Beowulf

Origin
Beowulf was a great warrior of the Geats, living in the 6th century. He came to the aid of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, when the monster known as Grendel plagued his great hall, Heorot. Beoulf managed to kill Grendel, but was then forced to battle and kill his mother as well. About 50 years later, after Beowulf has become the king of the Geats, he battles a dragon to save his own kingdom. The battle with the dragon resulted in Beowulf's death.

Beowulf was an extremely powerful warrior, with strength bordering on superhuman. He managed to rip the arm off Grendel, a powerful man-eating monster, with his bare hands. Though he often used swords and armor, he preferred to fight Grendel in the buff without weapons, so that the fight would be fair and his armor would not hinder his movement. He was very concerned about proving his value as a warrior, and would likely have faced any danger to increase his status as a legend.