Harwell 1

Trinity Harwell

Ms. Winter

AP Brit Lit, Period 2

26 September 2016

Heroes Throughout History: The Similarities and Differences between Heroes of the Anglo-

Saxon Period and those of the Medieval Era, as shown throughout the texts Beowulf and Sir

Gawain and the Green Knight

According to The American Heritage College Dictionary, a hero is [a] person noted for

feats of courage or nobility of purpose, [especially] one who has risked or sacrificed his or her

life; however, the dictionary fails to qualify the necessity for heroes in tales (The American

Heritage College Dictionary 648). Heroes exist in stories to give hope to the readers of the time

period, and therefore, the idea of the ideal hero changes with time. For instance, as the epic poem

Beowulf was written during a different time period than the poem Sir Gawain and the Green

Knight, the heroes in each story differ. Beowulf was written during the Anglo-Saxon period,

when opposing forces were constantly attacking England, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

was written in the Medieval era, when England was involved in fewer, less frequent battles. The

heroes, Beowulf and Sir Gawain, both uphold the cultural ideals of their respective periods,

though due to the difference in time periods, there are different ideals for each; Beowulf displays

wergild, boasting, and supernatural strength, whereas Sir Gawain displays fidelity to his king

despite that he is not a predestined hero, and humility.

The Anglo-Saxon period was marked by a series of invasions in England, and thus, the

ideal heroes of the time were epic heroes. Epic heroes have attributes including the upholding of

cultural ideals, a rite of passage, and predestined heroism, all of which the character Beowulf
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displays. As the Anglo-Saxons were constantly in battle with the Vikings, and later the Normans,

who defeated both the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, they needed a hero who abided by their

standards rather than the standards of Vikings, Normans, or any other peoples. They also needed

a hero with insurmountable courage and strength to give them hope for their own victory. Thus,

the epic hero Beowulf upholds the Anglo-Saxon cultural ideal of wergild, proves his rite of

passage in the form of boasting, and displays inhuman strength, a show of predestined heroism.

Beowulf is the epitome of an epic hero, and thus adheres to the cultural ideals of Anglo-

Saxon culture, completes a rite of passage, and is a predestined hero. One specific cultural ideal

he upholds is the idea of wergild, the idea that if someone is murdered, his friends will seek

revenge on his murderer. Beowulf is native to Geats, though to pay back a debt of his fathers he

travels to Scyldings to defeat Scyldings greatest enemy, a beast named Grendel. Hrothgar, the

ruler of Scyldings, explains Beowulfs reason for assisting his land in taking down the monster,

stating, For deeds done, my friend Beowulf, and for past favors you have sought us. A fight of

your fathers brought on the greatest of feuds, (Beowulf 9) and after explaining the chaos that

ensued after Beowulfs father killed a man, Hrothgar states, I paid blood-money to end the

feud[and your father] swore oaths to me (9). As Hrothgar saved Beowulfs fathers life,

Beowulf owes loyalty to Hrothgar, and therefore, upholding the ideal of wergild, offers to seek

revenge against Hrothgars enemy who has murdered the citizens of Scyldings. Beowulfs

display of wergild proves he upholds the code of conduct, and is therefore considered a hero.

Furthermore, Beowulf is a highly accomplished warrior, and as a rite of passage he displays his

greatness to his audience through boasting. To earn permission to singlehandedly defeat Grendel,

Beowulf tells Hrothgar, [M]y people, the best wise earls, advised methat I should seek you

because they know what my strength can accomplish. They themselves looked on when, bloody
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from my foes, I came from the fight where I had bound five, destroyed a family of giants, and at

night in the waves slain water-monsters, suffered great pain, [and] avenged an affliction of the

Weather-Geats on those who had asked for trouble (8). Beowulf proves he can complete the

task through his pride and confidence in his past conquests, and though he may sound conceited,

his level of confidence is a heroic attribute that the Anglo-Saxons needed to hope for, as enemies

were constantly attacking England and they needed a warrior who could win every battle. In

addition to extreme confidence, Beowulf also has the advantage of supernatural strength, a

feature characteristic of predestined heroism. Beowulf displays his strength in his battle with

Grendels Mother, when he kills her using a victory-blessed blade, an old sword made by the

giants, strong of its edges, glory of warriorsthe best of weapons, [though] larger than any other

man might bear to war-sport (27-28). Beowulfs strength to lift a blade that virtually no other

man can lift is a sign that he is a predestined hero, which is important as the Anglo-Saxons were

desperate for a predestined hero to defeat their ever-challenging opponents.

