Hroðgar

Medieval poetry written in the mid-14th century is a form of period entertainment focused on melding history and legend into a captivating story. Undoubtedly the most popular manuscripts from this age are the Arthurian legends, poems written to commemorate the brave king, and his faithful knights. No exception is the alliterative poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, a tale that encompasses a man who maintains his honor in a sinful world. While the author of this work remains unknown it is…

Since biblical times, the concept of heroism has consistently been male-dominated; however, just recently, female heroism has begun its progression into stories and real-life. The characteristics of a hero within stories have been centered around courage, honesty, perseverance, attractiveness, and above all, strength. Due to strength being a common attribute of a hero, it is understandable that a man would be chosen as the hero for fairytales or action stories. Masculinity exudes strength and…

One of the oldest surviving poems in Old English, Beowulf is considered to be a brilliant piece of Anglo-Saxon literature that truly embodies the journeys of an epic hero. The protagonist, Beowulf, went through three distinct challenges as an epic hero, with each one being more difficult than the one before. Throughout his journey, themes of religion and identity along with good versus evil are revealed in order to show the ultimate morality and strength of will power in a man. The topic of…

Am I a Hero? A hero is someone who does selfless, courageous acts. This statement refers to a great amount of people in the world. There are many heroes in the world and they come in all different shapes and sizes. For some there is no badge or reward for what they do and they still do it. Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus is a hero. He performed acts of bravery and intelligence to protect his crew . Doc Hendley created a foundation to save the lives of men, women, and children all…

The Good, the Bad, and Beowulf Although no confirmation can be made regarding Beowulf’s author, an indisputable aspect of the great epic poem is its Anglo-Saxon origin. In fact, this Old English influence plays a significant role in the work, and ultimately governs the behaviors and conduct demonstrated in the poem. These heroic code behaviors exemplified typically include: a courtly demeanor, unparalleled strength, and valor. However, perhaps the most prominent value evidenced in Beowulf, is…

The Samurai is a very formidable warrior in Japan, wielding many weapons including the Naginata, Katana, bow and arrow and spear. Samurai means one who serves. Unwavering loyalty is expected from these warriors who only practice martial arts. Whether it be to their Daimyo, lord or Emperor they were expected to put their life down before the enemy was able to reach their leader. Honor is one of the biggest and most important of Samurai beliefs. It is more commonly referred to as Bushido. Without…

After defeating Grendel, the vicious monster that was terrorizing the Danes, Beowulf was rewarded with fame, glory, and treasure. Amidst the celebration, the point of view is flashed back to another time when Siegmund, a great warrior who killed the treasure-rich dragon, foundered as a result of his vanity and pride. In this passage, Siegmund and Beowulf are being juxtaposed because of their similar triumphs and because they both earned many gifts for their feats. However, through a reassured…

Attack of the Mammoth Response The hero in this story is the boy, even though the boy is not the main character in the story he still exhibits the traits of the hero. He fights for good by killing the mammoth and he has otherworldly help in the form of his magical arrows and trousers. He also exhibits humility, in the story he doesn’t speak one word about how he had these magical powers, there was no mention of his capabilities and was purposely avoided by the rest of the villagers, and yet when…

Another big difference from the poem that can be seen in the movie is the portrayal of the main character, Beowulf. In the poem, Beowulf is shown to be a big hero to everyone around him. The movie shows Beowulf's heroism as an issue instead of being the solution. Although the movie follows the same storyline as the poem, they have different depictions of Beowulf's courage. To show the difference of Beowulf's courage in the poem and movie, Beowulf's enemy, Grendel must be described first. In the…

In the epic, Beowulf fights 3 different monsters. Each of these monsters symbolizes something different, attacks for different reasons, and gives Beowulf a different result from the fight. Each battle also progressively gets tougher for Beowulf starting from Grendel, then going to Grendel’s mother and then the dragon. Beowulf has a different mindset going into each battle and prepares for each in a different way. The first monster Beowulf encounters is Grendel, a ferocious demon-like creature…