Anglo-Saxon History and Beowulf

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Anglo-Saxon History and Beowulf

By definition the word “hero” might be interpreted in one of four ways. First off in mythology and legend, a hero is often of divine ancestry. He is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods. Secondly, a hero is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. Thirdly, a hero can also be described as a person noted for special achievement in a particular field. Finally a hero is defined as the principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation http://dictionary.reference.com/serch?q=hero. Beowulf, in Beowulf, might be considered a hero in every aspect of the word. In terms of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature, the word “hero” has many associated ideas, including such themes as courage and honor, in and out of battle, whereas modern-day concepts of a hero do not necessarily entail physical feats of strength to validate one’s status.

For instance, Beowulf is considered a great hero because of his obedience to the Germanic heroic code. He exemplifies great traits that go beyond those of an ordinary young man such as marvelous strength, wisdom, humility, and great loyalty, among many other qualities. Beowulf is also a man in search of great fame and glory. He wants to be immortal through his accomplishments. He wants to be celebrated in lifetimes to come for his bravery and strength because this is the ultimate affirmation of a genuine hero.

Beowulf fights and conquers three monsters. The first monster he kills with his bare hands, claiming “I will not put him to sleep with a sword, so take away his life, though surely I mi...

... middle of paper ...

...believable riches, Hrothgar is shown to be a true, compassionate man and proves right off the bat that he truly loves Beowulf and is grateful for everything that he has done.

WORKS CITED

Grout, James. Sutton Hoo. February 3, 2004. Britannia Online: http:itsa.ucsf.edu/~snlrc/britannia/suttonhoo.html.

"Hero." February 27,2004. Online: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hero.

"Heroism, Stories, Biographies." February 27, 2004. Online: http://library.thinkquest.org/C001515/heroism/peterg.htm.

Howe, Nicholas. Beowulf a Prose Translation. NY: Norton and Company Inc., 2002.

Tuso, Joseph F. Beowulf, the Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. NY: W.W. Norton and Company Inc., 2002.

Google.com. Animated images of Beowulf in battle. [Internet Images] 02.29.04. [http://images.google.com/images?q=Beowulf&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en].

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