Gawain

Gawain learns a lot at the end of the tale Gawain and the Green Knight. He learned that the knight knew when he hid the girdle from him. They had a deal to exchange what they got at the end of the day and Gawain hid it from him. He also learned that the house he was staying in actually belonged to the Green Knight himself. The knight told him that the third strike that cut his neck was because he didn’t tell him his wife had given him the girdle for his protection.

He also learned that his host was the servant of the old woman the knight had told him to spend time with. Gawain learned that he must be an honest knight. He held the girdle because he was selfish and wanted protection. In the end, his dishonesty taught him that he shouldn’t have been so selfish.

I think what makes Gawain heroic is that he was willing to come forward and admit that he was at fault. He made a vow to be an honest man from that day forward. I think it was very courageous for him to admit fault and own up to his dishonesty.

Mushashi

Mushashi has a very clear definition of what a true hero is. The Book of Five Rings is his interpretation of the way of the sword. The entire text outlines the code which a true hero needs to follow. He emphasizes that strategy is the most important thing a hero can have, as he says in the first book “strategy is the craft of the warrior” (4). He talks about looking at situations on a large scale, and staying calm yet determined. One of the most important things for the true hero is wisdom and spirit. Mushashi stresses the importance of being patient and calm in order to overcome men. Having the right attitude can determine everything. A true hero must remain focused, any divergence becomes extremely detrimental to the hero and his journey. Knowing the rhythm of the situation and appreciating the power of nature you will be able to overcome the enemy.

 

I don’t think the characteristics Mushashi describes would still be valued today in contemporary North America. People today are focused on the outcome and the fastest way to get there. Mushashi puts a lot of emphasis on the necessity of patience and understanding. I don’t think we are patient enough now to appreciate this way. Today all the importance and time is focused on the physical victory. Everything Mushashi believes in has to do with the spiritual and emotional state of victory in the hero himself. Overcoming the man while being calm and centered is the way things used to be, but now the physical defeat of the enemy is the most important factor.

 

 

 

Sundiata

I think the biggest thing that makes Sundiata a hero is his patience. He is also extremely wise. He shows his patience by waiting until he was ready until he showed Mali the hero he actually was. When everyone was losing faith in him he did not care, he waited and then showed everyone that he was the great hero he was destined to be. You see his wisdom when he handles the witches. He is calm and generous to them, unlike his half brother Soumaoro Kante. He also shows his wisdom in the game with Mansa Konkon. The king has never lost a game, until Sundiata defeats him. He is an extremely humble and smart man, which is what makes him an amazing hero.

There is huge differences between the type of hero Sundiata represents compared to the hero we have already studied. The West African hero, Sundiata, is very wise and careful in everything that he does. He uses his wisdom and cleverness more than he uses any physical power. The hero archetypes of Sumeria and Scandinavia are different because the heros focus more on physical strength and brutality. While Sundiata is extremely strong, he rarely uses his strength to prove the hero he is. He is more wise and humble than the previous heros we have studied. He uses his knowledge and cleverness to become the hero and leader that he has always been destined to be.

Grendel

In Beowulf, it is obvious what characteristics make Grendel monstrous. He is an evil creature. He never felt that what he was doing was wrong. He is portrayed as a monster from hell. Grendel had been isolated from society, and he was considered monstrous because of his appearance and his actions. He scares the men with his grotesque looks, his speech that they cannot understand, and his brutality. He murdered so many men without remorse.

Grendel, being as evil as he was, is also portrayed as sympathetic. The reader sympathizes with Grendel because despite his mothers efforts, the humans were the ones that pushed him away and feared him. His actions were all driven by his envy and his isolation. These feelings of sadness are what drove Grendel to be the monster he became.

Grendel is a popular monster in the modern audience. Characters like him because he relates to any human. He has human emotions, he is sad and angry, and these emotions are the only reason Grendel became the evil monster he is. An audience is attracted to the human characteristics that this particular monster has in common with them.

Comparison of Odysseus and Achilles

Odysseus and Achilles are very similar in some of their heroic ways, however, they are also drastically different. They both endure personal losses and they are both tested by the Gods. Some of the heroic traits they share include their sense of duty, their courage, their bravery, as well as their compassion. Both of these men as leaders in their heroic journeys. The trials they both face lead them through several trails, and through these trials they both become true heroes.

