Adam Kasel

Dr. Myron

British Literature

24 February 2003

The Women of Beowulf and Lanval

            The role of women in Beowulf and Lanval differ greatly in the two medieval poems that focus more on the role of men in their society than on that of women.  However, the role of women can be deduced by reading what is said about women or not said, what makes them admirable or despiteful.  In Beowulf there are six key women that are mentioned and described with varying and considerable detail in order to give the reader an idea of what is desired or despicable in a woman.  In Lanval there are only two, and these two differ greatly not only from each other but from most of the female characters in Beowulf.  Four of the six women in Beowulf are nobility whereas both of the main female characters in Lanval are noble women.  It is evident that the time period between these two writings brought about considerable changes in how women were viewed during these poems.  The women of Beowulf are at best complimentary and secondary figures to their male counterparts whereas in Lanval the queen and the lady are a key antagonist and protagonist respectively.  To be able to see this, it is best to look at each woman in her respective narrative individually.  Through this it will be evident which woman is praiseworthy and which leaves a lot to be desired in her particular setting.

            The first woman the reader is introduced to in Beowulf is the queen of the Danes, Hrothgar’s wife, Wealtheow.  She is the most notable and well-known female character in the story and from the time she first enters Heorot her graciousness and servitude is revealed.  She salutes the men of the hall and then serves them drinks starting with her husband the king and working her way down the ranks.  She is also seen to be a rich and generous woman as well.  First of she is adorned in gold and the text describes her as “decked out in rings” (l. 621) which is a sign of wealth and honor during that time.  When Beowulf returns victorious and valiant she tells her husband to be generous in giving them rings and also admonishes him against making Beowulf the heir to his throne.  This shows that she is unafraid to speak her mind, an unbecoming quality at the time, but she is able to be this way because of her reputation as a great queen and loving wife.  It is also during this time that she recognizes the change in rank that took place after Beowulf’s victory because she serves him right after the king.  All of these actions make Wealtheow the most admirable female character in this story.

            The next woman to be introduced in Beowulf is Hildeburh, daughter of a Dane named Hoc, who was given to Finn as a peace weaver.  She was sung about in Heorot as a foreshadow of another woman, Freawaru, who was to be given as a peace weaver.  Beowulf felt these sorts of marriages do not work and this is the reason why he felt that way.  After Hildeburh’s son and brother were killed in battle, she had them cremated as was the custom of her people and mourned their deaths openly.  This caused some concern from the Finns because she mourned the deaths of the enemy.  It is not revealed in the tale whether this is an amiable trait or not but how Beowulf views it, it does not seem to be.  He says that those marriages only cause more problems.  This is not a reflection of the woman, but more of how women are viewed in the poem.  When something such as this occurs women are not valued much more than the finely crafted rings that one would give as a peace treaty or for propitiation against someone that has been wronged.

            This leads to Hrothgar’s daughter, Freawaru, the other female character in the poem who was given as a peace weaver to Ingeld king of the Heatho-Bards.  The way she is described is reflective of her mother as one who is gracious and knows her place and the rank of the men she is around.  This attempt at a peace treaty with the Heatho-Bards is looked favorably upon, “The friend of the Shieldings favors her betrothal: // the guardian of the kingdom sees good in it // and hopes this woman will heal old wounds // and grievous feuds. //  But generally the spear // is prompt to retaliate when a prince is killed, // no matter how admirable the bride may be” (ll. 2026-2031).  Again this only lends to the fact that women were not viewed as much more than possessions. 

            The only other character besides Wealtheow that is explicitly looked favorably upon in the poem is Hygd, wife of Hygelac king of the Geats.  Hygd is portrayed as a wise beyond her years and generous as well, “…although Hygd, his queen, // was young, a few short years at court, // her mind was thoughtful and her manners sure. // Haereth’s daughter behaved generously  and stinted nothing when she distributed // bounty to the Geats” (ll. 1926-1931).  These are the same qualities that Wealtheow possessed and was praised for so it is only fitting that Hygd would receive the same recognition.  In lines 1980-1983 Hygd is going about the hall filling the cups of the men whenever they held them out.  This too is reminiscent of Wealtheow and Freawaru.  The final demonstration of Hygd’s greatness is when she offered the throne to Beowulf after her husband died, seeing that he would be a better king than the heir to the throne Heardred.  This showed that she recognized what attributes were needed to make a man a great king and hence made her a great queen since she is merely an extension of the king’s right hand.

            The first of the two women of ill favor is Grendel’s mother.  She is a woman who brings war, hates people, and wants revenge for the death of her son.  The factor that may be the most influential in her being looked down upon is that she is independent.  The women who are thought highly of display the opposite characteristics of Grendel’s mother, most of all her independence.  The way this is most evident is that they were all married, being dependent on a man, whereas Grendel’s mother was not.

            Modthryth’s character is the most dynamic of all that are written about in the poem.  She was so cruel that she would put men to death for looking at her in the eye if that man was not her husband.  The poet says of this behavior, “A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent // with loss of life for imagined insults” (ll. 1942-1943).  This is one reason why for some time as a woman Modthryth not held in high esteem.  That changes when she marries Offa the best king between the two seas.  Her father gave Modthryth in marriage to Offa and after which it was said, “In days to come // she would grace the throne and grow famous for her good deeds and conduct of life, // her devotion to the hero king” (ll. 1951-1954).  No other woman changed throughout the poem let alone to this extent.

            The women of Lanval were admired for different reasons than the female characters in Beowulf.  If Queen Guenever and Lanval’s Amie were in Beowulf they would not have been highly thought of because they were so independent.  However, this was the fantasy of men at this time, to have a woman that would throw herself at a man and to be rich so as to meet his every need but not necessarily want a long-term commitment.  Queen Guenevere is the example of what was undesirable of a woman at this time, she was selfish, vain, domineering, and used her power over her husband King Arthur as a tool for revenge.  Guenevere propositioned Lanval, which would have been something most men wanted since she was the queen and very beautiful, but since Lanval had his Amie he did not want Guenevere.  This whole episode would not have been such an issue, but she became upset at this and accused Lanval of being gay instead of allowing his decision to stand.  It would have been more admirable if Guenevere gave Lanval the option she did and at his refusal told him the offer would be available if he ever changed his mind and returned to her duties as queen.  Instead she brought erroneous accusations about Lanval to King Arthur and had Lanval put on trial.  This enabled Lanval’s Amie to reveal herself and save her ami.

            The lady is the most beautiful woman and her beauty surpasses simply the physical aspect, she is rich and her character only adds to her overall beauty.  While the lady is very controlling just like her counterpart the queen, she does so out of a love that men would have fantasized about at that time.  The lady is the very antithesis of the queen, she is generous, loving, forgiving, positive, caring, and intimate.  She makes Lanval swear that he will not tell anyone of their relationship or else she will never see him again.  If he is able to keep her a secret, she will give him whatever she wants.  Lanval breaks this contract when he tells the queen that his love possesses a far superior beauty to hers.  When Lanval is on trial, the queen breaks her law out her love for him and comes to rescue him and show King Arthur and his court that she is real.  When Lanval and his love ride off together, he sits behind her, which shows his submission to her, something that would never happen in Beowulf but it is a favorable thing in Marie de France’s Arthurian poem.

            The female characters in the classic medieval poems Beowulf and Lanval contrast each other within each poem and between the two poems.  Each poem had women that portrayed the qualities that were highly esteemed in women during that time and what was not desirable in women.  The Beowulf women were supposed to be submissive and an extension of men.  The women in Lanval were more desired for fulfilling fantasies and making men do what they want while being beautiful and rich.

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