Even though the novel Beowulf is not exactly my cup of tea, it portrays the role of a hero perfectly.
An epic hero is usually of great importance, the ideal man of his culture. He has superhuman or divine traits and is greater than the common man. The hero also displays morals that were important to that society from which the epic originated. The hero is boastful, yet it is his duty to remain confident. The most important thing about an epic hero, is that the hero participates in a journey or quest, faces obstacles which try to defeat him, and returns home successfully from his journey.
Beowulf contains all of these. He is very important because the city of Heorot is depending on Beowulf to defeat the evil Grendel. Beowulf most definitely contains superhuman traits, especially when he defeats Grendel's mother underwater with just a sword. You can also tell that Beowulf was from the Anglo-Saxon culture because when Grendel died, his mother seeked the price of the death of Beowulf. Not only that, but Beowulf gives many speeches in which he boasts of his confidence in defeating Grendel. He contains superhuman courage and when first looked at, he seems a little cocky. (Or at least that's what I thought when I first read Beowulf's speech on how he was going to defeat Grendel. Then I realized that he was doing that to put confidence in the people of Heorot and it was actually his duty to be confident.) Beowulf's journey is very important. He feels like it is his duty, since he is the son of Ecgtheow, to help the city and defend them. He faces three evils: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. I have not read Beowulf's last battle, yet if he is anything like the epic hero I think he is, I predict that he is going to win the last battle and complete his journey by returning home.
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