Hero’s journey in Beowulf epic poem 

Hero’s journey in Beowulf epic poem

According to Campbell’s hero theory, the journey to becoming a hero involves venturing from an ordinary being to a region of supernatural forces. One must battle forces of evil in his or her venture to becoming a hero. The battles always involve saving fellow human beings from the wrath of the evil forces involved. In Beowulf’s epic poem, there are several instances where the poem depicts the events that align with Campbell’s hero theory. On the contrary, the poem also outlines activities that do not align with Campbell’s hero theory.

In ancient stories, heroes are born from a noble background. Their imperial history implies that they come from a lineage of kings and significant worries. In the case of Beowulf, he comes from a family of kings. His uncle Hygelac is referred to as the king of the Geats. In the poem, Beowulf first battles Grendel, a monster who was raining terror and fear on the people. The poem depicts Beowulf as an outsider when he first land in Denmark. The poem narrates the Beowulf mode of battling the monster. Without any weapon, he embarks on a battle to defeat the beast. Beowulf’s noble act of fighting for the people align with Campbell’s hero theory. The events leading to his first battle show his extraordinary journey away from home to fight for the people of Denmark. The monster he battles has supernatural powers, just like in Campbell’s hero theory. Beowulf’s victory on his first battle is also in alignment with Campbell’s hero theory, which indicates that while battling supernatural forces, the hero emerges victorious (Kennedy, pg. 57).

Beowulf’s strength made him the only available match to face Grendel. After the battle, he emerges victorious. His dedication to the people rather than vengeful nature aligns with Campbell’s hero theory. Without Beowulf, the Danes could not stand a chance of defeating the monster in battle. Beowulf represents hope and strength to the Danes. According to Campbell’s theory, a hero represents strength and hope for the people, just like Beowulf did to the Danes (Kennedy, pg. 68).

After the death of King Hygelac, Beowulf returns home. The poem narrates that he did return home with the armor of 30 warriors in his bare hands. His people accords him a hero’s welcome since he is their only hope. Beowulf’s connection to the throne implied that he is the next heir to the throne. The fact that the Swedish people viewed Beowulf as a hero means that he is a sense of hope for his people in Sweden. According to Campbell’s theory, heroes symbolized hope to the hopeless, the same as Beowulf to the people of Sweden (Kennedy, pg. 107).

When Grendel’s mother murders one Dane, she does that out of revenge for the death of her son. She later escapes with her son’s severed arm. Her action of killing the Dane is purely out of malice, she does not do it for the people. Grendel’s mother does not depict a hero’s perspective, and her acts do not align with Campbell’s hero theory. There are no depictions of her extraordinary journey in battling supernatural forces. She killed one of the confidants of his sons out of vengeance. Grendel’s mother act is similar to her son’s only that it does not involve the massacre of many people but rather one individual (Kennedy, pg. 106).

Another instance where the poem does not align with Campbell’s hero theory is the instance where the dragon attacks the whole village burning houses, including Beowulf’s hall. Out of anger and vengeance, Beowulf decides to kill the dragon. He embarks on a search for the dragon (Kennedy, pg. 110). Despite not being physically fit and healthy like in his earlier days, the once hero decides to attack the dragon without any weapon. During the struggle, Beowulf sustains serious injuries. People decide to flee, but one of his servants chose to save him. The servant pulled Beowulf from the burning wreckage. In this last battle with the dragon, Beowulf is depicted as reckless and emotionally weak. Despite not being a definite shape, he decided to battle the dragon without any weapon. The scenario that forced Beowulf to fight the dragon is when he realized that the dragon burnt his hall. He does not act in the interests of his people. He responds to avenge for the destruction of his castle by the dragon. His servant’s decision to save Beowulf when everyone chose to flee is an act of heroism. However, it does not align with Campbell’s hero theory (Kennedy, pg. 112).

It is evident that the poem depicts events that align with Campbell’s theory of heroism. It also describes events that do not align with the same philosophy. For instance, when Beowulf decides to battle the dragon out of vengeance, he does not portray Campbell’s theory. However, when Beowulf chose to face Grindel to protect his people, he displays heroism. His actions also align with Campbell’s hero theory. His noble background and the journey to battle the monster align with Campbell’s hero theory.

Work cited

Kennedy, Charles W. Beowulf: The Oldest English Epic. Oxford [etc.: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.