...archetypal hero has some “…form of journey (the hero's journey archetype); these needn't be physical journeys like Homer's epics, but also spiritual journey(s)…” In the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf slays dragons and monsters, as well as becomes king, and sails across vast oceans—however, Beowulf’s ultimate purpose to his journey is to be remembered for what a renowned hero he once was, as well as gain recognition from others for his heroic battles. Beowulf can be considered an archetypal hero because he possesses attributes that would be considered heroic, and also goes on a physical as well as spiritual journey. In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf has an ultimate journey that involves a call to adventure, followed by a refusal of the call, as well as reward (seizing the...
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...The Un-Sung Wiglaf was graced with strength. Although he was no comparison to Beowulf, he was still able to bravely storm into the fierce dragon's lair and stab him mightily with his legendary war-knife, to protect the aging king Beowulf. The book describes: "The brave man's hand burned when he helped his kinsman, so that he, the man in his armor, beat down a little the hostile creature; and the sword sank in, gleaming and plated, and the fire began to abate." Before this occurred, Beowulf himself tried impaling to no avail, for his blow shattered the sword rather than piercing the skin of the ravenous monster. It took Wiglaf's perfect blow to stab him and cause the fire to cease, all with a painfully burned hand. The son of Weohstan not only...
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...Medieval Europe was not a peaceful or secure place, but rather a world filled with turmoil, suffering, and unrest. Commoners living in medieval Europe never strayed far from the security of their homes because evil and suffering lurked in the unknown. Thus, it was rare for men to venture into the dark places of such a hopeless world. However, men willing to travel and suffer in such places were considered warriors and deemed worthy of honor and merit. The story of Beowulf recounts the life of an idealized warrior, whose desire for honor requires him to suffer at the hands of monsters. In many ways, Beowulf’s...
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...Hero’s Journey in Beowulf How does a hero today compare to a hero in the 5th or 6th century? Now, a hero is considered a selfless and courageous superhero or just an average person saving lives one way or another. In Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf encompassed a supernatural warrior who ventured through the hero’s journey for honor instead of love or riches. “Often for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked”, (572-573). Beowulf claims if your fate has not been decided yet, you can survive through your sheer nerve and courage. Beowulf exemplifies a hero because of his nobility and code of arms that he lives by. The first act of the “Hero’s Journey” said by Joseph Campbell is “Departure” which consists...
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...Beowulf, even before his epic journey, his name was very well known. Some knew him because of his father, a great warrior, and others knew him because of the victories he had won. These were great victories that had proven Beowulf to be a great man and a warrior. There was even a time Beowulf had lost a challenge, but was seen as a better man for it. Beowulf was in a swimming race with his friend Breca, he let Breca win because there was a storm and without Beowulf's help Breca would have died. Beowulf was known for this, but he was not known as a hero. It was not until Beowulf went to his calling, a calling to be a hero that his name went down in history. The Call The wrath of Grendel was known far and wide and so was the payment for...
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...Beowulf Essay Before the integration of written text, stories were transmitted exclusively through word of mouth, and, consequently had a short lifespan. Beowulf is a striking departure from these faltering stories, even as such it did not reach us unaltered. Beowulf edited by M.A Roberts, as a modern text, has obtained many attributes from the people who relayed the story, possibly so much it barely conveys the original authors intent. These unoriginal attributes are present throughout Beowulf’s epic hero journey, manifesting themselves within his resurrection, restitution and hubris. In the location and time where this story emanated from, Christians were oppressing and attempting to convert pagans, who were, in the Christian mind, a great evil, sometimes even thought to be a manifestation of the devil himself. Enter Beowulf’s conquering of an apparent evil, the dragon. Beowulf willingly sacrificed his life to spare and avenge humanity from the damage afflicted by this wretched worm who was aggravated by a sinful peasant. This Relates to Jesus dying on the cross freeing all people from their sins. As Beowulf dies he instills the dragons hoard upon Wiglaf. “’Now go quickly and gaze upon the hoard beneath the white rocks, beloved Wiglaf, now that the worm lies low in sleep’”(Roberts 86). This is Beowulf’s resurrection, reaching his low point when his liegemen abandoned...
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...emotional connection with the reader and teach a moral value that will leave a lasting imprint on the reader. Various stories of heroes, like Beowulf, are very similar and they all have the same basic elements: personal connection, cultural connection, and universal connection. The universality of heroes and myths are demonstrated through different story elements. To the modern reader, heroes...
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...A “hero is a person” who is appreciated or idealized for bravery or outstanding success. A “hero displays traits,” a hero “saves others”, and a hero “is culture.” Beowulf displays a hero trait by either showing all his strengths and powers, but hero’s traits can also show weakness. Hero’s usually show a positive trait, because not everyone wants to show their weakness. Beowulf is an act of a time and place so that’s why he is considered a hero in culture. Every hero has a journey to follow so they can be able to get to the title “hero.” The hero’s journey was recognized by Joseph Campbell and it tells is the typical adventure of the archetype which is known the hero. In Beowulf, the call to adventure was when Beowulf hears about the monster and how his is attacking Herot’s people. Beowulf is to go and save the land from Grendel who is the monster....
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...The stories of Theseus and Beowulf both share the common archetype of a quest which the hero needs to complete and the hero also engages in an ordeal which is a natural step within their journey. Beowulf was summoned by Hrothgar to find and slay the beast by the name of Grendel who “found sleeping the troop of warriors, and bore away in his foul hands thirty of the honored thanes” (Rabb 1). Hrothgar gave Beowulf the quest to kill Grendel to prevent him from taking more lives. The quest is a common archetype in mythical tales because it is used to set up the hero’s journey by providing an overall reason for the hero to embark on a dangerous adventure. Similarly, Theseus chose to engage in a quest to kill the minotaur which was used to devour...
