Old English Heroism: Loyalty

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a superhero as a friend? I mean, it’s like having a “get out of jail free” card. Every time you got yourself into a bind or found yourself in danger, you could count on your friend to come zooming in and divert the bullet, snatch you from the burning building, or catch you before you splatted on the sidewalk. Why? Because he or she would be loyal to you.

Loyalty Defined

Loyalty, in the words of my good friend Merriam-Webster, includes being “faithful to a private person to whom faithfulness is due.” Heroes protect their friends. Heroes also protect the innocent, the downtrodden, and sundry other miserable wretches. If they neglected these people, they would lack loyalty and would therefore negate their heroism.

I think the word “loyalty” also implies a faithfulness to one’s duty. Often the hero is the only one with the skill set, strength, or qualifications to defend the innocent, and he feels duty-bound to act on their behalf. Although we won’t be discussing him much this week, Superman is a great example of this. While he could have walked away and let humanity fend for itself, he chose to protect those who didn’t even appreciate him. That’s why I believe a hero has a duty to be loyal not only to others but to who he is as well. To neglect to act heroically is to deny his core identity.

So let’s look at how loyalty can be found in the stories of Beowulf and Harry Potter!

Beowulf and the King

You may remember this from two weeks ago, but Beowulf was an Old English warrior with the strength of thirty men. We know that he killed the monster Grendel but not because it was a menace to his town; he killed it because it was terrorizing someone else’s town. In that regard, Beowulf was loyal to Hrothgar, king of the Danes, even though it wasn’t his sovereign.

See, Beowulf’s father had known Hrothgar many years before, but since Beowulf lived across the sea, he was in no way obligated to serve that king. Hrothgar was a worthy monarch, though, and everyone who served him loved him. So when Beowulf heard of Hrothgar’s plight, Beowulf came to his aid.

He was loyal to Hrothgar not only because of the friendship his father had with the king but also because of his duty to help those who couldn’t help themselves. Because of his strength, Beowulf was the only man able to fight the beast with any hope. Remember, the monster Grendel couldn’t be wounded by any weapon, so strength alone was needed to challenge him. Knowing this, Beowulf sailed to Hrothgar’s halls to fight the monster.

Beowulf and His Men

He was also faithful to his men. He chose fourteen of the keenest warriors to sail and fight with him, and they went willingly. That’s a crazy commitment considering that none of them had the strength of thirty men. The poem says that when they lay down to sleep in Hrothgar’s hall that night, none of them expected to see the morning. They had followed their brave captain into the lion’s den, and they were ready to die with him. What a loyal captain to inspire such devotion!

He proved his loyalty within the hour. Just after they fell asleep, Grendel crept into the hall and gobbled up a warrior, and so the fight was on. In the midst of the monster’s attack, Beowulf didn’t run away but ran to Grendel and took the full force of his wrath. He fought and protected not only Hrothgar’s people but his own men as well. His loyalty to his duty and his men inspired their loyalty to him.

Harry Potter and His Friends

Now, it’s kind of a mental shift to go from Beowulf to Harry Potter, but bear with me here. They both showed loyalty in their own ways. While Harry didn’t have superhuman strength or a band of fourteen warriors to back him up, he did have two good friends and the determination to fight evil. He shows his loyalty first of all to his friends…most of the time. We often see him sticking up for Hermione when she’s under criticism for being a muggle. He comes to Ron’s aid when he’s made fun of for being less than wealthy. He even crosses Draco Malfoy to defend poor Neville Longbottom. Like any high school student, he was occasionally swept up in waves of drama (misunderstandings, rumors, jealousy, etc.), but once he got over those, he remained loyal to his friends.  

Harry Potter and Everyone Else

But more important than defending his friends from mockery, Harry was also determined to defend everyone from destruction. This ranged from despised individuals to beloved groups. Far from being his friend, Draco Malfoy was the embodiment of the “old blood” magic that scorned any pandering to muggles. But despite Draco’s antagonism, Harry still chose to save him from death by fire in the room of requirement. Harry also knew that what set him apart as the Boy Who Lived was also what slated him to be the boy who dies. When the time came for him to sacrifice himself for the good of his school and the world, he knew what he had to do. Harry’s loyalty protected those he loved, but it also served to protect him in the end.

Loyal to the End

Everyone knows that a true hero has to be loyal to his friends and his duty. But in my opinion, it’s one of the most admirable traits because it’s an internal compulsion more than a choice. A hero may struggle with the ramifications of sacrificing himself for the good of others, but in the end he will choose to act. That loyalty is more impressive than mere strength of body because it’s strength of character.

Want to know about the last trait of an Old English hero? Tune in next week to find out!

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