Heroes of Our Times
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In the times of the Anglo-Saxons, it was easy to define a hero as a man who possessed qualities like valor, bravery, and loyalty. Through his actions a hero could show his people he was worthy of their adoration and in turn would return to his people with worthwhile rewards. A hero was first in line to fight for his king, his kingdom, and his people. Present day, I think people like to look back on heroes of old and wish there were heroes today; but I think if you examine things closely, you would see we have heroes around us every day.
Beowulf was made a hero by his people by displaying these very actions. By coming to the aid of Hrothgar in his time of need, Beowulf set himself up to be a loyal soldier. By first taking on the monster Grendel, he proved he was a worthy fighter, willing and able to take down the enemy. When Beowulf fights with Grendel's mother, the sea-hag, he upholds the tradition of avenging for an unpaid death wage, again fighting for the kingdom's sake. And finally, in his later years, as a king himself, Beowulf still shows the bravery that is needed to fight the dragon, even if he is unsuccessful. This brings Beowulf to a heroes ending, a tragic yet noble death, taken by a battle wound, but winning back the treasures of his kingdom...