Examples Of Heroism In Beowulf

Not everyone can be a hero. To be a hero you need to be powerful, respected, brave, courageous and be a leader to the ones who follow you. An epic hero is defined as a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. These qualities don’t apply to everyone but these qualities are certainly portrayed various times throughout Beowulf, by Beowulf as well as others. Even in today’s society we have heroes such as the great american hero Chris Kyle, who risked his life to protect his country and troops much life Beowulf did for the Geats. Throughout the epic there are many examples of heroism in regards to Beowulf saving many people from Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, which resulted in the death of the powerful king Beowulf. The qualities of a hero are relevant throughout this epic including qualities such as being powerful, respected, bravery, courageous and being a leader to your people. Beowulf had great courage throughout the epic, demonstrating his heroism. "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." (572-573). Being powerful, one of the most common qualities associated with being a hero. Beowulf easily is one of the most …show more content…
Anglo-Saxon heroes are willing to put their own life at risk to keep people safe. This gives people a sense of security. Beowulf was willing to accept the challenge of fighting the demons if that meant his people were going to be safe. "Living his life-days, his Lord may face, And find defence in his Father’s embrace.”(73-4). Beowulf’s bravery to fight all of these evil demons shows how powerful Beowulf is and his great god-given gifts made people feel safe in Geatland as well as Beowulf being greatly respected by his people. Another example is that Beowulf did these good deeds for the good of the people, which is another quality of an epic