Njal’s Saga is a long and epic tale of jealousy, treachery, and manipulation. The previous book that we read, The Nibelungenlied, also featured these similar plot elements. Njal’s Saga contains several characters that have close similarities to those in The Nibelungenlied. In The Nibelungenlied, there is a mighty fighter named Siegfried. As a proven warrior, Siegfried possesses great strength and an ego that is equally as great. Halfway through the story, Siegfried is betrayed by an ally and left to die. In Njal’s Saga, there is also a powerful fighter named Gunnar. Gunnar uses his physical prowess to kill enemies that ambush him. Not only do these two characters have similar personalities, but they also suffer a similar fate and die midway through their respective stories. These two share many of the same qualities with each other as well as with modern day heroes in the media. However, when comparing Gunnar’s and Siegfried’s traits and relationships, it is evident that they are both not heroes; they are simply flawed, arrogant characters that are ultimately responsible for their own deaths.
Of the numerous qualities that are shared by both Gunnar and Siegfried, one is that they are both good looking, and well dressed individuals. The archetypal hero can be anyone from Superman to Chuck Norris. Heroes such as these tend to be rugged and manly - qualities that appeal to any possible mate. In The Nibelungenlied, Siegfried possesses “handsome looks, so that women of great beauty came to love him” (Hatto 20) He is always “dressed in elegant clothes” (Hatto 20). In chapters where Siegfried is the main character, there is always a description of his magnificent attire. His beautiful robes, tall stature, and distinguished features all ...
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...e Siegfried and Gunnar. These two characters both share many of the same qualities, including physical strength, powerful weapons, good looks, attractive wives, and most importantly, arrogance and pride. As the strong male figures in their respective stories, Siegfried and Gunnar both appear to be heroes. Even with their heroic qualities and powerful weapons, they both fall prey to their hubris and fail to fulfill their potential as heroes of their stories. In stories such as The Nibelungenlied and Njal’s Saga, the identities of the heroes and villains are not always clear. This is relevant because in modern society, good and bad often depend what side you are rooting for. An attack on the World Trade Center towers can be considered terrorism or martyrdom, depending on your perspective. Heroes and villains, good and bad, always depend on whoever is observing them.
All of the qualities shown in these men are important in showing heroism. Heroism is having qualities that highlight someone's unique and noble abilities. Both of these men portray a massive amount of heroism in their stories.
A jealousy turned into vengeance for all the times King Lyngvi came out second best to the son of Volsung. Both instances of revenge begin as pride, leading to jealousy, spawning betrayal, and ending in revenge. The Norse culture is comprised of proud people in the epic story “The Saga of the Volsungs.” One’s word, wealth, power, and honor is all that matters to each character in the Norse epic.
Macbeth is a story about a tragic hero; the fallen one or the man who brought misery upon himself. The monster can be identified as guilt. This guilt built stronger and stronger and led him to be his worst enemy. Beowulf is an epic about a hero (men) who takes on great challenges and adventures. His worst enemies are all the monsters that took place over the course of the story.
The perfect image of a true hero is Beowulf. His courage and confidence seems to come naturally. He is the ideal man; he puts others before himself and has amazing physical and mental strength. He is so revered that he can boast about his achievements without seeming vain. “I had greater strength on the sea, more ordeals on the waves as any other man.” (Luizza 69)
Every culture has a hero. Every hero has a legend. Every legend meets that culture's particular needs. The events, settings, and other characters might be different, but the hero is basically the same for all. The universal hero is initially an immoral character, but after overcoming difficult obstacles, he/she eventually becomes a better person. Jacob and Odysseus are such heroes. Both share an obvious characteristic of deceitfulness, but both still have differences, although discreet. They become a hero because they've changed into a better human being.
When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...
When tales of heroes are so grandiosely told through poems and stories often too wild to be real, the emphasis of heroism is shown through their journeys rather than their characteristics. They are in terms heroes without any real humane flaw; through the analysis of these two tales it’s, apparent that they share many similarities in the themes, but the traits of the protagonists and the reasonings behind the choices they made until their demise were entirely different. In these pieces of literature the villains are also in a limelight of their own, making one question, “Who was actually in the right all along? Who’s really to blame?” The antagonists are as infamous as the protagonist themselves are famous like a balancing act; only one of equal prowess can take down another. Items of value, recognition, and the art of gifting are shared through these epic poems but are the heroes in accepting them, the same?
