Although many of the attitudes, circumstances, and cultural environment seen in Beowulf reflect specific aspects of early medieval Anglo-Saxon culture, the poem possesses several themes that are typical of heroic epic.
The first common epic theme is linking physical and moral prowess. The hero Beowulf is equally strong in leadership, ethics, wisdom, and physical strength. While this conflation of physical and mental gifts is not something that is necessarily true outside literature -- one can...
