Beowulf and The Seafarer: The Stories of Fate in God, Glory, & The Sea Anonymous College

A former president of the United States of America, Harry S. Truman, had once said, “actions are the seed of fate; deeds grow into destiny.” This quote can also be contributed to two of the famous Anglo-Saxon tales, Beowulf and The Seafarer. In these two stories, one can find two contrasting beliefs in fate and the sea from the story’s main characters. Beowulf is acquiescent to fate and is humble before the force of the sea, whereas the narrator of The Seafarer is fearful of the powers of fate and the sea is unwilling to accept them. Beowulf and the narrator of the Seafarer both believed in fate, as they were willingly about to put their lives in peril. Both characters acted out in bravery; Beowulf (the hero of Hrothgar’s kingdom) when he knew he was going to die before defeating the dragon (who was very boastful when he came to fight), and the Seafarer (the narrator who tells his tale at sea), when he would go out to sea and began to tell his adventures. This reoccurring theme of fate endures vast importance to both stories, as it forms significant values to these characters and the actions the make throughout the tales.

In the story Beowulf, the main character (being Beowulf) is seen for his miraculous deeds of saving King...