... they worshiped many gods. Anglo Saxons worshiped Germanic gods, and The Greece worshiped Greek gods. Both of their civilizations were based on war and battle. Beowulf and Hercules are also the same in many ways but are different at the same time. These two heroes have many things in common like how they ... and will do anything to protect their people. They both have to face evil monsters and kill them. Hercules has to face twelve deadly challenges, and Beowulf only has to face three monsters. Hercules has to kill the Nemean lion and bring back its skin, kill the Lernaean Hydra, catch the...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Brecca, was because he had not only been swimming for seven nights but he also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf's most heroic battle is the battle he fights with Grendel. Grendel was a monster that lived in the marshes. Every time the town of Herot shows ... and rips Grendel's arm off with his bare hands. Grendel's mother comes after Beowulf seeking revenge for her son's death. Beowulf is able to kill her with a giant's sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf. Beowulf chops off her head and carries it from the ocean. It takes f...

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... His undying struggle for justice against the oppressors of free will and life make him one of the greatest epic heroes of all time. Mainly, though Beowulf is an epic hero because of his ability to overcome the great obstacles that faced him, he is blessed with courage and superhuman strength, and he receives ... deeds that he carries out. An epic hero often is found carrying out tasks and overcoming obstacles that a normal human being would not be able to do. Beowulf is faced with a beast that is terrorizing the warriors of Heorot. This beast is known as Grendel, he was the purest form o...

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... texts" (Harris). It is a common theme seen throughout literature that women are nothing more than pretty objects for men to acquire and possess-"Beowulf" and Anglo-Saxon society tell a different story, however. There are quite a few models of powerful women in this epic-Grendel's mother, ... purposes, from telling stories to singing songs to sleeping-it was always filled with people, merriment, mead drinking, and loud noise. Heorot in "Beowulf" was no different. According to Howell D. Chickering Jr., "the poetry frequently depicts the occupations of the happy company of warrior: riding,...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . His is described as this strong, powerful man whose bravery over comes his fear and fights Grendel. The fight with Grendel displays more of Beowulf's strength saying, "The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face ... the fact that he is monstrous in many ways. Put into other words by the author of "Humanizing the Monsters: A Schematic Reading of Beowulf," Chih-chiao Joseph Yang says, "By demonizing the monstrous figures and laying the blame on human characters in his narrative, the speaker ... transcends his te...

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... to the aid of Hrothgar to stop evil Grendel because Hrothgar thought that if the, "mightiest man of valour"(3) could not stop Grendel then nobody could. Beowulf talks of the courage he had when he was a young man after Unferth attacked him with accusations of killing his friend Breca ... not as strong of a warrior when he decided that he would fight the dragon for the safety of his land but still willing to sacrifice his life. Beowulf was a devoted king and leader because he knew that at any time things may change and that we always need to be good to others if that ... is how you wish ...

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... deeds. Some examples of an epic would be The Odyssey by the Greeks and The Aneid by the Romans. However the most popular epic would be Beowulf which was written by the Anglo Saxons who lived in England of the year 449. The Anglo Saxons also wrote poems such as "The Seafarer and " ... here, knowing the Lord of all life has never watched me wash my sword in blood born of my own family."(p56,750-755). A final example of Beowulf's faith is as the dragon strikes him he"s aware about "A journey into the darkness that all men must make, as death ends their few brief hours on ... earth."(p54,6...

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... the eyes of the Anglo-Saxons because of his amazing almost super-human physical strength. He fought in many battles and returned victorious from all but his last. Beowulf's strength is put on display, as he is able to kill Grendel with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. The author describes by saying, "hell ... amount of strength. After chopping off the she-beasts head he travels deeper into the lair in search of Grendel's lifeless body. After he finds the body Beowulf removes Grendel's head and carries it to the top of the water with him, but it takes four men to lift and carry the b...

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... monsters crowded around me, continually attacking. I treated them politely, offering the edge of my razor-sharp sword," (265-294). However, the poet suggests that his boasts are symbolic of Beowulf's personal insecurity. Beowulf seems afraid of defeat and faliure. His boastful remarks are reminders to himself of his invincibility. In this poem, the poet is both critical and praising of the Anglo ... nature's fickle notions and uncertainty in the belief in the divine. Additionally, the main character's attributes and conflicts would classify him as a "messiah," an archetypal pattern. Lik...

