What do the female charachters in Beowulf do?

Question

Consider Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, and Grendel's mother. How do they do it? Do they offer alternative perspectives on the heroic world (so seemingly centered around male action) of the poem?

Answer 1

I think the main point of Beowulf is the death of the old matriarchal pagan society. Wealthow (her name means something like "chattel") is just a pawn, a poor sucker married off for the sake of the clan. Grendel's mother is a bada$s old monster who represents the ancient power of the sea. But her son is drawn to the human world and is killed by a man, one of those intruders who stomped on the old matriarchal system. Grendel shows that the old society cannot mix with the invaders--it has to either go underground or be killed off. The invaders are too strong and totally unwilling to share territory.

It's possible that Grendel and his mother were Pixies, or Formorians, or whoever the Celts and Anglo-Saxons ran into when they moved up to Britain. They were dark and mysterious and powerful, but they were eventually overtaken by the glorious blonde men who stomped in and conquered Britain. The women are just pawns to them, just playthings to fight over, or nasty old hags who need to be killed off. It's the clash of the old dark mysterious society being trampled by the new invaders from the south.

Answer 2

As I recall, Grendel's mother eats Beowulf.

And as a line for a for a termagant of a woman, "and Oh, how is your boy, Grendel?"

Answer 3

Wealhtheow

Answer 4

Wealthow

Answer 5

I think you put your question in the wrong category....maybe it should have been in the books section....?

Answer 6

http://ashoutinthestreet.net/fiction/gmother.txt