Brehnan Gaspard

Mr. Miranda

ENGL 2327

Date:12/15/2021

Response Paper 3: The Hobbit and The Wolf

Beowolf is one of the most well known epic poems of our time. In fact, famed author

J.R.R Tolkein was a big fan of Beowolf, even giving a lecture on the themes of the work later on

in his life. Thus perhaps for some it may be unsurprising to find that The Hobbit, one of Tolkein’s

most well known works, bears many similarities to the famed epic poem. The Hobbit and

Beowolf are two tales of heroism that are very similar, both in the protagonist of Bilbo and

Beowolf as well as the general themes and mythic elements of lore.

Firstly, the character of Bilbo, the protagonist of The Hobbit, has many traits in common

with Beowolf in terms of his solutions to problems. Much like the epic hero, Bilbo discovers a

legendary weapon that he later uses to solve a conflict with a monsterous opponent. In the case

of Beowolf, he is granted the sword Hrunting to kill the fearsome mother of Grendel, though this

fails him in the end. Likewise, Bilbo discovers the ancient elven sword Sting in the dark

Mirkwoods, which he uses to save his dwarven companions from the giant spiders that inhabit

the woods. They also in the end achieve a long lasting legacy in their respective tales settings.

However, the protagonists are not where the similarities between these two tales stop. In

both of these stories, a lot of emphasis is put on the threat of a dragon. While not playing as big

a role in Beowulf, the climactic battle between the dragon in both tales are remarkably similar. In

both stories, the central threat of the dragon is defeated not by the hands of the main character,

but rather a common man who has decided to take a stand against the best where others fled.

In Beowolf this role was taken by Wiglaf, who turned to help Beowolf against the dragon when
the others fled for their lives, whereas in The Hobbit this role was played by Bard, an archer

turned fisherman that was inhabiting the village that Smaug was destroying. Both of these men

killed their respective dragons, and were rewarded greatly for their bravery by becoming the

leader of their respective people.

The Hobbit is one of the most well known novels in the fantasy genre. It went on to

inspire many other works of fiction, and even laid the groundwork for it’s just as well known

sequel trilogy; the Lord of the Rings. However, this book’s success is in part built upon the

legacy that Beowolf left behind. Much like many future authors were inspired by his works, JRR

Tolkein drew inspiration from the epic poems of yore, especially when it comes to Beowulf.

Considering the continuing legacy and positive reception of both of these works of literature, it

would be unsurprising to see many works inspired by them in the future as literature continues

to evolve and expand.

 Works Cited:

Acocella, Joan. “Slaying Monsters.” The New Yorker, 26 May 2014,

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/02/slaying-monsters.

Beowulf. Translated by Seamus Heaney. Norton Anthology of English Literature, general editor,

Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed., vol. A, Norton, 2012.

Tolkien, J R. R. The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again. , 2013.