Beowulf Epic Hero

Search for “epic hero” in the dictionary, and the definition reads: “a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events” (“epic hero”). Scan the page a little further, preferably just underneath it, and the name Beowulf appears. Beowulf has come to be the embodiment of an epic hero in society for his ability to exhibit not only one, but all traits of a hero in the epic proportion. Although Beowulf’s story remains evident, the relevance of his heroic characteristics may be questionable. Nonetheless, many traits that were valued at the time when Beowulf swam the seas, continue to linger on in modern society. Beowulf personifies the epic hero and all that it stands for by exhibiting traits
Fame is the “real world” version of high school popularity thus celebrities and “cool kids” are equals. Essentially, fame takes popularity to a global scale. When put in those words, it becomes clear just how much society values fame and all of its possessors. Society glorifies the famous by putting normal human beings on pedestals, much like kings, queens, or even gods, and ranking them based off of vocal ranges, athletic abilities, and the amount of cameras that are shoved into their faces on a daily basis. Jill Neimark, a blogger for Psychology Today, reports that, “Celebrities are our myth bearers; carriers of the divine forces of good, evil, lust, and redemption” (Neimark). This reiterates that the fact that celebrities are actual people, and not gods of some sort, proves completely forgotten the modern world. Fame and a favorable reputation in the Anglo-Saxon time period, much like the 21st century, came to be immensely substantial and sought after. Fame could be gained by doing anything from performing beau gestes, to illustrating tremendous strength in battle. Beowulf’s fame would be pretty difficult to miss being as though he has his own epic poem and, if that is not enough, it even carries his own name. In any case, the hero is quite well
It has developed into a trait that is greatly appreciated in modern society. Man tends to look up to those who are comfortable in their own skin and have no qualms about taking the road less traveled when it leads to success. These individuals are the leaders in society, the ones that others choose to follow after. For example, in her speech at the democratic convention, First Lady Michelle Obama tells the world what she has learned during her time in the White House. “We learned about honesty and integrity - that the truth matters… that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square” (Obama). Anglo-Saxon culture has similar beliefs. Trustworthiness turns out to be one of the major traits looked for in an Anglo-Saxon hero. It goes without saying that Beowulf has the traits of a physically powerful being, along with being extremely sagacious. To add onto those impressive characteristics, he also carries around an abundance of self discipline. Beowulf shows a great deal of integrity when he promises to rid Hrothgar’s kingdom of their troubles with Grendel. “The captain of evil discovered himself / in a handgrip harder than anything / he had ever encountered in any man /on the face of the earth”(749-752). Beowulf keeps his promise and defeats Grendel with his bare hands. Just as modern society