Beowulf To Froto Baggins

Beowulf and Frodo

In literature it is common for authors to borrow elements of a different story and make it their own. In “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, Tolkein follows the hero’s journey and uses many concepts found in the poem, Beowulf. Beowulf is an ancient English story of the king of the Geats, Beowulf. Beowulf is a superhuman King that’s fights magical creatures in hope of being remembered. In “Lord of the Rings”, A young hobbit, Frodo, is given the great responsibility of protecting an evil ring until it can be destroyed. Because Tolkein was a Beowulf scholar, elements of Beowulf are depicted in “Lord of the Rings”. Both protagonists, Frodo and Beowulf, are similar by how they receive their call to adventure, their strength, and their motives. Beowulf and Frodo can be compared by these three aspects however, they have contrasting details for each.

Frodo and Beowulf are similar because in each story there is a distinct moment where each receives their Call to adventure. Beowulf’s call to adventure can be depicted in this quote: “In his far-off home Beowulf… heard how Grendel filled nights with horror/ and quickly commanded a boat… Straight to that distant Danish shore.” (Beowulf 109-124). As you can see Beowulf hears of how Grendel is terrorizing Herot, so he gathers his men and sails to Herot. On the other hand, Frodo receives his call to adventure in a much different way. When Gandalph becomes aware that the ring that Bilbo, Frodo’s elder, left behind is the evil ring of Sauron, he comes to this conclusion: Fate has brought the ring to Bilbo, and now fate has left the ring with Frodo. When Gandalph tells Frodo of the rings power and that he must take it out of the shire, Frodo responds with “Your must take it, I’m giving it to you.” (Lord). This quote shows that Frodo has refused the call to adventure. Upon refusing the call Gandalph raises his voice and orders Frodo to take the ring out of the shire. Frodo, a timorous hobbit, then obeys Gandalph and sets out on his journey.

Beowulf and Frodo are much alike in that they both possess a tremendous amount of strength. Both characters strength deals with overcoming great odds whether it be fighting of a magical monster, or resisting the great power of a ring. Although they both possess a remarkable amount of strength, their strength comes in different forms. First, Beowulf is a strong noble king who has a reputation for being able to fight off monsters. Beowulf’s strength can be measured as superhuman. “Greater/ And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (Beowulf 110-111). This quote explains how Beowulf is the strongest person in the world. The great king fights with brute force and relies on fate to bring him to victory. Unlike Beowulf, Frodo does not have much physical strength. Frodo therefore fights with strength from within. An example of Frodo’s astonishing interior strength is that he is the only being that can resist the evil power of the ring. The ring changes everyone that encounters it. However Frodo carries the ring around his neck until the end of the journey. Although Beowulf and Frodo have different types of strength, they do share the strength in their magical gear. Beowulf and Frodo both wear a chain mail vest that protects Frodo from the Giant and Beowulf from Grendal’s mother. Also, Beowulf and Frodo both carry a magical sword. Beowulf’s