Beowulf: Still Relevant?
Bloody Right He Is!
Why should we give a damn about a poem written over a thousand years ago? Because Beowulf, that big, boastful, badass Geat, embodies something primal in the human spirit. He's the ultimate problem solver, the guy you call when a monster is chomping on your mates. His courage, strength, and honour rolled into one gloriously oversized package.
But let's be honest, modern heroes… well, many of them have gone a bit soft. We're drowning in weak, introspective protagonists who spend more time navel-gazing than monster-slaying. And don't even get me started on the Mary Sues – those paragons of virtue and skill who make the blokes look like utter twats. We need heroes who are flawed, yes, but also capable, decisive, and unapologetically masculine.
Think pre-Daniel Craig Bond – Pierce Brosnan at his peak, those glorious 80s and 90s action heroes, and Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (Original Trilogy). Men being Men and not apologising for it.
The Decline (and Potential Rise) of the Alpha (or Sigma).
Growing up in the 80s and early 90s, I was spoiled rotten with cinematic heroes cut from the Beowulf cloth. These were men of honour, pride, and selflessness, radiating badassery. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987) and Terminator 2(1991) stands as a high-point. After that? A slow, steady decline.
Then came The Matrix in 1999, ushering in the era of the martial artist hero. The big, muscle-bound bloke was out. Brains were in. The sense of honour was less of a requirement. Spectacle took over.
Since 2008, superhero movies have been getting a shot in the arm, starting with Iron Man. The Hulk, Captain America (Steve Rogers), and Thor gave us a glimmer of hope, embodying that heroic ideal again: big, strong, selfless men willing to sacrifice everything. This wave crashed hard after 2019.
The 2020s have been brutal. The traditional male hero? Deemed "toxic" by the Hollywood elite. Replaced by flawless Mary Sues who can effortlessly outdo any man. What they call DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is killing the male, not just the male hero.
But here's the thing, in 2025, the tide seems to be turning. Maybe, just maybe, we'll see a resurgence of the Beowulf archetype.
Beowulf vs. Jack Reacher: A Modern Comparison
So, how does Beowulf stack up against a modern hero? Let's take Jack Reacher, Lee Child's creation, as an example.
The Paragon of Strength: Beowulf's legendary strength is his defining trait, ripping Grendel's arm off, while Reacher is a military police officer, 6'5", built like a brick shit-house, and brutally efficient in hand-to-hand combat. Both men are forces of nature.
Honour and Duty: Beowulf fights for his people and his king, driven by a sense of duty and a desire for glory, and Reacher operates by his own moral code, protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty, often outside the bounds of the law. Both are driven by a deep sense of what's right.
Stoicism: Beowulf faces his battles with grim determination, showing little emotion. Reacher is a man of few words, concealing his thoughts and feelings, a true loner who trusts his instincts.
Lessons Learned: Storytelling and Heroism
Studying Beowulf has revealed a few home truths. First, storytelling wasn't always about narrative prose. It was a "this happened, so this happened" kind of deal, monsters just showed up when the poet needed them to.
Second, heroism is timeless. Despite what the Hollywood execs want, people still crave the Beowulf archetype: big, strong, proud, with a masculine honour code, and loved by women (What Bond used to be).
Heroism is hardwired into our brains. We want honourable men fighting for us, saving us from the monsters we can't face. And some of us aspire to be that kind of Man.
The Beowulf hero is always with us, whether in a 1300-year-old poem or in the pages of a Jack Reacher novel. They're never far away.
Just maybe clouded by a mist of DEI mustard gas.
Final Thoughts: Literature, Then and Now
Has studying Beowulf changed my understanding of literature? Honestly, I'm not sure I fully understood it before, and I'm still grappling with it now. I can talk about narrative formats and verse versus prose, but that's about it.
I aspire to a deeper understanding of literature, both ancient and modern. But for now, the Beowulf hero beckons.
Life is a constant evolution, a dance with change that shapes who we are and where we’re headed. And just like life, this site is transforming once more. I don’t yet know where this journey will lead, but that’s the beauty of it—each shift brings us closer to where we’re meant to be.
Change is not a sign of uncertainty, but of growth. It’s the path we must take to uncover our true purpose. And while we may not always understand where life is guiding us, it’s in the act of seeking, of embracing the flow, that we discover our direction.
Imagine life as a river, with its tides, currents, and eddies. If we fight against the current, we tire and falter. But if we surrender to it, letting it guide us, we might just find ourselves exactly where we’re meant to be.
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