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Ian Jones
Ms. Anderson
Hour 5
October 4, 2013
BEOWULF: A HERO THROUGHOUT LITERATURE
Heroes come and go every day, but none are more known than the Anglo-Saxon hero
Beowulf. Beowulf appears in the heroic epic Beowulf, where he proves his heroism throughout
the entire poem. He is an amazing person capable of many things. He uses his ability to help
people in need and save peoples lives. The only reason he is able to do this is because of his
courage and brute strength. The story of Beowulf revolves around three major battles, including:
Grendel, Grendels mother, and a ferocious dragon. These battles prove his courage. As the story
advances, Beowulf grows wiser and more powerful. The culture of the Anglo-Saxons heavily
influences the way the story progresses. The culture itself is also embedded in the epic.
Beowulf arrives in the story already a known hero, as he has defeated many monsters and
villains (Beowulf, 120). Hrothgar, king of Danes, is in desperate need of help defeating Grendel,
a monster lurking Herot. Since Herot has been built, Grendel has killed anyone who has walked
in, causing it to be inoperative (119). Beowulf and his men stay the night in Herot to defeat
Grendel (121). As night falls, Grendel arrives in Herot. He picks up one of the men and rips him
apart, eating him while he does it (122). Grendel moves on to his next victim, Beowulf. He picks
up Beowulf, who starts to grip onto Grendel. Immediately Grendel regrets what he has done.
Fighting for his freedom, Grendel wanted no flesh but retreat (123). Beowulfs grip kept

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getting tighter and tighter, eventually ripping off Grendels arm (124). Grendel, knowing his days
are about to end, retreats to his home (124). Beowulf hangs Grendels arm up in Herot, proving
his heroism to all (125). Beowulf has now allowed Herot to be used for this first time in twelve
years. Grendels mother, filled with rage, kills Hrothgars advisor and best friend for revenge
(127). Once again, Hrothgar calls upon Beowulf for aid. Beowulf dives deep into a marsh,
hunting for this beast (128). He eventually comes upon her. She picks him up trying to tear him
apart with her claws, but Beowulfs chainmail prevents this from happening (129). Beowulf
swings his sword at her, but it fails him, doing nothing (129). He then finds a sword that was
crafted by giants (130). He takes it and then slices her with it, causing instant death (130). He
then sees the now dead Grendel. He takes the sword and slices Grendels head off, taking it as
reward. Beowulf is now crowned king of Geatland for is brave doings (132). Fifty year later, a
menacing dragon arrives, seeking its stolen treasure, a bejeweled cup (132). It terrorizes the
country, so Beowulf knows that he must go into battle. He starts fighting the dragon, but his
sword crumbles under his strength (136). Beowulf now knows it is his last day; he fights harder
than ever now. He takes the dragons life, but at the cost of his own (137). He dies, but with great
honor.
Throughout the entire story of Beowulf, Beowulf grows into a bigger hero after each
battle. In the battle of Grendel, Beowulf fights the entire battle without any weapons or armor; he
only uses his hands and wins while doing so. The hand of Grendel is his first trophy. After
Grendel died, Herot is once again usable for the first time in twelve year. All of the Danes are
extremely grateful and have a party to celebrate Beowulf (125). In the battle of Grendels mother,
Beowulf shows his knowledge by retrieving the enchanted sword in a fast manner (130). After he
killed the she-beast, he comes upon the now dead, Grendel. Deserving another trophy, he takes

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out his sword and cuts the head of Grendel off, keeping it for himself (131). This trophy is
significant as is symbolizes Beowulfs growth as a hero. He once settled for an arm, but now he
must have the head. The Geats eventually crown Beowulf as their king after Higds only son dies
(132). They do this because they think he is deserving of the crown. Once the dragon arrives,
Beowulf goes into battle with his weapons, feeling no shame whatsoever. I feel no shame, with
shield and sword And armor is what Beowulf even says (133). During the battle, Wiglaf,
Beowulf cousin, tries to assist Beowulf, but ultimately fails (135). Even though this is somewhat
of an obstacle for Beowulf, he fights the dragon while protecting Wiglaf (135). This shows that
Beowulf does not only care about glory, he cares about people as well, proving him to be a hero.
He takes down the dragon at the cost of his life, but he saved many people who would have
surely been killed if he did not. The Geats build a memorial for Beowulfs heroic deeds at his
request (138). Beowulf turned into a greater hero after every battle, at first he would only take a
hand, but he then took a head. He even sacrificed himself at the end of the story to protect others.
Although most believe Beowulf is an amazing hero, there are the few that think
otherwise. People on the opposing side may say that Beowulf let Grendel kill one of his men and
did nothing at all to save him. The reason why Beowulf did not save him is that it was part of a
plan; the men knew that some would die during this stay at Herot. If Beowulf did save him, then
Grendel could have taken Beowulf down and killed him while he was off-guard. Opposing sides
may also say that Beowulf devolved as a hero when he began using weapons. Beowulf actually
evolved when he used the weapons, it showcased his skill and that he can use weapons when
needed and not feel ashamed of it.
Beowulf was written by Anglo-Saxons many years ago, their culture comes up many
times in the story. The idea of wyrd shows itself in the battle of the dragon. Wyrd is the Anglo-

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Saxon way of saying fate (Literature and the English Art, 86). Beowulf knows that this will be
his last battle; he knows that it was the way he was supposed to die. The idea of wergild appears
in the battle of Grendel. Wergild was a law that required murderers to be murdered themselves as
a way of payment (86); it was a flesh for flesh law. Grendel killed more than thirty people
throughout the story; Beowulf has to kill him for this reason. When Beowulf succeeds in killing
him, he made Grendel pay his wergild. Herot is a mead hall. A mead hall was a place that people
would gather to have celebrations and feasts (86). The entire story of Beowulf reflects the life of
the Anglo-Saxons because it revolves around battle. Battle and war was basically the AngloSaxons life; tribes were always at war and battle wounds were a common way of death. Beowulf
ends up dying from a battle wound after many battles in his life.
Beowulf is a hero like no other; he defeats whatever troubles he comes across, becoming
wiser in the process. He learned many things through the course of this story, becoming a better
hero in the process. People would look up to him and rely on him for aid when needed.
Beowulfs heroism is proven throughout the story with the three battles; they show his growth
and development as a hero.

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Work Cited
Beowulf. Minnesota: EMC/Paradigm Publishing, 2005.
Print.
Skiba, Laurie, et al. Literature and the Language Arts The British Tradition. Minnesota:
EMC/Paradigm Publishing, 2005.
Print.