Beowulf: The Epitome Of An Epic Hero

It is said that Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, once stated that a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength but by the strength of his heart. A person who claims to be a hero can boast about his strength and how many monsters he’s defeated, but he can’t be a true hero if in the end he’s defeating all these monsters to show off. A true and epic hero is the man or woman who has the intent on helping people in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Beowulf, because of his selflessness, valor, and honor, is the epitome of an epic hero.
In this poem, Beowulf shows many examples of his selflessness. He goes out of his way to save others despite the fact that he wasn’t obliged to. When Beowulf is announcing himself to Hrothgar, he states that he is under Higlac, whom Hrothgar had once done a favor to. To repay Hrothgar, Beowulf had gone to Herot in order to save
Starting with his introductory boast, Beowulf states that he “swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned.” Every time he destroyed the enemy, he became someone that was admirable and honorable to his home people and to his king. He also believes that his “lord Higlac might think less of me if I let my sword go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid behind some broaden linden shield: my hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster,” which shows that he’d rather have the risk of dying than have the amour that might save his life in order to maintain honor with his king.
Even though Zeus’s quote in the beginning came from the animated children’s movie Hercules, it does have a lot of meaning. A hero who doesn’t have the intent to make the world a better place because it would help others isn’t really a hero. Through Beowulf’s selflessness, valor and honor, he shows readers what it means to be a true epic