Beowulf: The Anglo-Saxon Hero

Superheroes of the Anglo-Saxon times can be considered the forefathers of modern day superheroes. Anglo-Saxon superheroes are brave, honourable, intelligent, loyal to their lord, and possess unearthly strength. I believe that Beowulf, the eponymous character from the Anglo-Saxon poem, is the perfect embodiment of an Anglo-Saxon hero because of these several qualities that he possesses.
One characteristic that Beowulf displays is loyalty to Lord. On lines 116-119 of the poem, it says that Beowulf “Won’t go to fight Grendel without the Lord’s consent...”. This shows that Beowulf values the word of his Lord, and will not proceed with his mission until he gets His approval. Later in the poem, it says “They gave thanks to their God for their easy crossing”. Beowulf and his men attribute their tame voyage to God, believing he is responsible for their lack of troubles. Lastly, on lines 268-270, Beowulf remarks “Alone shall fight for me, Struggles for life against the monster. God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip”. He puts his absolute faith in God, and believes that He is responsible for deciding who lives or dies, and he is content with this.
Another characteristic Beowulf displays is bravery.
On lines 114-116, it says “Proclaiming that he'd go to the famous King, would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, now when help was needed.” This shows that Beowulf is very brave because he is willing to sail across the sea and battle a dangerous creature because Hrothgar requires his assistance. The lines,“If weapons were useless he'd use his hands. The strength in his fingers.", shows that Beowulf is extraordinarily brave, as he is ready to fight with his bare hands alone. Also, lines 467-469 say “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer...For hours he sank through the waves.” This shows that he does not care about what other people say, and his own heart and decisions guide his
actions.
Lastly, Anglo-Saxon heroes possess great strength. Beowulf is known as one of the, if not the strongest warrior in the world. The first piece of evidence to support this is during lines 110-111, “Follower and the Strongest of the Geats-greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world...” Beowulf is the strongest of all the Geats, and he is the strongest person in the world, the perfect person to battle Grendel. In lines 325-327, it says “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder.” When Beowulf encounters Grendel, the monster is overwhelmed at the strength of our hero. Grendel was previously thought to be indestructible, the killer of men, until Beowulf came along. During lines 389-392, we see Beowulf’s strength in battle, “He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split And broke. The battle was over…”. Beowulf easily rips off Grendel’s arm in a matter of seconds, something only the strongest warrior could do.
In conclusion, Beowulf is the perfect embodiment of everything an Anglo-Saxon hero is. He possesses loyalty to his lord, bravery, and immense strength. Many of these traits are also possessed by modern-day superheroes, such as Superman, Spiderman, etc. Many people consider Beowulf to be the world’s first superhero, who paved the way for superheroes that came after him.