Odysseus, as well as sharing many qualities with him, is very different from Achilles. When Odysseus is faced with his trials he uses more caution than Achilles. He is so concerned with the safety of his men and making it home, that he makes sure to think out a plan in order to ensure he would make it past the monsters he faced. Achilles is also concerned with the safety of his men, but he is not as clever as Odysseus. Achilles is a more impulsive man than Odysseus. He doesn’t consider any of the things that could go wrong, he is simply driven by his want for revenge.

Odysseus is always watching out for the safety and return of his men. He makes sure to warn them every step of the way. A noble quality about Odysseus is his determination to save and protect his men. Odysseus pleads, “‘Eurylochus, I am one against all- the upper hand is yours. But swear me a binding oath, all here, that if we come on a heard of cattle or fine flock of sheep, not one man among us-bind in his reckless ways-will slaughter an ox or ram” (Fagles 280). This makes him heroic because he is pleading that the men will follow in his direction so they are not harmed. He knows if they slaughter the animals they will be killed, and he is doing everything he can in order to prevent this from happening.

I think Odysseus is the better hero out of the two because he is concerned with making strategic choices. He stops to think about every decision he takes any action, he knows that this is the smart thing to do. I think this heroic characteristic is what makes him so cunning. He is extremely persistent and he is motivated by the right reasons unlike Achilles. The only thing Achilles thinks about before he acts is his motivation for revenge. I think this makes him the weaker hero.

Humbaba

Humbaba is a great threat to Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Enkidu describes Humbaba as terrifying. He says he has knife-sharp teeth that stick out like tusks and a blood-smeared face that resembles a lion. He says that Humbaba charges like a raging torrent. Humbaba could be considered pathetic because he has to confuse Gilgamesh in order to save himself. He tries to threaten Gilgamesh and “curse” Enkidu is order to save his own life. He begs Gilgamesh for his life without putting up a fight or really trying to defend himself. For a creature that is supposed to be feared so greatly and so powerful, he is nothing close to that. He is supposed to be protector of the forest.

I don’t understand why it was so important for Gilgamesh and Enkidu to kill Humbaba. He was put there by the God Enlil. I think the killing is unnecessary. Humbaba didn’t deserve to die, he even begged for his life and asked to be left alone in the forest. 

Shamhat

The poet presents the value of Shamhat’s work as art, he tells her to “use [her] love-arts” (78), as well as to “stir up his lust when he approaches” (78). Modern Midwestern readers may see this as offensive and promiscuous. As she may seem this way in our modern culture, in the story she is extremely important. She is the only one brave enough and experienced enough to tame such a wild “monster”. She acts as the great mother and the maiden in the story. She is the great mother in the sense that she tames him and makes him civilized. She acts as the maiden in the way she is of desire to him.

Fairytale Archetypes

Growing up my favorite fairytale was The Little Mermaid. In this story Ariel, the main character, is the hero because she fights for her life and what she wants, which is to be on land. Flounder and Sebastian are Ariel’s best friends, they fight the great mother archetype because they are there to nurture and protect her. Areil’s dad King Triton is the wise elder archetype because he tries to warn her and protect her. Ursula fits the shadow archetype as well as the trickster archetype because she tricks Ariel into selling her voice for legs. Ariel’s call to adventure is Prince Eric. She would have done anything to be able to walk on land and be with him. The refusal of the call is she doesn’t know how to get legs, and her dad refuses it. Her supernatural aid is when Ursula offers her legs if she gives trades her voice. The crossing of the threshold is Ariel going onto land and meeting Prince Eric. The road of trials is Ariel trying to win over Prince Eric when she can’t speak. Her refusal of return is not wanting to return to the water after she has already fallen in love with Prince Eric.

Hello world!

This is my first blog post! Here I will answer the questions below:

“Please post on what you already know about the following characters: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Beowulf, Sundiata, Musashi, Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, and King Arthur. Conclude your post with why you think it is worth spending time reading stories about old heroes from different cultures, and tell who you think are our modern heroes”.

I have read two of the books that we will be covering in class. The characters I am already familiar with are Beowulf and Odysseus. I read about the following characters in my high school classes. I think reading about heroes from different places and different time periods is extremely interesting. Reading about heroes, in my opinion, is interesting because most of the characters share extremely similar qualities. I enjoy comparing these heroic stories to present day heroes. Some examples of modern day heroes would be anything from superman to Neil Armstrong. Superman is someone that kids can look up to and idolize, whereas Neil Armstrong is someone that inspired a generation.