Is Beowulf A Mythic Hero?

Have you ever had an opinion that is different than everyone else's? Some people think Beowulf is qualified as a mythic hero, but others think he isn’t. This essay holds reasoning, facts, and evidence of why Beowulf does not qualify as a mythic hero. After reading Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, you will understand how his writing is filled with mythic and supernatural scenes, and how Beowulf is not. If you take a story from Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces such as “Crossing the Threshold,” the hero stayed where he felt safe. Beyond the threshold was an Ogre. A prince that they called “Prince Five-weapons” received the name because his teacher gave him five weapons that no one else knew about. When the ogre started to attack the prince he used the five weapons to defeat the ogre. This is a mythic hero because he prince had a teacher and the weapons he received were exclusive to only him at a time of need. …show more content…
The monster of fear that they called Grendel would come into the castle at night when all the king's men were celebrating and drinking and kill and eat them. Beowulf had an old sword to help kill Grendel when it was time but he could not penetrate the monster with it. Another hero came along and helped Beowulf defeat the monster. Together they killed him. Beowulf is not a mythic hero because although he did have an old sword with wisdom installed it was not given to him to go out and kill the monster. He was also helped by another brave