Wiglaf As An Epic Hero In The Epic Of Beowulf

In the Epic poem of Beowulf, there is more than one epic hero. Although hidden, this courageous follower soon shows his loyalty to his lord and leadership amongst his comrades. Out of the fourteen men Beowulf had chosen to assist him on his courageous journeys, only one was his true friend and follower. This young man was known as Wiglaf. Wiglaf, once a Swedish boy, was the son of Wexstan. Cousin to Beowulf, he always kept in mind the good thing he’d given him such as armor, gold and the great estates the Wexstans now owned. A good man from the start with good morals. This shaped him to be the follower he was and now the leader he is. Wiglaf, as I just mentioned, is a good man. One of simple proud qualities. He is a man of his word and the only mighty warrior who deserved a Leader such as Beowulf. He knew what kinship meant and was not about to let his comrades forget their words of bravery when the time came for them to assist Beowulf in battle. In lines (711-713) you see what it meant to be a good man,” And only one of them/ Remained, stood there, miserable, remembering/ As a good man must, what Kinship should mean” To give you an overall thought of Wiglaf is to sum up his good human qualities. In the end I feel you can gather them all into one word, hero. A hero is one who is loyal to the one they follow. Just as

Yet all that time he had still been a loyal follower and leader in the making. He stays grateful and does whatever Beowulf last dying breaths wish for. “/Then he brought their treasure to Beowulf, and found/ His famous king bloody, gasping / For breath.” Lines (810-812). This shows that Wiglaf had one wish and that is to bask in the victory he’d won with his lord. In doing so he proved himself worthy. That is what made his cousin hand over the throne that he claimed Wiglaf was the last of their far-flung family, that fate had swept their race