In the late 5th century the Anglo-Saxon warriors ruled England for over five hundred years. The definition of a warrior is a person engaged or experienced in warfare or figuratively a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness [1]. For an Anglo-Saxon warrior their job was a matter of life and death, and this drive can be seen in the characters in the poem Beowulf, Beowulf, Unferth, and Wiglaf.
Beowulf the main character of the epic poem, he offers his services to the King Hrothgar. He traveled to a distant land to fight an unconquerable demon, throws his weapons aside and fights the demons Grendel and Grendels mother with his hands. When he returns to Geatland he turns down the position of King, but is forced into the position after his cousin, Heardred, is killed in vicious battle. Beowulf remains king for fifty years, he becomes a hazardous threat to the nearby tribes and the protector of all his people. This whole fairytale ending ends, when a thief wakes up a ferocious dragon, and then Geatland faces there most violent threat. Beowulf makes everything harder for himself and shockingly it works out well for him. Once he hears about the dragon he hunts it and tries to battle even though he knew it would kill him. Throughout the poem Beowulf, shows himself to be a true Anglo-Saxon warrior, with his never ending will to succeed.
In the rival tribe named Spears-Danes[2], a warrior of the name of Unferth confronts Beowulf and claims to be a better warrior than him. Beowulf turns the tables on Unferth when he jogs his memory that Unferth never beat Grendel. In the Anglo-Saxon culture, the most important bond between people is family. One of the worst things anyone could do in the culture is kill their own family member. Unferth committed this twice by killing his brothers, and Beowulf reminds him that he is not a worthy warrior. This makes Unferth very bitter and he does anything to become better then Beowulf, and this never happens. Regardless, of Unferth's dreadful qualities he is knowledgeable, skillful, and openhanded. This can be seen when he lends Beowulf his sword to kill Grendel. He was obviously too scared to fight the demon himself, and this makes him a lesser man. With all the things Unferth did throughout the poem, it shows that he is not a worthy Anglo-Saxon warrior.
A young Geatish warrior named Wiglaf, who is in Beowulf's clan follows him everywhere he goes. This brings him to the layer where the dragons lives, and he stays by Beowulf's side throughout the whole battle even when the eleven other Thanes have left [3]. He encourages, aids, and supports Beowulf. If Wiglaf wasn't so brave, Beowulf would have not been able to defeat the dragon. He distracts the dragon when he swings so Beowulf could stab the dragon in the side. Wiglaf becomes the successor when Beowulf begins to die and he gives him the golden necklace that represents the transfer of power [3]. Wiglaf represents true loyalty, friendship, and is the only one to stay true to Beowulf out of the eleven thanes. He basically is young mirror like image of a young Beowulf. This can be seen because he shows that he follows the heroic code in that he is willing to give up his life to defeat and opponent and save his king. He survives the battle, becomes king, and lives to tell the story to all the people in the tribe.
The Anglo-Saxon culture was made up of Thanes, lords, and Kings. According to Michael Delahoyde of Washington State University, "Kings should display the heroic ideal and be known for an extraordinary and courageous feat or for success in war, all preceded by some boasting. The king must be a generous "ring-giver" too -- that is, he must dish out the spoils of war to his thanes rather than hoard the treasures won in tribal warfare (a practice that has survived in diluted form, says Tom Garbaty, with the Queen giving medals to the Beatles and such). [4]" The role of King would obviously be Beowulf in an Anglo-Saxon culture. With his heroic battles, courageous heart, and god-fearing ways, Beowulf would have been a great king. According to Donaldson, "Under no circumstance were the Anglo-Saxons were to turn their backs on an injustice brought on by evil and dark forces. It was their duty and right to remove those that went against God. However, violence and warfare are not always to be tolerated. One of the greatest crimes to be committed in Anglo-Saxon culture was fratricide (killing one's brother)." Unferth would have been looked down upon, because he was a coward. He let Beowulf kill Grendel and Grendel's mother for him, because he was much too scared. He also killed his two brothers which is one of the worst things someone could do in a tribe. Unferth would have been exiled in a real Anglo-Saxon tribe. In the Anglo-Saxon culture it was based on bonds, and the character of Wiglaf would have been a prime example of a true warrior. Not only would he be a true warrior he would be a reflection of the King of the tribe. The Anglo-Saxon culture was centered around the will to be a hero, and this can be seen in the poem of Beowulf.
In conclusion, Beowulf is characterized as a god-fearing warrior with great physical strength and a hero. These characteristics were well-liked in the Anglo-Saxon tribes, and depicted through there literature. He embodies all these admired characteristics that become the epic tale of Beowulf.
