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An epic hero, such as Beowulf or Roland, possesses the qualities of valor, military prowess, loyalty, generosity, and honor. He is a man who fights because he must, for the survival of his tribe or nation. Although the hero is constantly aware of his own mortal ....

Middle of Essay
.... Charles Moorman writes that "the world in which Roland lives and fights is ... a very simple world, rigidly, and comfortingly, described by the laws of the Church and Emperor". Although elements of 'the miraculous' appear in the epic, they result in no more than a heightening or aggrandizement of reality. The epic heroes of Beowulf … [and] of Roland go down to defeat and in some sense are responsible for their defeat ....However, we know that even in defeat partially of their own doing. they are heroes nevertheless—men above the common, above the average, whose drive for glory whether heavenly or earthly, raises them beyond the ordinary and ....