Throughout the past, literature has portrayed heroes as vital characters that possess the highest values and principals. Those values and principals enable the hero to achieve victory over the forces of evil that have plagued his people. Throughout the Anglo-Saxon era, many heroes ascended to great success and fame. The Anglo-Saxon people admired these heroes for what they accomplished and the way they achieved their fame and glory. Among these heroes was Beowulf, a compassionate, great, and glorious leader who helped save Hrothgar and his people.

Beowulf’s compassion towards not only his people, but also to Hrothgar and his people, is shown and proven throughout the whole story. One example of this is Beowulf’s huge concern for the lives and welfare of the Danes. In lines 144-150, Beowulf tells Hrothgar, “Now Grendel’s / Name has echoed in our land: sailors / Have brought us stories of Herot, the best / Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon / Hangs in skies the sun had lit, / Light and life fleeing together. / … my duty was to go to the Danes.” Another quote elaborating on this matter is shown in lines 163-166: “Oh shelterer of warriors and your people

’s beloved friend, / That this one favor you should not refuse me-- / That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall.” Beowulf’s eagerness to help shows how much he cares about the lives of the Danes. Later on in the story, when Beowulf was older and was again going into a gruesome battle with another large monster (a dragon), a solider named Wiglaf said in lines 708-713 “ I remember how we sat in the mead-hall, drinking / And boasting of how brave we’d be when Beowulf / Needed us, … / When the time came, kindness for kindness / -- With our lives, if he needed them.” In this quote, Wiglaf is stating that because of Beowulf’s kindness, compassion, and concern for him and the soldiers, they all promised to give up their lives, if necessary, for Beowulf when he needed it. At the end of the story, it also describes how much Beowulf was loved for his compassion. Lines 893-898 state, “And so Beowulf’s followers / Rode, mourning their belovéd leader, / Crying that no better king had ever / Lived, no prince so mild, no man / So open to his people, so deserving of praise.”

To lend his aid to Hrothgar and his people, it was mandatory for Beowulf to be a great, compassionate and glorious leader. The Anglo-Saxon people considered traits like these highly admirable

Some topics in this essay:
Throughout Anglo-Saxon, Grendel According, Slowly Herot, Era Throughout, hrothgar people, beowulf’s greatness, grendel’s mother, battle grendel’s mother, compassionate glorious leader, beowulf compassionate glorious, grendel’s arm, values principals, compassionate glorious, glorious leader, beowulf proved, beowulf /, / …,