Archetypes Used In Beowulf

Prominent Archetypes in Beowulf Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, is an old English epic that reflects the Anglo-Saxon culture. This epic is the story of a hero, Beowulf, who goes on several journeys to battle evil. Throughout his journey the reader discovers Beowulf’s strength and courage as he faces his many battles. Beowulf exemplifies archetypes that can be connected to other literature across cultures such as a hero as a warrior, the task, and the shadow. The hero as warrior is one of the archetypes provided in Beowulf. To be an epic hero you first must be recognized in your home country as heroic. Beowulf was “loved by the Geats” (Beowulf l. 118), as they proudly “urged his adventure on” (Beowulf l. 119). They believed in him so

Beowulf states that “He and Grendel are called / Together, and he’s come” (Beowulf ll. 159-160). As a favor to Hrothgar, he battles Grendel for terrorizing the Danes at Herot Hall. In the end Beowulf wins the battle and scares Grendel off. Because of that Beowulf must face the consequences of battling Grendel’s mother. Beowulf “leaped into the lake” (Beowulf l. 450), as she “welcomed him in her claws” (Beowulf l. 458). They both were determined and ready for a fight. At first Beowulf’s weapons didn’t work but he eventually found a way to defeat Grendel’s mother. As a trophy Beowulf finished off Grendel by beheading him and bringing it back to Herot Hall. Next, his final task was to battle the dragon terrorizing the Geats. Beowulf declares: “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought / In endless battles. I am old, now, / But I will fight again, seek fame still, / If the dragon hiding in his tower dares / To face me” (Beowulf ll. 1-6). 50 years later he is now old, but still he will fight as if he was young. It is now obvious that Beowulf is confident in his abilities to still be able to battle evil. Ultimately, the many tasks such as battling Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon have attributed to this archetype in

As he battles the dragon “for the first time in his life” (Beowulf l. 64), Beowulf has to fight with “fate against him” (Beowulf l. 64). For once he must fight on his own with no help from fate, the universe, or any God. This is the first time that Beowulf has a doubt that he will be able to win this battle. Because of this he is left helpless and he “suffered, wrapped around in swirling / Flames – a King, before, but now / A beaten warrior” (Beowulf ll. 84-86). It seems as if Beowulf has finally met his match. If he wants to win this battle he must dig deep down and fight harder than he ever has before. However the battle with the dragon proves to be too much for Beowulf: “Beowulf spoke, in spite of the swollen, / Livid wound, knowing he’d unwound / His string of days on earth, seen / As much as God would grant him; all worldly / Pleasure was gone, as life would go / Soon:” (Beowulf ll. 131-136). Ultimately, Beowulf ended up defeating the dragon. However, he ended up losing his own life in the process. Without help from fate or his Geat warriors, Beowulf battled single-handedly which was a key factor that led to his death. Overall, his fight with the dragon was an example of the shadow, one of the multiple archetypes found in