Grendels Mother and other women in Anglo-Saxon society

1. Real Monstruosity vs. Fear of change

2.  An Epic has a cicular  An Epic has a circular
narration
 It is centered on
battles or war
 It’s characters are
mostly men usually
 An Epic Poem has
lots of descriptions,
visual imagery and
repetition,
alliteration

3. •It’s a warrior culture were
revenge and battle was
central, and glory was gained
through battle.
•Women were sent to other
clans as peaceweavers, but
had a morgengifu
•Revenge was the classical eye
for an eye. Or eye for money,
weregeld
•The Lord of the clan had to be
generous and a leader. A
common kenning was ring
giver

4. He needs to fulfil
his father’s debt
Superhuman
strenght
The cave
The sword
Everyone runs
He returns
full of glory

5.  An eye for an eye, or monetary compensation
was an improvement to endless and
meaningless wars (the case of Beowulf’s
father)
 Clans had to obey their Lord
 Women could decide who to marry with and
could ask for a divorce

6.  Both Queens behaved
properly in female roles.
As peaceweavers, and
cupbearers.
 Wealthough is a good
mother who plans for
the future and wants to
avoid crisis
 Peace and a sucessful
kingdom are their main objectives

7.  A princess who kills anyone who watches her
beauty her husband calms her
 Another one who waits her revenge by her
late husband thanes
 And… Grendel’s mother, who’s defined by her
relationship to her son and h

8. ANGLOSAXONVALUES
 She is a warrior
 She takes revenge upon
the death of her kin in a
measured/civilised way
 She protects her space (her
lair)
 She lives in a Hall
 She is a mother who took
care of her child
HER MONSTRUOUSITY
 She is a warrior despite her
gender
 She is a monsters mother
 She has some animal
characteristics

9. Female voice
Ignored by both:
•Christian scribes
•Anglosaxon Homosocial society
•Leads to believe in a
lesser role in society
•As a woman in exile ,
she was an ousider with
no possible hope
•Closer to an animal
then than a social
human being
Hopeless exile
(Wife’s Lament)
In battle she is
“manly” to show
some superiority
She doesn’t speak
and she has talons
and unnatural
strenght

10. • Usually
peaceweavers
or cupbearers
• She has a
devilish son so
she must be
evil (Christian)
• She lives in exile
so there must
be areason to
live there
• Mostly men
could go to
battle
Warrior Society
WomenReligion

11.  Most heroes don’t have time for romance
 It was seen as a vulnerability
 Modern heroes tend to protect their identity
(masks, alias, shadows)
 The focus of an Epic is battle not romance,
something more related to peace time