Beowulf and Odysseus Hero Comparison

When one thinks of a hero, often the picture of a brute, young man with large muscles comes to mind. It is a rare occasion when one is asked to describe a hero that the first word out of their mouth is "smart". However, that character trait is perhaps the most similar in Odysseus and Beowulf. These two heroes share such heroic qualities as, intelligence, courage, and physical strength.

Beowulf and Odysseus were two very smart beings. Beowulf was intelligent because of his knowledge that no weapons would hurt Grendel. He used this knowledge to defeat Grendel, and eventually kill him. Odysseus, too, was clever. This could be seen when the Cyclops was holding Odysseus and his men captive. It was Odysseus who thought to poke out the Cyclops's eye and then cover the men and himself with sheep wool. However, Odysseus is most likely the brighter of the two. One could draw this conclusion based on the countless times that Odysseus was forced to use brain over brawn. Another trait that these two share, is their courage.

It is practically impossible to be considered a hero without having some sort of courage. Beowulf displayed great courage when he took it upon himself to defeat Grendel, a creature who had killed mass numbers of people. He also acted on a great deal of faith by not battling Grendel with any type of weapon. Odysseus showed his courage when he and his son took on all of the many suitors of his wife. He also demonstrated courage when he listened to the Sirens. He put himself in grave danger by allowing himself to hear them, but he had faith in his crew and his own willpower. However, the difference in their courage was Beowulf's came from his longing for glory, Odysseus's came from his will to get home. No matter how much courage one has, it must be accompanied by physical strength if one is to win a battle.

Both Odysseus and Beowulf had an enormous amount of physical strength. Beowulf's strength was exhibited when he ripped the arm of Grendel off. Beowulf was so strong that his grip alone frightened Grendel, and made him want to retreat. Odysseus, too, was a strong man. He proved his strength when he was able to overcome all of the suitors with only the help of his son. His strength was also shown by how he was able to endure his long and harsh journey. However their strength differed in that Odysseus had only human strength, while it seemed that Beowulf had supernatural