There are many examples of heroes all throughout history and each is a hero in his or her own special ways. Some of these heroes however turn out to be even more exceptional than the rest. In the fictional poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous Scandinavian poet, the main character Beowulf, a terrific Geatish warrior, proves to be one of those exceptional heroes. Through the author’s indirect comparisons and highly descriptive writing, the reader can recognize how Beowulf’s strength, courage, loyalty, and intelligence all combine to make Beowulf a terrific hero.
Early in his career as a Geatish warrior, Beowulf accomplished many feats which demonstrated his strength and courage. Among these is his famed swimming match against his childhood friend Brecca. Though Beowulf admits to this match being “reckless”, he as well as Brecca still managed to show strength and courage in their youth while “each of [them] carried a naked sword prepared for whales or the swift sharp teeth and beaks of needlefish” (lines 538-540). Despite the huge danger the author describes with swimming in the sea, Beowulf’s ability to fight off nine sea monsters and escape death is indicative his great strength. As Beowulf aged, he became well-known in the Geatish kingdom for being the strongest and bravest warrior since his father Edgetho’s reign. Because of this reputation, his fellow Geats urged him to aid a crumbling kingdom of Danes who had been devastated by the wrath of an evil swamp monster named Grendel. Beowulf bravely agreed and gathered a group of men to help the kingdom rid of the monster. Beowulf’s courage really shone throw when he promised to Hrothgar, King of the Danes that “my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (lines 438-440). The author emphasizes that Beowulf truly believes in a fair fight, no matter how difficult it may be, and that God and fate would determine whether or not Beowulf defeats Grendel. Every one of Beowulf’s actions takes a large amount of because there is always a possibility that he will not survive. Beowulf’s bravery and courage are crucial to his reputation as a hero.
In his actual duel with Grendel, Beowulf again shows the large amount of courage and strength he possesses. When Grendel entered Herot in an attempt to murder more warriors including Beowulf, Grendel, surprised, “was instantly seized himself, claws bend back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm” (748-749). The author uses this imagery and description to show how Beowulf’s strength helps him to apprehend a monster with “nails as hard as bright steel” (986) and save the Danes’ kingdom from Grendel. No one had ever witnessed such terrific strength and courage until Beowulf came to Herot in the hopes of defeating Grendel. Both the author’s description of the nearly indestructible physical make-up of Grendel and the imagery provided as Beowulf overcame Grendel’s own strength greatly contribute to emphasizing Beowulf’s unmatched physical strength.
The slaying of Grendel brought along another challenge for Beowulf in which his strength and courage yet again shone through. This next battle involved Grendel’s mother who was on a mission to avenge her only son’s death. The night of Grendel’s death, Grendel’s mother entered the mead-hall and slain one of Hrothgar’s “dearest friend and advisor” (1308) in an attempt at revenge for her son’s death. Beowulf again selflessly offered to defeat Grendel’s mother in the “shadowy wasteland”. The author’s description of an eerie environment contributes suspense to the story and keeps the reader wondering if Beowulf’s strength and courage will be enough to save him this time. Grendel’s mother was far stronger and tougher than Grendel so Beowulf’s strength had to play a huge role if he was going to be successful in defeating Grendel’s mother. The author makes it seem as though this is the battle where Beowulf will be defeated and die by describing how Grendel’s mother “ripped and tore and clawed at him, bit holes in his helmet” (1525-1526), but ultimately Beowulf’s intuition and strength are able to help him overcome the struggle and defeat Grendel’s mother.
Upon returning to his kingdom, Beowulf lives the rest of his life in glory and eventually rules as king for fifty years following the deaths of his uncle and cousin until his physical strength leaves him in old age and he loses his final battle. In a face-off with a greedy, cave-dwelling dragon, Beowulf puts up a hard and brave fight. Despite attempting multiple times to drive a sword into the dragon, the dragon eventually “drove its tusks into Beowulf’s neck” (2691-2692) which fatally wounded him. The author makes it evident through depicted Beowulf’s tenacity that even though he was defeated, he still possessed a grand amount of strength, though more so mentally than physically at this point. The author also displays to the reader Beowulf’s loyalty to his followers and kingdom through Wiglaf’s telling of how Beowulf “took [the warriors] for soldiers, for men” (2641-2642) and shared the glory of his victories and treat all his fellow warriors as friends. The author also uses Wiglaf’s loyalty of being the only Geatish warrior to not abandon Beowulf at the cave to compare him to Beowulf and show the reader how Beowulf has inspired his followers to live their lives in an image of himself. No matter what circumstances Beowulf and his men faced, he never gave up on himself or his comrades. From the beginning of his warrior days and even to the end of his life, Beowulf displayed so many characteristics of a hero that even made him stand out to be considered exceptional.
There are so many characteristics that make up a hero and Beowulf possesses a large sum of those. By drawing comparisons between Grendel’s evil spirit and the heroic spirit of Beowulf, the author shows the reader how terrific of a character Beowulf is. The culmination of Beowulf’s strength, courage, loyalty, and intelligence serve to portray him as an outstanding hero.