Beowulf Epic Hero Essay

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Beowulf Epic Hero Essay “But to table, Beowulf, a banquet in your honor: Let us toast your victories, and talk of the future.” (Lines 223-224) Honor, loyalty, strength; these were all very important to the Anglo-Saxons. Alliances were built off of strong friendships, and kingdoms often aided each other in battle. Strength and performance in battle was valued highly, and victory praised gloriously. Beowulf, written by the Anglo-Saxons, is about an epic hero who shows their values in his heroic traits; such as bravery, superhuman strength, and close encounters with death. To be a hero, one must be brave. Beowulf was certainly no exception to this rule. After hearing of the terrors of Grendel, the brave king left his land behind to go defeat the monster. Once Grendel was defeated, his mother came out of her hiding and …show more content…
Along with his many displays of bravery, Beowulf also had many examples of his immense strength throughout the story. While battling with Grendel, Beowulf tears off the monsters entire arm, which later proves fatal. In Grendel’s mother’s lair, Beowulf picks up a massive sword forged by giants, which he uses to decapitate her. Following this, he then swims to the surface with her head, which then takes 4 men to carry to town. With seemingly no limitations, Beowulf’s displays of incredible strength make him an epic hero. Something a hero must do is risk their own death for the greater good. When Beowulf spent the night at Herot, he found himself face to face against Grendel, and risked his life to save the town from the monter’s reign. He also quickly and fearlessly dives into the lake, going down to fight Grendel’s mother in her lair; yet again risking death for the Danes. In Beowulf’s final battle against the dragon, he is mortally injured and dies protecting his kingdom. With as many times as Beowulf faced death for the greater good of people, he earned his title of “epic

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