The Role of Women in Beowulf Being an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers many thrills and adventures, but the importance of Beowulf is more than simply literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of 7th century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to warriors and other men in mead. Wealhtheow, the queen of the Danes, represents a typical submissive Anglo-Saxon woman. In contrast to Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother is a strong, fighting monster that Beowulf must slay. 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 such as Wyrd; however, she offers some criticism of these views by creating sympathy for Grendel's mother, allowing Wealhtheow to assert herself in the interests 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 presents this role as the only appropriate one for Wealhtheow to play. He serves as a peacemaker in the ever-turbulent Meadhall of Heorot. When the author first introduces Wealhtheow to his audience, she immediately slips into her role as peaceful host and cocktail waitress. The author writes: "Then Wealhtheow came forward / queen of the people of the Danes daughter of Helmingas / and bedfellow of Hrothgar. She greeted them all / spo... in the center of the card... the darkness" (l. 73) to restore peace and order. Wyrd works 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 avoided temporarily, not destroyed once and for all. This suggests that the fight against female authority and revolt is timeless, and the only way to address this issue 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 rebellious women should be suppressed. Like Wealhtheow, women should exercise only minimal power and influence, but should always continue to drink. Work cited Beowulf. Trans. Federico Rebsamen. New York: HarperPerennial, 1991.