Epic Heroes

An epic hero is defined as a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. Commonly epic heroes have superior strength, have strong love for their people, are fearless of death, and are very ethical people. The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an epic hero. Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero who is a representative of his time because of his super-human strength, his strong love for the people, his fearless of death, and his ethical personality including his strong moral characteristics common of his time.It is obvious that Beowulf has super-human strength because he kills Grendel with his own bare hands. Grendel had been terrorizing the Danes for twelve years and none of them could defeat Grenadel with weapons! During the battle with Grendel, Grendel notices Beowulf’s extraordinary strength: “[Grendel] Knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder; His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight Hard grip” (p. 33, 433-437). To proclaim his victory and triumph over evil,

 


 


"I already knew that all my purpose was this: to win the good will of your people or die in battle, pressed in Grendel's fierce grip. It was common of his time to have a fatalistic religion. Every time he succeeded he and was honored with many gifts and was seen as a success. He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any personal items returned to his people if he is to die in battle. Beowulf is a moral and is a representative of his times throughout the story. For example, fame and success, even survival, were only gained through loyalty to the leader, and success was measured in gifts from the leader. He knows that when he fights an enemy like Grendel or Grendel's mother he will be...