Why Lucy Heartfilia is as heroic, or more heroic than Erza Scarlet- Even though Erza is stronger and seen as more brave
In my AP Literature class, we have been reading, and intensely discussing, Beowulf along with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Beowulf was written in Anglo-Saxon times, which came before the time of knights’ tales, more specifically, the time of King Arthur, The Medieval Period. Which is when SGGK takes place. Beowulf and Gawain are both considered the heroes of these two works. Even though they are so different
Author’s Note: This is from a literature-based point of view. Also, I love Erza to death and I’m not at all ripping on her.
I already made a post showing heavy comparisons between Erza and Beowulf. Their shared superhuman strength, belief in fate, and leadership stance makes the two seem almost like siblings. But there is more that the two share: Neither of them fear death, and both are on impossibly high levels compared to other legends, or in Erza’s case, characters. When I talk about Erza, most of what I say about her will compare to Beowulf, leading to my point. The same thing goes for Gawain and Lucy.
Erza fights for her people, she fights because she has to. Because she has been blessed and also cursed with a body and magic that is practically all-powerful. While she isn’t as prideful as Beowulf, she knows her power is god-tier and she refuses limits. Erza will do anything to destroy evil, including destroy herself. Although she is not completely fearless just like Beowulf, her fear never stops her from doing anything, making not only her strength, but her will stronger than anyone, especially the average Joe. She is a savior, and warrior, and a hero every viewer looks at and says “holy shit, her power is incredible, i’m awe-struck”. Her wisdom and stoic conscience telling right from wrong also heavily relate her to the all-powerful Beowulf.
Lucy Heartfilia is powerful, her magic is versatile, and her quantity of magic power is extraordinary. But that still leaves her behind God-Tier characters like Erza. While characters like Erza are generally looked up to as a kind of “superhero” figure, Lucy is looked up to as being relatable as fuck. While she provides an entertaining battle, it’s obviously never as flashy as Erza’s or Natsu’s. She shows her fear way more often than Erza, and fears death, much like Gawain. People in my class generally thought of Gawain as a coward, as being weak, and being a wimp. Sound familiar? I thought so.
We usually dislike the more average characters because they are so much like ourselves. We don’t like to admit that there’s only so much we can do, and cowardice is a negative term in society. Lucy fights for her friends, and she fights to protect others from having to fight. Beowulf and Erza also fight for honor, but in Gawain and Lucy’s case, it’s so much more than that.
Lucy must fight harder and struggle more to leave a dent, while Erza can dent with one kick. Lucy has so much more to lose, much like Gawain on his journey to finish the deal with the Green Knight. As she implies often, her and her guild’s honor and dignity are on the line when she battles. Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s challenge to protect his king, because he thinks he is weak and no one needs him anyway. Sounds alot like Lucy, and it sounds a lot like the rest of us. Gawain’s journey and destination proves how truly strong he is, but within limits. He still chooses to show fear and cowardice, but lets go of it in the end as a final push against the Green Knight, and he passes the Knight’s lesson. Lucy also has physical and mental limits, but can still win. Because she’s so incredibly human
Gawain/Lucy are normal people, with the same fear and the same strength and ability as every single one of us. Gawain beats the Knight’s game; Lucy defeats several powerful enemies through her own attainable strength. That is the difference between Lucy and Erza.
None of us can be like Erza, but all of us can be like Lucy. Both of them are amazing, but Erza is…inhuman in many ways. Lucy is a hero even when she knows she is the weakest one, Lucy is compassionate and even naive, Lucy shows honor when she didn’t have to. She makes bad choices, like all of us. And yet, she is a hero. Not just because she is strong, but because she is human. She’s so much like the rest of us.
Erza is the one we all tell awesome stories and legends about. Lucy is the character we all learn lessons and humanity from, weakness and strength.
Erza and Lucy are both heroes. One shapes our will, and one shapes our heart.
I wanted to go into depth but I don’t want to make this a novel
Make. This. Novel. Please.
Preach it. Lucy is my hero ❤️