Antithetical to the Anglo-Saxon period, England faced far less frequent attacks during the

Medieval era, and thus, society no longer needed an all-powerful, undefeatable champion as their

hero. The reason for Englands shift from constant invasion to very little invasion is due to the

Normans conquering of England from the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Once Normandys

William the Conqueror took over England he built up a strong army, emphasized law and order,

introduced administrative ability, and unified the people of England, thus securing the country

and its safety. Englands unity and strong army meant that societys heroes did not need to meet

such high standards as Beowulfs. Sir Gawain, like Beowulf, upholds cultural ideals, specifically

that of fidelity to the king, though he is not a predestined hero. Sir Gawain is also humbler than

Beowulf in completing his task, as he does not need a rite of passage to complete his first task.
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Beowulf must possess strength and courage greater than average men, as he must fight his battles

alone; however, the benefit of a unified army such as William the Conquerors, or as King

Arthurs Round Table in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is that individually the knights do not

need to possess incredible strength, as long as they are strong as a unit.

Like Beowulf, Sir Gawain displays adherence to cultural ideals, though unlike Beowulf,

he is not a predestined hero and does not require the confidence that Beowulf possesses. One

specific ideal Sir Gawain upholds is fidelity to his king, King Arthur, despite his lack of

predestined heroism. The inhabitants of England during the Medieval era believed that God was

all-powerful and he chose kings to sit beside his own throne, and as such, kings were regarded as

Earthly Gods which knights such as Sir Gawain strove to protect with their lives. However, as

the knights individually did not need as much strength, and as Medieval England did not face

frequent battles, the knights themselves were far less experienced than epic heroes such as

Beowulf, and therefore, as Sir Gawain is a knight, he is similarly less experienced. Whereas

Beowulf risks his life due to the knowledge that he can defeat his opponents, Sir Gawain risks

his life solely for fidelity to King Arthur, for he think[s] it not seemly when such challenges be

made in [Arthurs] hall that [Arthur himself] should undertake [them], while there are many bold

knights who sit beside [him], referring to the challenge of striking the Green Knight (Sir

Gawain 4). Sir Gawain does not back down from his challenge, and when the Green Knight

instructs him to meet him at his home in a year and a day, though he knows that he will seek a

deadly blow, andno more wield his sword in fight, (6) he still [makes] ever good cheer, and

[says], Nay, wherefore should I shrink? What may a man do but prove his fate? (6). One could

argue that Sir Gawains display of bravery in spite of the grim odds of the situation is, in fact,

more courageous than Beowulfs decision to ascend into battle, as Sir Gawain knows he will
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likely die and continues to go through with his plan in order to protect Arthur, whereas Beowulf

is confident in his own survival. Furthermore, Sir Gawain is humbler than Beowulf, as he does

not display his feats of victory as a rite of passage for his first task. In asking King Arthur if he

may stand in his place and perform the task of administering a blow to the Green Knight, Sir

Gawain admits, I am the weakest, I wot, and the feeblest of wit, and it will be the less loss of

my life if ye seek sooth (4). Sir Gawain is aware that in taking Arthurs place and striking the

Green Knight, he is quite possibly signing up for a suicide mission, however, he does so anyways

in order to protect Arthur. Sir Gawain does not need to display a rite of passage or boasting for

Arthur to deem him worthy of the task, as his job as a knight is to protect Arthur. Furthermore,

Sir Gawain believes King Arthur is equivalent to God, so it is unjust for him to boast of his own

victories to Arthur. As England was infrequently attacked during the Medieval era, and as it had a

strong army of knights, its citizens did not necessarily need a confident hero, merely a brave hero

willing to give his own life for the king, and Sir Gawain fulfills that standard.

Due to the exponentially changing eras, the idealism of a hero changes to fit the needs

and desires of the people. As Anglo-Saxon England found itself in constant battles against its

enemies, its people needed an all-powerful hero with cultural adherence, confidence, experience,

and supernatural strength who could presumably save the citizens from danger singlehandedly;

therefore, Beowulf is an ideal hero for the time period. However, Medieval England was not as

heavily attacked and had a strong army, so its people needed a hero who, like Beowulf, adhered

to cultural ideals, though did not necessarily possess supernatural strength or great confidence,

and thus, Sir Gawain is an ideal hero for the Medieval era. So, what is a hero? A hero is the

embodiment of what each time period values.

Works Cited
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Beowulf. Critical ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1975. Print.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Class Handout.

The American Heritage College Dictionary. Fourth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d.

Print.