Masculine Heroism: The Past Limiting the Future
In Beowulf, heroism is portrayed through both a male character, Beowulf, and also a female character, Grendel’s mother. Although the mannerisms of both characters are vastly different, Beowulf is well respected and honorable; while Grendel’s mother is depicted as a, “hellish hag,” (line 1345), both characters display strength, wisdom, and courage in their actions. Their ancestors’ past helps shape these characters’ own actions, in that both are different from their peers and stand up for what they believe in-loyalty, vengeance, and bravery. In Beowulf, we can see how this epic poem’s explanation of Anglo-Saxon time and history connects the time period’s feuding, fighting, and resolving techniques with the group of inset narratives – the many instances of the feuds between the Geats and the Swedes and the appearances and actions of Grendel’s mother – to show how heroism can be defined by masculinity with the past limiting the future.
There are many instances in Beowulf, where there is feuding between the Geats and the Swedes but it is relayed within a situation as an interpolation. In one instance the poet describes the way in which Beowulf became king. When the Swedes came over to pursuer the Geats, Hygelac’s son, Heardred, offered them shelter. For this he, “suffered the sword strike that spilled out his life,” (line 2108). Because Beowulf was the next in line, he became, “lordship of Geats,” (line 2110) but never forgot the way in which this came about, from foolish Heardred’s fatal actions also giving him the knowledge in similar situations as his predecessors. From this narrative, the poet is trying to suggest that no matter what rank one is, foolishness, when it comes to fighting should be a remembered thing from the past in order to prevent it from reoccurring in the future. This passage shows the foolishness of one of the Geats foreshadowing more acts of imprudence in the Geat’s future. Beowulf decides to, “end the exile, “(line 2114) by sending an army to Sweden to kill Eadgils, this was, “a voyage of vengeance to kill off a king,” (line 2117) as the Swedes had done previously to the Geatish King Heardred.
Another inset narrative was in Beowulf’s battle boast before attempting to slay the dragon. Beowulf’s battle boast was a recall of his past memories of how the feuding came about between the Geats and the Swedes. The poet enters this information of the past into the poem not only to give a brief history lesson, but artistically trying to get Beowulf’s point across that he is well experienced in the fields of feuding, fighting and eventually resolving. In Beowulf’s boast he explains the feud saying, “Our foes in this feud soon felt the wrath/ of my kinsman the king claiming our due, / though the counterblow cost his own life,” (lines 2189-91). Hathcyn, son of Hrethel, was killed leaving the throne to Hygelac. Beowulf points out that, “The slayer himself was slain in the morning,” (lines 2193) explaining the stupidity of the feuding and embellishing on his own honor and wisdom at the same time. It is interesting that the poet uses this inset narrative after the previous one explaining how Beowulf became king because it is not in sequential order of time. This interpolation, explains how Hygelac became king, Beowulf being his successor. This history is important to explain when boasting because it presents Beowulf as a traditional Anglo-Saxon hero displaying him as honorable due to his experience and knowledge of his own history. Beowulf ends his boast in saying, “In boyhood I braved bitter clashes; / still in old age I would seek out strife/ and gain glory guarding my folk,” (lines 2217-9). In his boast, Beowulf assures his loyalty and uses his wisdom of his own history and the mistakes that were made to let his foes know that he alone will not make the same ones. Although the past is learned and remembered as so not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors, the many mistakes of the Geats, seem to be inevitable, foreshadowing the outline of their future as well.
