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Beowulf Heroes


            In the times of the Anglo-Saxons, it was easy to define a hero as a man who possessed qualities like valor, bravery, and loyalty. Through his actions a hero could show his people he was worthy of their adoration and in turn would return to his people with worthwhile rewards. A hero was first in line to fight for his king, his kingdom, and his people. Present day, I think people like to look back on heroes of old and wish there were heroes today; but I think if you examine things closely, you would see we have heroes around us every day.
             Beowulf was made a hero by his people by displaying these very actions. By coming to the aid of Hrothgar in his time of need, Beowulf set himself up to be a loyal soldier. By first taking on the monster Grendel, he proved he was a worthy fighter, willing and able to take down the enemy. When Beowulf fights with Grendel's mother, the sea-hag, he upholds the tradition of avenging for an unpaid death wage, again fighting for the kingdom's sake. And finally, in his later years, as a king himself, Beowulf still shows the bravery that is needed to fight the dragon, even if he is unsuccessful. This brings Beowulf to a heroes ending, a tragic yet noble death, taken by a battle wound, but winning back the treasures of his kingdom. Beowulf represents the quintessential definition of an Anglo-Saxon hero.
             In recent times, I think the most obvious of our heroes are the soldiers over seas. With only the threatening possibility of harm to their country, their kingdom, they 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 their country and their leaders. I think that modern day soldiers bear the closest resemblance to Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon definition of a hero.


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