Archetypes In Beowulf

276 Words2 Pages
Although the battles Beowulf fights differ in terms of theme, they all demonstrate archetypes, an important element of Anglo-Saxon culture and writing. In Beowulf’s battle against Grendel, multiple archetypes are illustrated. There are the more obvious ones of heroes and villains, but if you dig a little deeper and take a look at the book as a whole, you could find the archetypes of heralds, or possibly allies. When looking at the archetypes of heroes and villains, you could easily label Grendel as the villain and Beowulf as the hero. Grendel is running rampant in Hrothgar’s mead hall, Heorot Hall. Hrothgar is in need of help so he calls upon Beowulf to fight Grendel. Does this make Hrothgar a herald, then? He fits the characteristics of