The Epic Hero in Beowulf: a Short Overview

Table of Contents

• The Hero's Journey
• The Call to Adventure
• The Hero's Characteristics
• The Enduring Appeal
• Bibliography

Once upon a time, in some far-off place, there was this brave and noble hero. Now, this wasn’t just any regular hero; they had insane strength, courage, and smarts. Their wild adventures got everyone talking and dreaming. This essay’s gonna dive into the idea of what makes an epic hero and look at some examples from different stories. By checking out these characters, we’ll figure out what makes them epic and why they matter in stories. In the end, this essay wants to shine a light on why we still love these heroes so much.

The Epic Hero: A Short Story

The Hero's Journey

So one big thing about epic heroes is their journey. Whether it’s a trip across lands or an emotional rollercoaster, they gotta face a bunch of challenges. Take Odysseus in Homer’s "The Odyssey" for instance. He goes on this crazy journey trying to get back home after the Trojan War. He runs into all sorts of mythical creatures, ticks off some gods, and deals with a ton of setbacks. But through it all, Odysseus stays strong and focused—talk about heroic stuff.

Kinda like Frodo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." He’s got this massive task to destroy the One Ring to save Middle-earth from evil forces. Along his way? Nasty places, tough battles, and fighting off the Ring's dark power. His journey isn’t just about moving from point A to B; it’s also a test of his mind and morals. Frodo sticks to his mission and doesn’t let power mess with him—definitely epic hero material.

The Call to Adventure

Another big part of an epic hero’s story is getting that call to adventure. Usually, it's some kind of quest or mission they've gotta do. Like in "The Epic of Gilgamesh," Gilgamesh gets told to take down the monster Humbaba and get eternal fame. Sure, he wants fame but also aims to leave something lasting behind as proof he's a real hero.

Then there's King Arthur from those old stories about him. Young Arthur pulls out Excalibur and suddenly he’s king of Britain! This thrusts him into knighthood land filled with chivalry and quests like searching for the Holy Grail—a proper call if you ask me! Arthur stands for bravery, honor—everything you'd expect from an epic hero.

The Hero's Characteristics

Now while those journeys are cool n’ all—they don’t fully make up our epic heroes—it really comes down more so around who they are as people (or beings). They pack both physical strength plus mental smarts along with having solid moral values thrown into that mix too! These things make 'em stand out compared ta normal folks—they're like role models we look up towards cuz we wish could be even half as awesome right?

Take Achilles from Homer’s "The Iliad." Sure he was known as super strong fighter during Trojan War times but being loyal toward friends despite knowing full well he might die soon made him legendary beyond just brawn alone!

Aeneas from Virgil's "The Aeneid" showed off lotsa strength plus responsibility when founding Rome—which weren’t easy tasks—but driven by devotion guided gods’ wishes ensured success ultimately highlighting true nature deserving label 'epic.'

The Enduring Appeal

Why do these epic heroes keep grabbing our attention? Well maybe it’s because they show off qualities we all wanna have ourselves—like being brave or standing up against tough odds without backing down easily... Epic heroes inspire us daily encouraging greatness whenever faced difficult situations thrown life generally speaking honestly don't ya think?

And let’s not forget how relatable their journeys can seem sometimes too... We’ve each gone through own struggles feeling lost uncertain faced obstacles needed overcoming... Watching them push forward gives hope reassurance seeing triumph failure alike experiencing indirectly almost empowering way wouldn’t ya say?

In short—the whole idea behind 'epic hero' has stuck around ages partly thanks enduring appeal seen literature everywhere today… These journeys callings define inspire others reach beyond ordinary expectations whether person reading might themselves face similar trials await unknown future perhaps become own kind personal ‘hero’? Anyway—that just my two cents here worth pondering over sometime down road perhaps?

Bibliography

1. Homer. The Iliad.
2. Homer. The Odyssey.
3. Tolkien, J.R.R., The Lord of the Rings.
4. "Unknown." The Epic of Gilgamesh.
5. Virgil, The Aeneid.