Beowulf vaunts himself as a great warrior and backs up his words by defeating Grendel; he is thus celebrated and received as a hero. ... Though such verbal elements as boasts and stories are crucial to the warrior culture, heroes are, above all, defined by action. ... From there, the early Greek stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey gave a rich basis for fantasy stories, featuring more heroes and monsters, wars and gods. ...

• Word Count: 3090
• Approx Pages: 12