Beowulf has many of the main characteristics it takes to be considered an epic hero. An epic hero is a larger-than-life person, who is occasionally royalty or a demigod.
“The epic hero uses his courage, skill, and virtue to battle evil forces. The hero is almost always goes on a quest or an adventure. He uses this opportunity to prove his heroism and win honor and undying renown” (Pearson, 34).
Not all people can be an epic hero like Beowulf because in real life no one is a larger-than-life, royalty figure, which goes on a quest to defeat supernatural evil forces. Beowulf is a perfect example of this because he does all of the things previously described, but no one can live up to Beowulf’s level of heroism. Beowulf defeated Grendel with his bare hands. Not only can no one else do that, but there are not any monsters like Grendel in modern times.
There is a big difference between an epic hero and a modern day hero. It is tougher to be considered an epic hero in modern times. The modern day hero doesn’t have to be larger-than-life or have super strength. He doesn’t even have to have any kind of superpowers at all. Modern day heroes don’t have to be adults, they can be children too. A nine year old little girl saved her younger sister from getting hit by a truck while walking to the bus stop. She pushed her little sister out of the way and let the truck hit her instead. Although she suffered from broken legs and a fractured neck, she lived and her sister was unharmed (Dolasia). All you need is the courage to put yourself into harm’s way for the good of others and you could be considered a hero. Kids idolize superheroes because they can make evil in the world disappear. Even the citizens idolize them because they watch over them s...
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...cher Training Project in Indonesia (Pengin.ca).
All of these characteristics previously described are what make an epic hero. Heroes don’t have to be “epic” to make them a hero. Although these normal heroes don’t have supernatural qualities, they don’t need them to do great things. Beowulf is an epic hero and he does have supernatural abilities along with having honor, courage, loyalty, and being a skilled wordsmith. I believe that Beowulf was portrayed to be so great because over time stories get more and more “off the wall” and “far-fetched” when different people tell them. Yes he could have done these things but they may not have been as dramatic as they are portrayed to be in the translations because the story was told to be an interesting and fun folk song. It probably wouldn’t have been passed down through the generations if it was just a boring folk song.
An epic hero is character who is brave and noble, and that person is someone who carries good leadership traits and goes through an epic journey. Usually an epic hero is from an epic, and an example is Odysseus. Odysseus goes through a journey to return back to Ithaca, his homeland. In the modern era, there are epic heroes all around us. They can be in books, movies, or plays. One great example of a modern epic hero is Woody from Toy Story 3. He is confident, courageous,selfless, and humane. Woody is a toy cowboy and his owner, Andy is going off to college. Woody and his buddies get misplaced and get donated to a child day care center. There, they have to try to escape and return home, after realizing how bad the place
The dictionary defines hero in mythology and legend as, "a man who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and born of divine or royal blood. He is a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life." In addition, I believe a hero is one to be looked up to and emulated. What is interesting about epic heroes is that their great deeds and exploits all have to do with defeating themselves, so with help from the gods they can truly become heroic. They can only defeat themselves with the help of the gods.
There is an epic hero in almost every legend ever told. The hero could be a mortal human who came from nothing, a creature that used to be evil, an immortal god, or even a group of people. In Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf, the mortal man-of-the-hour is Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow. After he settled the feud for his father, he then carried out more amazing deeds and accomplishments. Beowulf portrays great strength, bravery, and is also very faithful to his kingdom. The totality of these qualities is not just a large mass of adjectives; each characteristic plays a special part.
Many individuals fail to correctly describe a hero. When young, they are taught that heroes have superpowers and are powerful. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Burton Raffel contradicts this belief. He translates the characteristics that make Beowulf an epic hero. Beowulf fits the definition of an epic hero because of his courageous deeds that reflect the values of his era, his character traits that reflect important ideals of his society, and his journey leaving his homeland to live with others.
