"So must any man who hopes to gain long-lasting fame in battle; he must risk his life, regardless." In risking one's life for the good of his clan, a man in Beowulf's time gained fame. Beowulf is the expression of the heroic ideal because even when he knew he was going to lose the battle with the dragon, which is shown in line 1716; "His mind was most mournful, angry, eager for slaughter; fate hovered over him, so soon to fall on that old man, to seek out his hidden spirit, to split life and body; flesh was to confine the soul of the king only a little longer- Beowulf still bravely fought until death overtook the king. Beowulf also shows that he is a hero when he makes the right decisions when the answers aren't obvious like when he decides to fight Grendel with his bare hands instead of using a sword before they knew that "No war-sword, not even the finest iron on earth, could wound their evil enemy, for he had woven a secret spell against every kind of weapon, every battle blade." Consequently, when a man backed down from a battle he "Lost face," or lost all the honor he had gained from preceding fights and disgraced all of his past and future family members. Disgracing themselves and their leader, "Beowulf's companions, sons of nobles-so far from protecting him in a troop together, unflinching in the fright-shrank back into the forest scared for their own lives." This battle with the dragon also brought forth a new hero-Wiglaf. "One man alone obeyed his conscience. The claims of kinship can never be ignored by a right-minded man." When Wiglaf stayed to help Beowulf, it showed courage and heart, both needed to be a hero. When we finally learn his lineage in line 1805, it shows that Wiglaf gained honor for himself and his family. Another heroic person from Beowulf is the coastguard who when Beowulf and his men arrived on his homeland challenged Beowulf saying "But now, before you step one foot further on Danish land like faithless spies, I must know your lineage.
