The Anglo-Saxon hero must possess many traits before becoming an actual hero. One must be ruthless, superhuman, and cunning, understand the need for sacrifice, have pride, and be courageous. The goal of many Anglo-Saxon heroes' is to change their fate and the actions that they take can sometimes be unethical and immoral; however, they always seem to succeed in their goal. Both Beowulf and Buliwyf (The 13th Warrior) had all the characteristics of being Anglo-Saxon heroes.
Beowulf is one of the most known Anglo-Saxon hero's of the past and present. He had unfaltering loyalty to his King and his allies, his endurance and strength were incredible and he always defeated all of his opponents. Beowulf's courage was motivated by the want to change his fate, and in turn the course of his fate was changed because of the brutal actions that he took. Instead of defeating Grendal with his brain he chose to defeat him with his hands. Just this alone, shows that Beowulf had a lot of self pride, superhuman strength, and was extremely courageous. He used his theory of power instead of brains in all three of his battles, and successfully defeated Grendal, Grendal's mother, and the Dragon. At the beginning of the poem Beowulf gave a speech to Hrothgar, that either win or lose would make him always be remembered. "I hereby renounce sword and shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be and a life and death fight with a fiend" (436). By Beowulf stating that he was going to fight this beast bear handed in order for it to be fair, and then following through with it, made him famous. When Beowulf died he had achieved the goal of the Anglo-Saxon hero, which was to be immortalized. His body was made ...
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... honor and glory. If these were not achieved, then death was preferred. They believed that if they were to attain their version of the afterlife, it would be through their own actions and deeds, not through the deeds of someone else.
To the Anglo-Saxons, a character's importance, as well as their wealth and status, where measured not only in monetary terms, but it was also measured in terms of honor, fame, and accomplishments. In order to earn fame one has to be brave, achieve superhuman acts, adopt kin, give boon-gifts, and be faithful to your lord. Therefore, if one was famous, then they were also thought to be just as religious.
Works Cited
Abrams, M.H., and Stephen Greenblatt. The Norton Anthology - English Literature - Beowulf (29-99) New York: Norton and Company 2000
www.tribolum.com/oldpage/buliwyf
www.altreligion.com
Beowulf was a true hero, in the eyes of many, through said traits. He fought a number of battles and was triumphant in all, except his last battle. Beowulf possessed the skills and power necessary to kill Grendel, the monster who had been terrorizing the Danes for over a decade, with his bare hands. While fighting, Beowulf detached Grendel’s arm from his shoulder, which was later hung up as a trophy. Beowulf eventually put an end to Grendel’s life, and naturally, Grendel’s mother had pursued Beowulf. Although Grendel’s mother was an even deadlier monster than her son, Beowulf once again proved his abilities by slaying her, as well. He slashed her neck with a sword that carried unbearable weight. Afterwards, he carried her head with only his own arms, while it took the a...
Hanning, Robert W. “Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Prudentius to Medieval Drama. Ed. William H. Jackson. New York: Scribner’s, 1983. Vol. 1 of European Writers. George Stade, ed. in chief. 14 vols. 60-62.
The mighty warrior Beowulf volunteered to help fight off the monster, Grendel. Beowulf showed great bravery because even though Grendel over sized Beowulf, he still accepted the challenge. He also showed strength, Grendel’s head was so massive that four men each had to carry it, but Beowulf could handle the head all by himself. Lastly, Beowulf revealed loyalty by coming to Hrothgar’s assistance, to help with defeating Grendel. Even after Beowulf became King he went to his last battle to defeat the dragon without any help from his
Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. Beowulf The Fight at Finnsburh, edited by Heather O’Donoghue. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 34-100.
Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.
He showed great courage, strength, leadership and intrepidness. Beowulf defeated a beast that swooped up an entire room of people and ate them. He took his men on a dangerous voyage to Grendal’s deep, dark lair. Beowulf also demonstrated strength that a normal man couldn’t when he lifted a sword crafted for giants. Although Beowulf was an Anglo-Saxon hero centuries removed, his heroic attributes still appeal to heroes today. Although Beowulf has super strength, he still shows courage, initiative, selflessness, and desire to make the world a better place just like heroes of
The significance of religious beliefs in the tales of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, portrayed diverse roles in each story. Although it was clear that God was highly-favored and worshipped in each of these tales, the abundance of praising Him was greatly differed. Both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the green knight are written to be believers of God and his mighty works and miracles. In this passage, the significance of religious beliefs in these tales are explained by presenting how Beowulf and the characters of his time praised the Lord for all of his works, even those that pertained to evil doings, Sir Gawain praised the Lord for blessings and strength instead of his unfortunate times, and how each character was destined to become more like Christ, living their lives being heroes and God-like.
to implement the same goals the “Body of Christ” had wanted to retain righteous act of
"The Anglo Saxons appear as a race of fierce, cruel, and barbaric pagans, delighting in the seas, in slaughter, and in drink "(Allen, 17). The character of the ancient Saxons displayed the qualities of fearless, active, and successful. The Anglo-Saxons are mostly a barbaric race, not savage and rude but mostly military and...
There has only been one hero in Anglo-Saxon history, only one man can meet every requirement one needs to be classified as hero. Only one man's honor, loyalty, courage, generosity, and wisdom, fits the true definition of a hero. That man is Beowulf. With these leading traits, Beowulf's rise to heroism was not just by chance. He filled each of the five characteristics perfectly, as if it was his destiny to be admired.
The Anglo-Saxons had many different values and beliefs that were of value to them. The Anglo-Saxons were pagan people from different cultures. Their different beliefs and culrtures brought forth a more diverse culture in this region. The Anglo-Saxons had a strong belief in loyalty to their king, they believed that weapons and armour show the might of a warrior, and
Beowulf was brave in that he fought many battles for the good of others. In the epic poem, Beowulf fights the monster Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. Next, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands. He could have easily obtained some kind of weapon to fight with. Beowulf was the first warrior ever to have enough sheer bravery to go up against such a monster with neither help nor weapon or shield to aid him. He was a warrior that believed somewhat in fate and in God. Believing that God made the decisions and was in control, Beowulf trusted that his life was in good hands. Defeating Grendel with his bare hands, Beowulf not only proved his bravery but also his loyalty. Defeating Grendel weaponless was another display of magnificent bravery. He kept coming back and defeated Grendel 's mother along with a fire-breathing dragon until he was fatally injured and killed. Bravery should not only apply to warriors but also to everyday people. Beowulf fights Grendel, saves his mother and loses his life while fighting the dragon. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf came back twice in order to kill Grendel 's mother and a fire-breathing dragon. Although during his bout with the dragon, Beowulf was fatally injured. As his services were needed, he always prevailed; Beowulf 's bravery never tired. He
Before the year 596, almost everybody had strong pagan beliefs. In 596 missionaries had begun to attempt to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. By the year 650, almost all of England had converted to Christianity- at least in name. Although almost everyone claimed to be strong believers in Christ and the church, most still held on to their pagan beliefs and traditions. No matter what they believed, everyone applied their religious beliefs to their everyday life. (Chin et al. Glencoe Literature, p.35).
as possible in order to receive an all paid pass to heaven. Their aspirations to do this were met