Weavers of Peace

Although Beowulf is primarily a battle-tale about men and their conquests, it features three prominent female characters (besides Grendel’s mother, who, as a monster, retains very little femininity and does not function as a female character): Wealhtheow, Hrothgar’s wife and Queen of the Danes; Hygd, Wealhtheow’s Geat counterpart and wife of King Hygelac; and Hrothgar and Wealhtheow’s daughter Freawaru. The first two are believed by scholars to represent important principles of hospitality and act as extensions of their husband’s graciousness. Freawaru is often described as an example of the use of daughters as offerings to ensure peace between warring groups and is a tool in her father’s diplomacy.


In her work The Social Centrality of Women in Beowulf: a New Context, Dorothy Carr Porter of Western Michigan University examines the female characters in Beowulf as tools in the anthropological study of the epic’s setting. She views Wealhtheow and Hygd as playing the role of hostess, important to the story due to the weight placed by Germanic tribes on hospitality. Both are described in the epic as wise, noble, and “mindful of customs”, revealing the positive association with adhering to tradition. Both women fulfill the task of offering the mead cup to all the men during the banquets, beginning with their Kings and going down the social hierarchy. This small ritual actually has important significance: it shows who has favor with the King and who is most respected of the men. Specifically, Parker mentions Beowulf’s receiving of the mead cup. When he first arrives in Hrothgar’s hall, Beowulf must wait until all of the King’s retainers have received the cup before drinking himself. However, after slaying Grendel, Wealhtheow offers him the cup immediately after Hrothgar drinks, showing his ascension to great importance in the King’s circle. In this scene, Hrothgar acts as a literary tool, silently showing the change in Hrothgar’s favor. Although not specifically described by the poet, it is presumed that Hygd fills a similar role in Hygelac’s mead hall, passing the cup from man to man. Because Beowulf is already a member of Hygelac’s circle, it is not necessary for Hygd to reveal his social rank through the mead passing ritual.

Like Wealhtheow and Hygd, Freawaru represents an extension of the King’s power and rule. However, in her case, it is less about social customs and more about politics. She is only mentioned in a brief tangent by Beowulf before he describes his adventure to Hygelac, when he tells how the “young bride-to-be of the gracious Ingeld” (2024), King of the Dane’s rivals, the Heatho-Bards, follows her mother during the mead-passing. She is being married to make amends and smooth ties after Ingeld’s father and many others were killed by the Danes. She is described as a “peaceweaver”, a term Porter identifies as almost always being used when referring to women given “in order to secure peace among enemies or rivals.” She goes on to explain that although this was not a terribly common practice among the Germanic tribes the name makes apparent the openness with which such diplomacy was conducted – Freawaru is obviously a token to Ingeld. Freawaru reveals the ultimate powerlessness of women in a society based on male supremacy and war – she is merely a pawn in her father’s politics, and no one seems surprised by her acceptance of her fate. The hope that “this woman will heal old wounds and grievous feuds” (2028) shows that while men are wholly responsible for war, it is the women who manage peace. Wealhtheow, Hygd and Freawaru all function as peacekeepers, ensuring that the Kings’ worlds – both within their own hall and throughout the world – run smoothly. This role of women as peacekeepers is echoed when the author describes the evil Great Queen Modthryth, a vain and cruel past Queen of the Geats, who punished any man who dared look her in the eye with torture and death. The author concludes this tangent by proclaiming that “A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent” (1942) which is presumably, the role of the men. Although less prominent than their male counterparts, the female characters of Beowulf are crucial both to the epic’s plot and to an understanding of the cultural setting and context of the poem. (708)

Porter, Dorothy Carr. "The Social Centrality of Women in Beowulf: a New Context." The Heroic Age, Issue 5 (Summer- Autumn 2001). Western Michigan University. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. <http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/5/porter1.html#anchor750551>.