Superman, firefighters and nurses are just some of the modern day heroes that people look up to and look up to today. However, this hero phenomenon is not just a phenomenon of our times, people have always held heroes in high esteem. Heroes are often people who embody the ideals and qualities of their people in their actions. Two great ancient heroes to whom two of the most famous poems, “The Odyssey” and “Beowulf,” are dedicated, are Odysseus and Beowulf. These two famous figures are reflections of their people's conception of heroism, a conception, although slightly different from one people to another, but extremely similar in many respects. A common virtuous trait among heroes of modern and ancient ages is that of courage. Opposing what scares you and overcoming it for a good cause has always been an applaudable action. In the opening lines of Beowulf, the people's favorable feelings toward courage as a great heroic act are evident. The Spear-Danes of yesteryear...