El Cid and Beowulf: Comparing the Heroes and the Epics What allows a story to live on through history? Perhaps the rarity and age of the texts inspire certain feelings of awe and desire for preservation. However, putting aside historical importance, the epic poems of Beowulf and The Song of the Cid have become so highly regarded in their countries of origin in large part due to the heroes that the poems immortalize. Both Rodrigo Diaz and Beowulf personify the ideals of bravery, honor, and goodness, allowing the heroes to be readily embraced by their nations. Their great deeds in the face of adversity and subsequent glory continue to provoke wonder and inspiration for emulation. The two epic poems Beowulf and The Song of the Cid hold striking similarities in their historical and cultural significance while the two protagonists themselves also parallel each other in character and in their journeys to win eternal fame. The two epic poems are roughly divided into three parts. In The Song of the Cid, three clear cantos…show more content… Like Rodrigo, Beowulf travels away from home to gain glory. He proves himself by single-handedly defeating Grendel, a monster terrorizing King Hrothgar’s lands, but because of his victory, he must face another monster. The challenge to defeat Grendel’s mother gains difficulty as now, Beowulf must attack the monster in her natural environment, a cave under a lake full of other monsters. Using his supernatural abilities, Beowulf manages to kill Grendel’s mother and garners additional rewards from the Danish king. He returns home with honor and eventually rules as king of Geatland. Unlike the Spanish epic, Beowulf spans over a longer period of the hero’s life as fifty years pass until he must face his final monster. Although tragically killed in combat, he triumphs over the dragon, and Beowulf’s legendary deeds are
