The hero of Beowulf represents a number of elements that mark the hero in epic poetry. Beowulf is a leader who represents the society of which he is a part and who undertakes a task for the benefit of that society. He travels a great distance to perform his task and so lends his skills to the ruler of a different region from his own. He achieves his heroic status through the actions he takes and thus secures his role as a leader. The hero is revered in the society of Beowulf, a poem which includes both the pagan religion of early Britain and the Christian religion which supplanted it. Beowulf takes place in the Germanic world of the eighth century or even before, a period about which we know little. It has been called the Heroic Age and produced a poetry to match. The society depicted in Beowulf is harsh and violent, a
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