Differing from the inset narratives about the feuds between the Geats and the Swedes written in the past, there is one narrative interpolation written in the future. The Geats prove themselves to care about living, rather than loyalty to their king. When Beowulf’s supposedly loyal subjects united to help him slay the dragon, it ended up Beowulf, “who formerly/ ruled a whole realm had no one to help him/ hold off the heat, for his hand-picked band/ of princelings had fled, fearing to face/ the foe with their lord,” (lines 2292-5). The tragic mistake of the Geats abandonment cost Beowulf his life, only one truly faithful Geat remained by his side but this was still not enough to avenge the dragon. Wiglaf was the true alliance to Beowulf and spoke to the other Geats in shame, “You shall have no joy in the homeland you love. / Your farms shall be forfeit, and each man fare/ alone and landless when foreign lords/ learn of your flight, your failure of faith. /Better to die than dwell in disgrace,” (lines 2541-5). Being the only Geat with true loyalty to the king, he ensures the rest that because of their flight they will endure nothing of any amount of joy again in their land. Wiglaf then proceeds to talk about the past mistakes of former rulers and also predicts the future for the Geats. He says, “I also foresee strife with the Swedes, / feud without end,” (lines 2573-4). This inset narrative being spoken of about the future is determined by the past history of the Geats. Wiglaf ashamed of his people reminds them, “those left unslain by Swedish swords/ limped off leaderless, hid in the holt,” (lines 2585-6). Without any faith in his fellow Geats, Wiglaf doesn’t deny the tragedies to come but says, “Full of this feud, this festering hatred/ the Swedes, I am certain, will swiftly beset us, / as soon as they learn our lord lies lifeless,” (lines 2641-3). Wiglaf states that the past is apparent to him and it is also apparent that the Geats cannot manage to succeed. He predicts that the infamous feud between the Geats and the Swedes might end soon because Beowulf was the one hero holding the kingdom together, and now that he is dead, he fears they will not survive feuding with the Swedes much longer.
Grendel’s mother, along with Beowulf, is a true heroine in Beowulf acting outside the anecdotal story. Oddly enough, this heroine in the poem is not even given a name, only the title of ‘mother’. Grendel is the evil monster, descendant of Cain, in the poem and receiving only the title ‘Grendel’s mother’ supports the same feeling of monstrosity in her. Although she is seen as monstrous, Grendel’s mother never attacks unprovoked. Her son, Grendel, met his foe, Beowulf, in the mead hall,
Each found the other loathsome while living; / but the murderous man-bane got a great wound/as tendons were torn, shoulder shorn open, and bone-locks broken. Beowulf gained/ glory in war; and Grendel went off/ bloody and bent to the boggy hills. (lines 727-32)
Being “motherly” and seeking vengeance for her hurt son, Grendel’s mother decides to fight back exploiting an enormous amount of bravery with being a woman, being alone, and being hated by most. She does so with very similar qualities to the epic hero Beowulf, evoking herself as a heroine, with masculine attributes. Grendel’s mother enters the mead hall in vengeance and slays, “Hrothgar’s highest counselor,” (lines 1145). Hoping to seek wer-geld, a term used for ‘man money’, or essentially a reparation for an injury or death within the family. She struck at one of Hrothgar’s most pretentious men because she felt that was equally fatal to the demise Beowulf caused her son. As Grendel’s mother is first described she did not strike fear among the men because, “by as much as a woman’s mettle in war/is less than a man wielding his weapon,” (lines 1133-4). This suggests that during this time in Anglo-Saxon history, women were supposed to be less strong and less violent then men. Grendel’s mother opposed this normality, having masculine traits but at the same time as being seen as a heroine, a woman respected for her qualities. Although possessing very similar characteristics to the epic hero Beowulf, Grendel’s mother is seen as rather monstrous instead of valued, due to the sole reason of her womanhood. In literary history of Anglo-Saxon time, a typical monster is supposed to be seen as alone, and away from society in other sense an exile. When Grendel’s mother is first mentioned she is described as, “a fearsome female bitterly brooding/ alone in her lair deep in dread waters/and cold currents,” (lines 1112-4). Her first appearance in the epic is her alone in the moors, going along with the elements of the Anglo-Saxon outsider. Before setting out on her journey she is described as, “Enraged and ravenous,” (lines 1127) but then is described only as a mother, “on a sorrowful journey/ to settle the score for her son’s demise,” (lines 1128-9). She is the true heroine in Beowulf because she seeks to act outside of the “woman” role during the time period, possessing the same qualities of loyalty, vengeance, and bravery as the epic hero in Beowulf.
Although the inset narratives from the Geats and the Swedes written about the past blatantly spelled out their errors in fighting, feuding, and resolving, the successful future for the Geats was impossible for them to achieve. The one person desperately trying to learn from those mistakes and improve the land of the Geats was Beowulf, embodying all the characteristics of the Anglo-Saxon hero. His respected traits consisted of courage, excellence, strength, loyalty, and honor. Similar to Beowulf, a heroine in the story possessed many of the same qualities of respectability, but in being a female, was looked at as monstrous rather then heroic. In being another hero of Beowulf, she supports her heroism by honorably fighting, remaining loyal while feuding, and resolving her vengeance. During the Anglo-Saxon time these qualities in a female were not praised as opposed to an almost opposite view on women today, respected greatly for superb achievements, actions, and ideas.