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... of sword or shielding yellow board in the battle! with bare hands shall i grappled with the fiend, fight to the death here" (pg. 18). Beowulf is a warrior of epic proportions and he must reprove himself each time. He is always up for a challenge. He is aware that Grendel is no ordinary beast ... best way. Theres a difference between saying that you'll do something and actually doing it. Due to his lack of courage, Beowulf finally confronts Gendel and kills him. "To Beowulf the glory of his fight was granted, Grendel's lot to flee the slopes fen-ward with flagging heart, to a den where ...

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... is a cold, merciless beast who is completely devoid of compassion for others. Grendel's evil nature is explained by the absence of God in his life: " He [Beowulf] never / Dared to touch king Hrothgar's glorious / Throne, protected by God - God, / Whose love Grendel could not know." (lines 82-85). Finally, the ... death, he tells Wiglaf, "You"re the last of all our far-flung family / Fate has swept our race away" (lines 821-822). As Beowulf is setting out to slay the evil Grendel, fate comes into play once again: "The omens were good, / And they urged the adventure on" ... death near; dow...

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... swore to repay him, / kindness for kindness/with our lives- (766-767). This action sums it up; Wiglaf has shown his loyalty towards Beowulf. Loyalty also shows when Beowulf dies by the last dragon and Wiglaf follows his request, which is to build a light tower for the sailors so they can find there way ... has reached a wonderful peak by Wiglaf granting his wish. Anglo-Saxons also believed bravery as an important part of life and a highly respectable trait. When Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon, goes to fight the final dragon he is one of the only few that stays and fights the dragon. "He strode c...

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... keel adorned with weapons of battle and war-dress, many treasures, which with him must, in the power of the waves, drift far off; - (BEOWULF L 34-42). Christianity places little importance on the material things of this world, yet we see related morals of a society with mixed values including Pagan ... lords and their subjects. Early cultures in this society were probably hunter-gather type societies with little influential, ability mostly surviving on their own. Beowulf on the other hand depicts these societies as great and large with Kings and Queens that had intimate and platonic rela...

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• Has Bibliography
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... her king the first ale cup" (IX). Wealhtheow then proceeds through the meadhall "offering hall joy to old and to young with rich treasure cups" (IX). When Wealhtheow first approaches Beowulf and the Geats, she " [bears] him a cup . . . with gold gleaming hands [holding] it before him graciously [greeting] the Geats" war leader" (IX). The author then reinforces that she is a member ... that wide kingdom" (XX). It is possible that Grendel's mother chooses this particular warrior deliberately to inflict the maximum amount of damage on Hrothgar. Despite the author's clear favoritism for Beo...

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... our lives, if he needed them" " (745-750). Wiglaf is directly speaking of both loyalty and another Anglo Saxon concept called personal indebtedness. Wiglaf points out all the things that Beowulf did for him. So he believes he needs to give him something in return. This exactly what personal indebtedness means. Anglo Saxons also believed in the concept of a hero. To ... shirt on his breast, / Strode calmly, confidently, toward the tower, under / The rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked there" (650-654)! In the passage, the reader can tell that Beowulf has most of the characteristics...

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... came to its rescue. They have taken up arms not only to protect their people, their loved ones, but also those who cannot protect themselves. Like Beowulf, they have gone to the aid of a people who could not vanquish the demon alone. They lend themselves to the fight to prove their loyalty to ... to have heroes amongst us. I am of the opinion that heroes can also be those who display characteristics which seem to be opposite of those that Beowulf projects. I believe that the Texas State Democratic Senators are heroes in their own right. Within their power, they took the necessary steps t...

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... This is a polar opposite of an Anglo hero. Heroes of that day took no shame in boasting and bragging of their many successes. Throughout this poem, Beowulf constantly reminds us of his heroism by exulting his every stellar victory. He begins with an interlude of his past successes by telling the great Hrothgar how "The ... days of [his] youth had been filled with glory." To prove his pretentious claim, Beowulf tells Hrothgar how he effortlessly defeated any opponent that stepped his way. His greatest claim is his tale of how he "drove five great giants into chains ... that "destiny was ...

