Beowulf Hero or Braggart?

Is Beowulf a true hero or just a braggart with an incredible ego problem?

Support your answer with at least two specific examples from your reading so far (Ch. 1 - 25)

This post is worth 30 points and will be evaluated according to the clarity of your position and the thorough explanation of your two examples.

I think Beowulf definitely shows to be a hero and a braggart. He has many heroic characteristics like courage, strength, and leadership. He obviously knows how to fight and fight for the good of others as shown when he fought Grendel. He came to help Hrothgar and his people to rid them all of this horrible creature. He did exactly that too. Grendel had never felt such fear when up against any human as the fear he faced with Beowulf. He thought himself to be unstoppable, but then came across the path of a human such as the one called Beowulf. Not even any mortals weaponry could defeat him. He was untouchable until now. He discovered that his grip was too tight, and that the longer he lay in that grip the more power he began to lose."The monster's hatred rose higher, But his power was gone. He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split, And broke" (Raffel 36-37 lines 814-818). For glory Beowulf had torn Grendel's arm off. The king and his people gave him much appreciation, glory, filled his ego a little more, and gave gifts for his triumph against the monster. The way he did a lot of this for glory shows his supreme pride issue.
We also see it in previous actions his too. When he first arrived there we even saw it. Unferth was one who tried to go up against Grendel, but Grendel would not kill him. He thought that if he could kill him the he could get glory, but if not then he died in battle against him and would receive glory anyway. Grendel would not give him this and Beowulf boasted about his winnings to Unferth. He told of how he had never had such glory or even tales told about him. He was never bold enough. Unferth decided to come back with that he could not beat Brecca across the sea. Beowulf full of answers said that he had come across sea-creatures versus him in whether he have his life still. It was much more of a battle than Brecca had getting across so he still had his dignity, also Unferth killed his brother. They seemed to go back in forth trying to win the upper hand. This shows how highly Beowulf thinks of himself.
On the other side we, however, find that his hubris is not completely him thinking within himself. He does believe god helps him in his actions. "My life was almost lost, fighting for it, Struggling under water: I'd have been dead at once, And the fight finished, the she-devil victorious, If our Father in Heaven had not helped me" (Raffel 71 lines 1655-1668). As we see it Beowulf portrays both parts. He is a hero and a braggart, but which one truly overcomes the other? Fate seems to be shown immensely and how it is unknown for Beowulf. Will his hubris be the end of him or will his heroic side come out on top? Also, to clarify towards the end I have talked about how his hubris was not all in his way of giving thanks to only himself. This showed that he after all does not show supreme pride (or that in one part thinks he is better than the gods) in that case. He thanks the gods for his successes and gifts unlike those who are completely full of hubris.