The Hero's Quest In Beowulf

Beowulf is an archetypal story known by generations around the world. Beowulf took place during Anglo-Saxon English time period. In this work, Beowulf, a young Geat man, journeys to Denmark to save the Danes from the wrath of the demonic Grendel. During Anglo-Saxon time, Beowulf was a folk song only passed around by word of mouth. Monks eventually transferred it to paper since they were the only ones capable of writing. The tale contains multiple elements that have been analyzed throughout time. One of the most renowned elements to this well known story is the Hero Quest. The mythological and archetypal Hero Quest is portrayed in Beowulf through the call, obstacles, climax, and return.

The epic Beowulf is written in Old English by an unknown author, and it is considered to be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English. Beowulf is about a hero, named Beowulf, who comes to the rescue of the Danes when their mead-hall is being attacked by a monster. He then enters a series of three great battles that change his life. The last battle is the most significant battle that Beowulf faces because it shows how much he has grown as a man from his first battle. Without Beowulf’s final battle, the epic Beowulf would not have the valuable lesson that it is able to teach us today.

A hero's journey is a pattern of narrative identities that appears in many dramas, storytellings, myths, and psychological development. The journey consist of twelve different steps and in the story Beowulf we read about the magnificent and rough journey that Beowulf and this men accomplish. Many people question if Beowulf is considered a hero and if what he did was good. The journey that he embarked on, leads me to believe that Beowulf is a hero and always will be.

In the beginning, Beowulf was introduced as a young and powerful warrior whose heroism is defined by his great strength.

Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it. There are three mini-hero journeys Beowulf’s main journey.

Many time we are asked why we do the things we do. What is our motivation for the things we do? Does someone tell us it do it or do we do it because it’s fun? You can find motivation in many strange and different things. Motivation can be derived from family or friends, personal interest, and even conflict. In Beowulf, there are fights with three different monsters. Beowulf, the hero, has different motivations for fighting each monster. Beowulf didn’t have to fight any of these monsters, but he choose to. During the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf’s motivations for fighting the monsters are duty, glory, and sacrifice.

Heroes need weapons to defeat their enemies, and it is no different for the hero Beowulf in the epic poem Beowulf. Beowulf uses all sorts of weapons throughout his many battles with monsters. Each weapon that he uses there is attached a cultural significance. There is a cultural significance attached to each weapon that he uses, ultimately aiding him in his survival and his killing of the beats. As he grows older, he needs to wear more armor and fight with stronger weapons to be able to kill his enemies. This attests to his aging and the stronger forces that he is facing. Beowulf uses different and progressively stronger weapons that carry a cultural attachment of his people, enabling the hero to to defeat his enemies even though he is getting older and his enemies are getting stronger.

Focusing the reader’s attention on the great epic poem Beowulf, an unknown author, introduces the image of the tremendous Anglos-Saxon epic hero,Beowulf. Attributed with the 7 main characteristics that make him competent to fit in such category, for the purpose of bringing to their literature a mythical figure, destroying supernatural foes, with the craving of justice and honor for his own culture. Noble birthed, capable of deeds of great strength and courage, a great warrior, Beowulf, travels over a vast setting, being recognized as a hero, keeping his humility, in a story where this incredible character confronts every supernatural adversary, to defend his kingdom.

Within this paper, there are two different pieces writing that will be compared. Those writings are The Epic Poem of Beowulf and A Hero’s Journey Archetype. This paper will be discussing this question: How does Beowulf follow the Hero’s Journey Archetypes?

Beowulf is a perfect example of an epic hero. What is an epic hero, you may ask? An epic hero is one who is determined to show their strength, bravery, and honor by heroic and dangerous actions. In the epic, Beowulf, the main character himself shows many qualities that defines him as an epic hero. Beowulf’s many battles are examples of how he is an epic hero. On numerous accounts, Beowulf involved himself in many challenges such battling Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon to prove himself as a hero.

It is important to note that epic heroes are depicted in stories and poems as people who posses such qualities that are other people lacks. For instance, bravery beyond compare, strength, superhuman intelligence skills and desire for success are some of the traits of epic heroes. In order to understand the importance of Beowulf’s epic acts, it is important to understand the key figures in the poem. Beowulf is a hero of Geats. He displays a bravery trait when he aids to the Danes’ king after Grendel (powerful monster) attacks Hrothgar’s mead. Heroically, Beowulf slays the monster and become the target of his own mother. Further, he made great success in battle and return to their home.

The story of Beowulf successfully follows every step of an Archetypal Hero Quest; the hero, Beowulf, answers a call, makes a decision, prepares, faces obstacles, reaches a climax, and returns home. Beowulf is met with three large battles within Beowulf, first with Grendel, then with Grendel’s mother, and his last fatal battle, with a dragon. Each battle carries aspects that add to the Hero Quest but do not fully create one until all are together.

Beowulf has lasted since around between five hundred to a thousand Current Era. Beowulf story has lived on through people telling the story and it being written. Beowulf was a strong, intelligent, kind, caring, brave, and noble man. The story has lived on because of the accomplishments of Beowulf. The story would not be told today if Beowulf had not killed those horrible creatures.

In Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon’s epic poem of a hero fighting to save his kingdom from death and destruction. Good versus evil is the most common theme presented throughout the poem Beowulf. The writer makes it clear that great and malevolence don't exist as just contrary energies, however that both qualities are available in everybody. Beowulf speaks to the capacity to do great, or to perform acts sacrificially and in help of others. Goodness is likewise demonstrated all through this epic as being able to wash down underhandedness.

The most important quality that makes Beowulf a quest is archetypal characters. The hero is a main part in archetypal characters. The hero of the story is Beowulf. What makes Beowulf the hero of the story is how he slays all of the villains in the epic poem. In the translated version of Beowulf by Charles W. Kennedy, Beowulf slays Grendel’s mother, and “She [sinks] in death; the sword [is] bloody” (51). Villains play a significant role as characters in a quest as well. The villains include