Journal 2: The Hero Today

Many of today’s heroes are modeled after Beowulf’s archetypal hero. One hero that is comparable to Beowulf and is a well-known fictional hero today is Batman. Beowulf and Batman have some of the same qualities. Both heroes have the same motives. However, Beowulf fights for greed, fortune, and fame; whereas, Batman fights for the safety of Gotham citizens. Both heroes are mere human beings, but they are stronger than the people who are around them. It comes as a surprise that the two win their battles seeing that they lack most things that are needed to conquer the skilled evil beings. Both lack supernatural abilities, and rely on their weapons to get them through the battle, which is their advantage. Beowulf relies on his sword, Hrunting, which he carries with him to protect from dangers that he would not be to handle with pure physical strength. Like Beowulf, Batman keeps himself surrounded by all his gadgets and technology.  Though Batman likes the supernatural abilities that most super heroes have, he invests in high tech technology that allows him to easily destroy his villains. Batman and Beowulf’s dependence on their weapons unite their fighting techniques. It is evident that Beowulf’s story can be found in today’s time through modern heroes like Batman.

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