There are few things as constant throughout humanity as the existence and acknowledgment of heroes. Beowulf is but a solitary example, sandwiched between thousands throughout history; one needs only to glance at the tales of Gilgamesh, Odysseus, King Arthur, Liu Bei, or T.E. Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) to find proof of this. The more modern and grounded in reality the hero, however, the more ambiguous the term ‘hero’ becomes. Consider Vladimir Putin. The image he presents and cultivates brings to mind Beowulf’s personal strength, loyalty to his people, and charisma.
Yet Beowulf’s purpose is to be a moral example, meant to instruct Anglo-Saxons as to the importance of honor, fame, dedication, and subservience. The character
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As the leader of Russia, he is expected to ease his people’s tribulations and better them through his actions. Everything he does is couched underneath that pretense. As Beowulf fought Grendel to liberate the Danes from its slaughter, so does Putin invade the Ukraine in order to free Russians from the country’s yoke. Reality is far more complex, but a flip through Russian news television programs will indicate that the President is as concerned with accuracy and skepticism in reporting as the authors of Beowulf likely were. He also does not hesitate to punish those disloyal to him and his regime, though lengthy prison times are substituted for harsh words.
Indeed, harshness is very deliberately not part of Putin’s character. Throughout the bear-tranquilizing and international meetings, he unceasingly wears an air of a man who is in control of every situation. Here is perhaps one more major difference between him and Beowulf. The hero of the Geats is emphatically not a suave, James Bond sort of hero. He is a man controlled by the twists and turns of fate, and his calm acceptance of it is meant to be a model for future generations. Putin, as befits a former officer of the KGB, is the polar opposite. The vagaries of life bow to his money and