This paper will discuss the representation of the female characters in the poem Beowulf, the English
language’s oldest surviving epic poem. Focusing on the roles of the queens, I will argue that Beowulf portrays these women as crucial to the 6th century setting of the society about which the poem was written, and to the story itself. The poet portrays the dignified hostesses, Queens Wealhtheow of the Danes and Hygd of the Geats, with careful regard to the degree of
authority they held in the structure of their kingdoms and culture of their society; this representation signifies the extent to which the women’s influence had within the social order and family lineage of sixth century Scandinavia. Hrothgar’s wife, Wealhtheow, and Hygd, wife of Hygelac, are both illustrated in the poem with the use of constructive terms to highlight their influence and authority over their
kingdom. The author writes, for example, that Hygd’s “mind was thoughtful” and “her manners sure,” which implies how intelligent and well-mannered the queen was (1928). The reader is likewise told how Wealhtheow "observes courtesies," (613) “measures
words,” is "welcoming" (624) and “a peace-pledge between nations” (2013). These descriptions are vital to the comprehension of what the societal functions these women must possess, as peace weavers and hostesses, because these characteristics strengthen their said duties. To be an honorable and successful queen, in addition to possessing such peaceful manners, one must also take on the responsibility of leading the cup-carrying ritual. The first time Queen Wealhtheow appears in the poem, she seizes the mead cup and offers it first to her husband, Hrothgar (621-641). After Hrothgar drinks from the cup, Wealhtheow proceeds to the other warriors of the kingdom until she at last approaches the heroic Beowulf. Upon Beowulf’s return from the defeat of Grendel, the queen deems him as the next immediate receiver of the cup after Lord Hrothgar (1162-1231). The order in which the queen served the wine, then, must be directly tied to one’s hierarchy within the kingdom. The reader can conceivably conclude this when a comparison is drawn between the orders in which Beowulf was served the cup of mead at Heorot Hall. It was not until after Beowulf proved himself a hero to the Danes that Wealhtheow delivered the mead cup to him before serving the other warriors. In this act, the queen represented Beowulf’s higher status to those of her kingdom. From this analysis of Queen Wealththeow and the jug-carrying practice, it should be derived that the hostess of the Hall is responsible for signifying who is more essential to the kingdom’s success than the others. Due to the poet’s lack of detail in conveying the Queen of the Geat’s cup-carrying practice, the audience is led to assume that Hygd performs her duties just as well as Wealhtheow does. As Queen Hygd moved throughout the hall, carrying the cup, it is not clear what the particular order specified for her rounds were. "Haereth’s daughter,” the poet writes, “moved about with the mead-jug in her hand, taking care of the company, filling the cups that warriors held out" (1980-1983). The Anglo-Saxon poet of Beowulf clearly neglects to inform the reader of when Hygd delivered the cup to King Hygelac relative to when she presented the cup to Beowulf and the others; it is, therefore, safe to assume that Queen Hygd has done so in the same manner as Wealhtheow.
Although Wealhtheow and Hygd''s duty as cup-bearers did bestow upon them a degree of unspoken authority within the kingdom halls, it is their spoken words that further enhance the queens’ anthropological function and authority over Sweden.
In her speech to Hrothgar, Queen Wealhtheow exerts her authority their empire when she advises her husband to be cordial to Beowulf and the Geats, but to make sure not to crown him heir to the Danish throne (1175-1180). As an alternative, she asked her husband to take Hrothgar’s nephew, Hrothulf, as his heir because she knows that this will ultimately hold the kingdom for her own sons (1180-1187). In this act, Wealhtheow is actively protecting her own interests, and the poet gives no indication of whether her words were ignored or accepted into Hrothgar’s consideration. The reader is safe to assume, therefore, that since Wealhtheow''s own interest, the prosperity of her kin, is threatened with a serious and deep concern for survival, her manipulation and display of authority was therefore just and most certainly acknowledged throughout the Hall. Her words to Beowulf, after his return from the defeat of Grendel, reflect similar concerns. Please see The Queens of Beowulf: Part 2 for the remainder of this investigative review of Beowulf. Works Cited
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. Trans. Seamus Heaney. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. 1-215.