Beowulf Case

An epic hero is the main or an important character of an epic poem that partakes in quests or missions and overcomes great obstacles throughout their journey. Epic Heroes do not have super powers and are not fearless, but, along the journey, they often overcome their fears. There are many qualities or traits an epic hero possesses, such as, being a warrior, leader, having courage, strength, and intelligence. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf is an epic hero because he shows heroic traits, such as, determination, strength, bravery and courage.

One of the qualities Beowulf has is strength. In the poem, he tore off Grendel’s arm in battle and he hung it in the rafters of Hrothgar’s mead hall. Grendel realized Beowulf’s strength when he grabbed him, “in a handgrip harder than anything he has ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth"(Beowulf 750-752). Grendel’s mother became furious and attacked the mead hall and took the arm of her son back to her lair. On her departure, she grabbed Beowulf and took him back to an arena where they battled. His sword, Hrunting, was unable to even cut the skin of Grendel’s mother, due to a spell she had on weapons in her cave. “His arms seized her by the shoulder; anger/ doubled his strength, he threw her to the floor. / She fell, Grendel’s fierce mother, and the Geats’/ proud prince was ready to leap on her. But she rose” (Beowulf 510-513). He fought with his hands but sadly, that was not enough; she kept coming back with such a force. He found a sword on her wall, a sword “so massive that no ordinary man could lift” (Beowulf 533). With his strength, he ripped it from the wall and killed Grendel’s mother with a pierce through the neck, breaking everything in the blades way.

Another trait that makes Beowulf a hero is that he shows bravery and courage. Early in the epic, Beowulf is prince of the Geats. He is also a very refined warrior. He volunteered himself to go to Denmark with fourteen of the strongest and best warriors he could find. Beowulf bragged to Hrothgar that he would easily be able to defeat the Grendel, and he did. He fought Grendel with his bare hands, “my hands alone will fight for me, struggle for