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Understanding one’s own potential People who do not let go of the past will be hopelessly searching for reasons or excuses (which may not even exist) of what happened in history. However, others who look forward to the future will have an optimistic or joyful mindset. For example, Gilgamesh saw his friend Enkidu pass away, and he realizes that he could also die any day. Therefore, he seeks apotheosis. Although Gilgamesh loses a friend and tries to find immortality to…

In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, mead halls are used as a community space where the king, his warriors and servants can settle down and plan battles. They can also partake in some casual hobnob and enjoy a honey-based drink called mead. While similar on paper, these two buildings are vastly different in their structure and size - one being a castle and the other, a central “hub” with auxiliary buildings around it. Heorot, the mead…

A hero may be portrayed in a variety of ways, depending upon the author or director of the story. Hero stories are not, and will never be culturally outdated. We see the theme of heroism woven throughout the literary narrative of man. Beowulf, an ancient text, contains the archetype of the hero. Some elements of the hero archetype that Beowulf embodies exhibits the heroes' quest by killing Grendel and slaying the dragon. Heroes come in different shapes and sizes, whether…

A quest is a search or longing for something, it is a journey that has to be taken in order to find what you are yearning/looking for, it is a goal; it is something in which you pursue. In this story Gilgamesh goes on many quests, searching for what he desires, whether it is physical or mental, and he does not stop until he finds what he is yearning for.Gilgamesh was a King in the city of Uruk, Mesopotamia in…

Webster defines a hero as “a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability”. This definition perfectly exemplifies what makes Beowulf the greatest hero of the three stories we read about. While Gawain and Olaf both have their own special heroic traits, neither of them live up to the true meaning of being a hero. His legend includes defeating Grendel to killing the mother of the original beast, further showing Beowulf’s commitment to defending…

During the time of the Anglo-Saxons, many virtues and characteristics that were expected of great leaders and heroes were created. The most known of these virtues are generosity, loyalty, friendliness, and bravery few could meet and surpass these requirements. In the epic poem Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the hero Beowulf does not display and fairly represent these virtues due to his selfishness. Beowulf has never been an ideal Anglo-Saxon hero and is very self-conscious of what people think of…

All of the events that transpired throughout the text created an unbreakable bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. This friendship is developed through all of the near-death experiences and solidified even more after Enkidu's death. Their friendship can be described as complex. One could argue that their friendship was almost necessary for Gilgamesh's life. What is so important about their friendship is that it is able to bring animal, humans, and even gods together. Throughout the text it is easy to…

Through reading the Epic of Gilgamesh and Yvain, there are many instances where we can find unquestionable similarities. But since Gilgamesh is an epic hero, does the journey make Yvain an epic hero as well? I will discuss that in further detail, but we can see many similarities among them, the first one being for them departing on a quest. Even though the quests happen for different reasons, it still serves the purpose of demonstrating the question of their heroism.…

Upon completing my reading of Beowulf, I'm paralyzed with admiration and wonder. According to YourDictionary.com, the definition of a hero is one that has made noble and/ or brave accomplishments. He was the quintessential hero, because he was unprejudiced, a superb combatant, and undeniably powerful. Honestly, who could deny that Beowulf was one of the greatest heroes of all time? I'll wait. Beowulf was the epitome of strength and fearlessness. It didn't matter what size or reputation his enemies had,…

Many people wouldn’t be able to answer you if you asked them what an epic was. They couldn’t give you any examples or explain it in the slightest. But an epic has many characteristics and it’s easy to still find these characteristics in literature today and movies.A great example of an epic poem is the poem written by a 8th century Anglo-Saxon poet which is called “Beowulf” which tells of the great fight of its title character Beowulf. Beowulf fits…