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Is Beowulf an ideal hero?
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A perfect hero – who is it? Answers depend much on who is asking and what their needs are. But whether you are an aspiring juvenile of an Anglo-Saxon tribe, an old Viking veteran resting by the fire and memorizing his glory days, a scald entrancing his audience, a newly converted knight looking for someone to follow, a monk trying to praise the power of God or even a modern reader of fantasy books, you are almost equally fascinated by the archetypal image of Beowulf. Strange as it may seem, Beowulf combines the pagan notions of wyrd and individualism, Germanic pride and Christian subjecting to the will of the Lord although not many stories of that time have survived the early Christian zeal in their original form. Certainly, one can easily spot some “clumsy” passages where the anonymous editor writing down the poem was trying to purge it of pagan motifs, still, whether he was not ardent enough or had been newly baptized, he left most of the original thread unspoiled. Thus, we can enjoy almost pure Anglo-Saxon idea of a hero – strength, mighty athletic appearance and hunger for fame being followed by courage and intransigence. And so is Beowulf himself, “a thane of Hygelac, excellent among the Geats.” - having the strength of "thirty men" in just one of his arms, a formidable fighter at peak physical condition. However, his strength does not only refer to physical attributes and pride but also to politeness, wisdom and piety. Here we can surely trace the attempts to disgu...
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