Cycle of the Hero- Beowulf

Call to Adventure.- In Beowulf the call to adventure is rather obvious. It is when he is asked my the king of the Danes to come and rid them of their monster, Grendel. Beowulf, being the great and powerful hero that he is obliges and agrees to do every thing in his power to kill the beast.

Helpers- The most obvious helpers that Beowulf has are his men. His men stand by him through thick and thin, no matter what the situataion. Eve when they are going up against a great beast that is widly known for it's ability to destroy anything in it's path, they still stay by Beowulf's side. Another person who helps Beowulf later on in the story is Unferth. Unferth, though he doubted Beowulf in the begnning comes back to help him when he needs it. When Beowulf is going to try nd kill Grendels mother, Unferth gives him a sword that has been in his family for years, Hrunting. This gesture of kindness is displayed in hopes that he can help Beowulf acheive his goal of killing the monster.

Threshold to adventure- In my oppinion the Threshold to adventure is when Beowulf is challengd by Unferth and promises to stay all night in the mead hall. It is at this point in the story when Beowulf leaps headfirst n to the adventure and commits to 'tough it out' so to speak, no matter what happens.

Tests- There are two main tests that I think manifest themselves in Beowulf. The first is when Beowulf attacks and kills Grendel. It is then that Beowulf shows his true power and strength and starts to transform in to the hero that he becomes by the end of the story. A second Test that is shown in the story is when Grendels mother attacks Herot and kills many of the people. It seems as if in dong this she is taunting Beowulf, daring him to do something about it. Beowulf however lives up to the challenge and ends up killing Grendels mother.

Triumph- The Triumph in the story is when Beowulf finally suceeds in killing Grendels mother and rids the Danes of the monsters for ever. It is then that he finally accomplishes what he ultimatly sets out to do, to kill all the monsters and prove his bravery as a hero.

Flight- The flight takes place when Beowulf leaves the Danes and goes back to rule as king in his own land. Having accomplished his purpose and done all he can, there is nothing left for him to do and he leaves

Threshold Struggle-The threshold struggle is when Beowulf kills the dragon that is terrorizing his kingdom. It is the last heroic act that he is able to do for his people. Although he is fatally wounded in the process he is still able to both do a good deed for his people and win a great ammount of treasure for them.

Elixir- The Elixir is both the riches that he wins for his people (All the treasures and riches that he wins over from the dragons hoard after he slays the beast) and also the great acts that he has done for his people, he has protected them and rid them of a dragon.