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... to amuse Hygelac my lord, scorn to carry sword or shield, but I shall seize my enemy in my hand grip and fight, enemy against enemy" Also, Beowulf is selfless and very caring towards other people's being. After being told of how strong and dangerous Grendel is, you might think that he would back off for ... his own safety, but he doesn't. Beowulf is aware of the fact that he might lose his own life fighting Grendel, but for him his life has no value next to all the people ... destroy everything. "Nor will you need, if death takes me, worry about a burial" As he says, Beowulf fights Grend...

• Word Count: 450
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... to amuse Hygelac my lord, scorn to carry sword or shield, but I shall seize my enemy in my hand grip and fight, enemy against enemy" Also, Beowulf is selfless and very caring towards other people's being. After being told of how strong and dangerous Grendel is, you might think that he would back off for ... his own safety, but he doesn't. Beowulf is aware of the fact that he might lose his own life fighting Grendel, but for him his life has no value next to all the people ... destroy everything. "Nor will you need, if death takes me, worry about a burial" As he says, Beowulf fights Grend...

• Word Count: 457
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... time while he was in Heorot, all he was trying to do was to show everyone that he is the best and no one can survive without him. Beowulf indirectly killed most if his people just to show how brave he is. One example if this is when grendal come into the meadhall and tries to eat up ... the sleeping Danes, Beowulf could and should of stopped grendal before but he didn't. Beowulf let grendal eat a few people before he stepped in to show that if he's not there, they will all die. In his second ... her son's death. The mother comes into the meadhall, eats many people and then goes into an ...

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... merely a virtue, but instead a necessity. Many kings were measured by the extent of their generosity. If Hrothgar had not displayed his gratitude for Beowulf's great deeds he would have been looked down upon. He might be remembered for his lack of charity instead, and that would be the equivalent of ... . In our time courage is often seen as foolish or ostentatious, while during Beowulf's time it was seen as admirable and praiseworthy. Slaying the great dragon was not only Beowulf's last act of courage, but also Wiglaf's first. Beowulf eventually died from a wound suffered in this battle...

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... have to do in life. Another important epithet is the one used by the Dane's King while Burgos-Galindo 2 referring to Beowulf, "best of warriors." Right after, in an attempt to call upon Beowulf's attention, the old King uses irony to tell the hero that he will have to return his attributes to the place ... Anglo Saxon culture traits. At the very beginning a clear example of predestination is shown. Only the chosen ones by God will grow famous, rich or powerful. Hrothgar reminds Beowulf "[ ] that it will all end, and too soon?"(1734). And that he, who in human unwisdom, does not care abou...

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... Staying by Brecca took courage because it would later seem as if Brecca had won, and Beowulf would have to put up with people saying Brecca was greater than he was. Another time Beowulf exemplifies his trait of incredible courage is when he travels to Heron to help Hrothgar, although ... indeed at least some part of his motive to fight the monsters. This quote also implies that he received treasure for defeating Grendel. Another time Beowulf receives treasure is when he kills the dragon that has been attacking his country. The price paid for this treasure is very great, though. ... Aft...

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... necessities, as well as being brave, wise, and more than willing to fight for their people. A dragon began wreaking havoc on Geatish villages; Beowulf did not back down in the face of a challenge. Courage and bravery were of extreme importance to a man of "warrior" status in the ... and wide, as command,"( ). The ideal king and warrior for the Anglo-Saxon era is created by a stew of qualities that both Hrothgar and Beowulf show in the poem. Generosity, respect, and trust play a great deal in the hand of a king. Hrothgar has an enormous amount of respect ... Guardian of the Scyldings,"...

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... any other man. In our youth we boasted - we were both of us boys - We would risk our lives in the raging sea. (406-411) Beowulf's speech made Unferth feel unworthy as a noble thane, as the public realized that the society is based on a reality of negative comments and heroic deeds; ... the image of self-interest is strongly criticized. Self-interest is also portrayed through the actions of Beowulf and his "noble" men. The two scenes that can demonstrate the author's intention on criticizing the Anglo-Saxons" values are the battle of the ... self-interest dwells upon them and eventually...

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• Grade Level: High School