Achilles and Hitler existed centuries apart at opposite ends of the universe, them being similar in their life and ideas are a canny and astonishing idea. Achilles and Hitler have an unusual amount of qualities that are alike, with very slight variations. These two people or “gods” as some perceived them, were very pivotal people during their time on Earth. They had immense impacts on the world with the decisions they made in their lifetime.
The novel Ransom by David Malouf (2009) and Beowulf by Anonymous (?8thC) uses different narrative uses of the hero and the failure to be heroic within their respective texts. They both challenge the readers understanding of what it means to be heroic. Malouf depicts that there are greater acts of courage than those that can be gained through a battle, which are qualities of a hero. Both Priam and Achilles are expected to behave in a certain way which causes them to become symbols for a hero, as well as images of the ideal king and warrior for the people who are around them. It is through these characters, as well as Somax, that Malouf highlights that ordinary people who live and work away from the battle field are also capable of having qualities of heroes such as compassion, bravery and courage. Similarly, within Beowulf, the reader is constantly reminded of his heroic presence and strength as he is an ideal king an archetypal warrior. Beowulf is the greatest of the heroes depicted in the poem not only because he has the greatest prowess in battle. He also meets his social obligations for society. He has the values of a civilised man, as well as the strength of the warrior. Boewulf always looks after his people and is always gracious and kind therefore becoming a hero. Themes of compassion and kindness, and courage and bravery are explored in both texts.
Heroes have been around for ages and they all seem to obtain characteristics that captivate their people to view them as heroes. To be a hero means to rise above the troubled situation and become the bigger person. Beowulf was a hero for his people just as Katniss Everdeen was a hero for her people in thrilling novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins They were very similar in ways but differed in ways as well. Selflessness, bravery, and weapons used were just three of the things that symbolize their heroism.
Since the beginning of time, fairy tales, stories and legends have shared a common theme where good and evil are played against each other. In the story of “Beowulf”, translated by, “Burton Raffel”, there is a hero who plays as a good character, and there is also a demon who rules the dark side. The hero Beowulf, agrees to take a journey to conquer the evil monster Grendel. But when Beowulf is trying to defeat the beast, Grendel fights back, causing integrity and generosity to vanish. The common theme in various tales like in Beowulf is, good vs. evil.
During the Anglo-Saxon period and Medieval Ages, cultural influences, including religion and social status, affected the characteristics of a hero. During these two time periods, characteristics between heroes shared similarities and some differences. Beowulf and the main characters of The Lord of the Rings were the upmost example of what a hero should be. All heroes are expected to have strength, glory, and wisdom. Chivalry and responsibility were also inspirational traits. Heroes are expected to be physically and mentally resilient. Each of these traits reflects the elements of a heroic tale. All heroic tales involved the elements of weaponry and treasure. All heroes are also required to go on an adventure or more in order to defeat a monster or monsters. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the heroic epic of Beowulf, translated by Clarence Griffin Child, continue to follow similar guidelines, events, and share similar characteristics despite their different time periods and influential cultures. However, they also demonstrate some dissimilarity that reflects the contrast among other heroes.
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
Beowulf and Siegfried possess numerous similarities ranging from their appearance and history to their motivations and outlook. Both men are proud powerful warriors-nobles who are almost undefeatable in combat making their way towards their newest conquest. Although the objects of their desire are quite different, glory and Valhalla for Beowulf and Kriemhild for Siegfried, significant correspondences are displayed in their adventures. However, despite all this, only Beowulf managed to secure himself a happy ending.
Heroes have served as pillars for human beings to emulate and learn from. The underlying motive behind the courageous actions of these three men exists in their profound sense of justice and equality. A peaceful approach to all opposition will never fall to the likes of evil. To fulfill a greater purpose beyond the self and inspire generations to come is the greatest gift of all. The hero’s battle is fought to keep hold of truth and righteousness which can only be achieved by the highest example of human character—spiritual endeavor, persistence of purpose, patience and courage where ordinary human beings would lose hope, and sacrifice of worldly motives to the supreme truth regardless of consequence.