The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of a hero. Beowulf is "the strongest of the Geats "greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world- (Raffel 6). Even though he is famous for his massive strength, other attributions that are no-ticeable are courage, bravery, and a strong love for his people. .
Beowulf is a very courageous man. When Beowulf and Wiglaf fight the dragon, "None of his comrades came to him, helped him, his brave and noble followers; they ran for their lives, fled deep in a wood- (73-74). Through this it is shown that Beowulf and Wiglaf possess courageous traits and are genuinely ready for anything. Beowulf's super-human courage is shown when he went into battle with Grendel, Grendel's mother and the dragon. He shows he is fearless when he says, "I'd use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death like Grendel- (72).
Beowulf physical strength and courage are immense, but he couldn't be a hero without his bravery. Even after all of the horror stories that he hears about Grendel, he still is ready to .
fight the horrid beast without any hesitation by exclaiming "Grendel is no braver, no stronger than I am- (20). Beowulf en-counters hideous monsters and the most ferocious of beasts but never fears the threat of death, knowing that when he fights he will achieve immortality as the victor or the loser. .
I already knew that all my purpose was this: to win the goodwill of your people or die in battle, press in Grendel's fierce grip. Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall welcome my death. (19).
When Beowulf battles with Grendel, he decides "I will meet him with my hands empty "unless his heart fails him, seeing a soldier waiting weaponless, unafraid."" (20). This shows that Beowulf is not scared to face what God puts in front of him.
