Role of Women in Beowulf As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers plenty of excitement and adventure, but the importance of Beowulf is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of 7th-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these ideas is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. Anglo-Saxon goodwomen are peaceful and unassertive, welcoming guests and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the meadhall. Wealhtheow, Queen of the Danes, represents a typically submissive Anglo-Saxon woman. As a foil to Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster that Beowulf must kill. By analyzing these two characters from Beowulf, we can understand the treatment and mistreatment of women in Anglo-Saxon society. The author of Beowulf generally supports traditional Anglo-Saxon views of women by praising Wealhtheow, condemning Grendel's mother, and showing the need to suppress female forces like Wyrd; however, it critiques these views by creating sympathy for Grendel's mother, allowing Wealhtheow to assert herself for the sake of her husband and children, and revealing male fear of female power. The author creates Wealhtheow to embody the role of a traditional woman. Anglo-Saxon woman, and he presents this role as the only one suitable for Wealhtheow. She serves as a peacekeeper in the always tumultuous meadhall of Heorot. When the author first introduces Wealhtheow to her audience, she immediately assumes her role as peaceful greeter and cocktail waitress. The author writes: "Then Wealhtheow came out / popular queen of the Danes, daughter of Helmingas / and bedfellow of Hrothgar. She greeted them all / spo...... middle of paper ...... in the 'darkness' (l. 73) to restore peace and order. Wyrd strives to bring disorder and ruin to Beowulf and the warriors of Heorot, just as Grendel's mother wages her war of destruction and death against Hrothgar and his kingdom. Beowulf permanently subdues Grendel's mother by killing her, but Wyrd can only be temporarily avoided, not destroyed once and for all. This suggests that the fight against authority and the uprising of women is timeless and the only way to solve this problem is on an individual basis. The author's views on women may never be fully revealed, but it is clear that he believes in male superiority and that insurgent women should be suppressed. Like Wealhtheow, women should only wield minimal power and influence, but they should still keep the drinks coming. Trans. Frédéric Rebsamen. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991.