These are just a few of the qualities that make Beowulf a hero, however they are his strongest ones. Although his acts of greatness may not be entirely for the right reasons, Beowulf could be viewed as a true archetypal hero figure. His bravery, arrogance, brute force all tie into his greatness. And provide undeniable evidence to his
Ultimately, his mortality and flaw, symbol of hope, and success against stronger opponents are prominent reasons why Beowulf should be considered an epic hero. Without Beowulf hundreds of men would have continued to die by the hands of Grendel and his mother or brute strength of the
Epic battles, terrifying monsters, extraordinary strength, and great leadership; these characteristics and encounters are what make up the epic hero that is Beowulf. The heroism exemplified by Beowulf is defined by many different qualities. Beowulf is truly a hero because he is willing to put himself at great risk for the greater good.
Every epic Hero has its certain heroic characteristics. The poem Beowulf, written in old English by an anonymous writer still holds fame for describing Heroism. The character Beowulf possesses those characteristics and is known to be one of the greatest heroes of the Anglo-Saxon time. Beowulf was from Geatland and went on quest to Denmark to fight battles for the Danes. He was a mighty man who had tremendous amount of bravery, and throughout his adventure he proves to have all the concepts of an epic hero. Several qualities define Heroism, none of them to be simple, safe, or fun. Beowulf lived by those qualities risking all and saving many in his adventurous epic. The characteristics of an epic hero consist of a person
The second thing that makes Beowulf an epic hero is his strength. Beowulf’s main weapon against any opponents, he face is his mighty strength, which makes him the true epic hero. Beowulf fights many battles throughout his life, he killed all the monsters he faced, which shows his mig...
When you take a look at past epic heroes, they were more than a person who flew around the town with a cape and saved cats from trees, heroes were defined as highly respected warriors that fought beasts and defended their people with honor. The definition of an Epic Hero is “A brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events.” (Dictionary.com) Epic heroes like Beowulf and Achilles displayed many of the same characteristics including being ethical, a responsible leader, preforming brave deeds, having superior strength, intelligence, and courage.
Wouldn’t it be great to be a hero? Someone others can look up to and always remember? In the epic poem of Beowulf, this hero does unimaginable things for the love of his people and the protection of others. Beowulf is an epic hero for many reasons. Three of Beowulf's most epic heroic traits are his strength, noble honor and birth, and the ability to rule justly, as a king should.
From the beginning of time, mythology has appeared to be one key method of understanding life’s confusions and battles. Within these myths lies a hero. From myth to myth and story to story, heroes experience what may be called a struggle or a journey, which lays down their plot line. Bearing tremendous strength, talent, and significant admiration, a hero holds what is precious to their audience, heroism. Over time however, no matter the hero, the hero’s role remains indistinguishable and identical to the position of every other hero.
Many epics have been written and forgotten. Yet, the epic of Beowulf has stayed as one of the premiere examples of a heroic epic. This brings an inevitable question to mind. Why is Beowulf considered a hero?
An epic hero is a main character who embodies the ideals of a certain culture. The character is named Beowulf and he represents the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon culture which were bravery, skillfulness, and generosity. Beowulf showed his braveness multiple times throughout the story. After he heard of a monster named Grendel who, for twelve years had been attacking King Hrothgar's mead hall Heorot, Beowulf traveled to the Danish islands to defeat him. Even though Beowulf didn't know anything about Grendel he went on a long voyage to reach the islands so that the Hrothgar's people need not live in fear. Then, after Beowulf Grendel, Grendel's mother came after the people of Heorot to avenge her son's death. To reach her, Beowulf had to dive into dark dangerous waters, facing unknown peril. He swam down through the shadowy lake by himself fighting off monsters the whole way. Once he did arrive at her lair a vicious fight ensued, but the courageous Beowulf came out victorious once again. Later in Beowulf's life, a dragon destroys his village and the large mead hall he had built for his men. Even though he knew he was no longer as agile and strong, Beowulf went straight to the dragon and gave a defiant shout of challenge.
Beowulf also contains an epic hero. The title of the poem has been named after our epic hero, Beowulf. In definition, an epic hero is someone that does larger than life deeds and is stronger and smarter than any normal man; and Beowulf fits this description as if the mold were made for him. He has the strength of thirty men and uses it as a major weapon against evil. This can be seen through Beowulf’s battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.