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...Beowulf sails back to Geatland and over the course of time is made king and eventually reaches his end in a final confrontation with a dragon. The first element of the return is the "Road Back." In this part of the story, the hero is “driven to complete the adventure by leaving” the Unknown World to be “sure the treasure is brought home.” In Beowulf, the “Road Back” is represented in Beowulf’s final words to Hrothgar: “We crossed the sea to come here; it is time to return, to go back to our beloved lord, Higlac.” Beowulf’s words announce that his mission has been completed and that it is time for he and his men to return with the treasure to their home country. Once the Hero has recognized the need to return to the Known World he or...
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...In Beowulf there are many symbols and elements. The symbols of Herot hall and Grendel represented all that was good, and all that was evil in the story. There are also many Christian elements in this pagan story. These aspects of the poem are important, but not relevant to today's society. In the poem Beowulf, Beowulf is an epic hero. The poem gives the idea of what a hero really is. Many of these ideas have been carried into modern society, and one person fallows these traits of Beowulf. That is the modern hero of Michael Jordan. Beowulf and Michael Jordan had a surprisingly similar journey. The similarities between Beowulf and Michael start with their fathers. Beowulf's father was a great warrior who had earned a reputation as being strong and courageous; however, Beowulf's father was killed and never saw his son do great things. All of these traits of Beowulf's father are similar to that of Michael's dad. Michael's father, James Jordan, was a great professional baseball player who had earned a reputation as a hustle player and a good lead off man. James was killed later in life, and was never able to see his son do great things. Just like Beowulf's father. It is know that both Beowulf and Michael earned reputations when they were young. Beowulf earned his reputation by killing nine sea monsters, all while competing in a swimming race. Beowulf did go on to lose the race, but earned a great deal of respect in his homeland when his people heard the story. Michael earned his...
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...Lakiethian Colbert Comparison and Contrast: Hero’s Eng 106 Professor Nikki Moorman History has proven that literature will always find a hero. In any culture and any time period there will be Epic Hero’s that will exemplify strength, courage, chivalry and family. These heroes portray a number of comparable attributes as well as a number of notable differences. Beowulf is a pillar in old English literature. He can be compared to the hero Achilles from the Iliad based on warrior strength and compared to Aeneas he went on a journey. Although many years separated these heroes and their journeys, there proved to be a comparison between them all that shows how the earlier hero inspired the later. The glories of a hero is something that is shown when comparing Beowolf an Achilles. Beowulf’s society held fame and glory at a high standard. He knew he would receive praise from the kingdom he went to help, but this shows how he also cares about others. Achilles does not like the Greeks. He went to war for the fame and glory, more than the cause. Achilles was a little more vain than Beowulf, but both of them enjoyed the glories of fighting. Beowulf and Achilles both have enemies that they face off against. Beowulf has numerous epic battles with creatures. The story revolves around his epic battle with Grendel. He then goes on to fight with Grendel’s mother. The ending is rounded off with at battle of him and a dragon. Achilles has to fight with Hector and the Trojan army. ...
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...Hero’s Never Forgotten Today in the 21st century anybody can be considered a hero, but back the days you had to earn to become a hero. The past few weeks I learned what it really meant to be a hero and how to become a hero. Hero’s can be different in so many ways, but they can also be similar in so many ways as well. Hero’s are often the strongest, smartest, and most looked up to people in their village or country. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two great warriors who have earned to become a hero. Beowulf, and the character from the 13th warrior are two amazing hero’s that have a lot of courage and strength for their people and their own soul. Beowulf came to be considered a hero when he hears the tragic story of king Hrothgar. Afterwards he sailed to Denmark to help out the helpless king Hrothgar and his army who have been attacked many times by the cruel Grendel. Grendel in the story is considered to be a horrible demon that lives in the swamplands of Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendel attacked the warriors because of the noise they made when they were in Heorot. Therefore Grendel terrorized the warriors every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. Beowulf who at the time was inspired by the story he heard went with some of his closest companions, and asks the great king Hrothgar if he could fight the mean devil Grendel, and without a doubt the helpless king accepts the offer. At last Grendel arrives, to a feast the king held for Beowulf...
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...The archetypal layout of an exemplary story is composed of the Twelve Stages. The Twelve Stages of a hero’s journey are the steps every person must take in order to prove one’s self as a hero. Mythical heroes such as Theseus, Sigurd, and Beowulf clearly demonstrate the archetypal qualities of a hero. A typical hero is seen as a morally just individual, with a noticeably ethical intent. An archetypal quality of a hero is moral goodness. The hero is always opposing evil and wrong-doing, while attempting his best to halt it. The hero is selfless always willing to give his life in place of another. A villain, or monster, is the opposed force of the hero, whose intent is solely based around a malicious and self-centered motive. The shadow-self of a character is often portrayed as the villain, or monster, but it has a much greater importance. The shadow-self illustrates the two extremes of a personality. Since the shadow-self is the complete opposite of a character, the good and bad qualities of that character are shown, the shadow self of a character can have both good and bad aspects. When someone is able to control the good aspects of both characters, the individual is able to grow and learn from themselves. The shadow-self is often used in literature, because it is seen as the perfect challenge for the protagonist. An example in literature would be Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is a great hero driven by good morals and intentions, while Grendel is a soulless monster living only...
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...supernatural beings. Comparing Beowulf to Percy Jackson based on their culture and heroic characteristics involving bravery, leadership, strength, personality traits, fighting style, and their motivation to fight. Focuses on the two different aspects of heroism as defined by Greek and Anglo Saxon culture. Beowulf and Percy Jackson share the heroic traits of leadership skills, superhuman strength and bravery. Beowulf is the leader of the Geats,...
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