skill in his battles. During the Anglo- Saxon time period, when different kinds of stories were being created, many incorporated the tales of heroes. The people at this time had a very particular view on their heroes. The believed that they should show courage in the face of doom, uphold honor by avenging, and achieve feats of strength and skill in battle. This is shown perfectly through the hero Beowulf himself, in the heroic epic entitled Beowulf. However, the views of a hero are very different today. Heroes now are seen as a brave and courageous individual whose sole goal is to help other and has only good intentions. This view of a hero is evident in works of modern day literature just like the ideals of a Germanic hero were shown in works of literature back in that time period.