many tribes. Among these stories are Beowulf, whose author is unkown, and the Iliad, which was written by Homer. Both stories present heroes of epic proportion, but in different ways. While both were epic heroes, both had differing characteristics, coming from the fact that the two had different cultural backgrounds, that deemed them as such, a couple differences were: Beowulf had changed the fates of people around him multiple times in his life, while Achilles was the descendent of a goddess. Beowulf’s
in both The Iliad by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, and Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, as shown in the burials of their characters Patroclus and Beowulf. In The Iliad, the death of Achilles’ dear friend Patroclus results in an extravagant setup of funeral games meant to celebrate the life of a fallen hero. Similarly, the death of Beowulf prompts Wiglaf to construct an elaborate burial honoring Beowulf’s life. Although Achilles and Wiglaf respond differently to the death of their friend
Beowulf vs. Achilles What makes epic heroes the same and different? The most famous piece of epic poetry is “Beowulf”, about a legendary hero of the northern European past, whereas the Illiad relates events of the Trojan War, a conflict between Greeks and Trojans in the ancient city of Asia Minor. The similarities and differences due to their cultural backgrounds make Achilles and Beowulf respectable heroes. Beowulf is an epic hero because he is strong and brave. He saves his people on many