The Women in Beowulf

Though hardly a woman, Grendel’s mother can be considered as such since she is defined as idese onlicn[e]s, that is “in the likeness of a woman” at line 1351. In other parts of the poem, however, she is marked by a male pronoun, probably because of her behaviour and her revengeful attitude, which makes her more similar to a man than to a woman and, consequently, monstrous.

She appears for the first time at lines 1258b-1265a, where she is said to be a ides aglæcwif, “woman and female warrior” (l.1259), and to inhabit cealde streamas, “cold currents” (l.1261) from the time when Cain had been banished from mankind. We meet her again at lines 1276b-1287, where she undertakes her journey to Heorot to avenge her son’s death. Here she is gifre ond golgmod, “ravenous and gloomy in mind” (l.1277). Her strength is said to be less than a man’s strength; nevertheless, she proves to be a more difficult adversary to defeat for Beowulf than Grendel.

At lines 1330-1340 Hrothgar describes the two monsters and their dwelling place to Beowulf and the king acknowledges that she is avenging Grendel’s death - she is a mihtig manscaða, “a mighty wicked ravager” (l.1339). Other epithets with which she is frequently called are brimwylf (lines 1506, 1599), “she-wolf of the water”; sinnigne secg (l.1379), “sinful man”; grundwyrgenne (l.1518), “accursed female of the deep”; merewif (l.1519), “sea-woman”; feorhgeniðlan (l.1540), “deadly-foe”; ættren ellorgæst (l.1617), “poisonous alien being”; Wif unhyre (l.2120b), “monstrous woman”; and finally grim[n]e gryrelicne grundhyrde (l.2136), “fierce terrible guardian of the deep”.