View source for Grendel's mother

{{short description|Mother of Grendel (Beowulf saga)}}
{{Redirect|Grendel's Mother|the Mountain Goats song|Grendel's Mother (song)}}
[[File:Stories of Beowulf water witch trying to stab beowulf.jpg|thumb|An illustration of Grendel's mother by [[Joseph Ratcliffe Skelton|J. R. Skelton]] from ''Stories of Beowulf'' (1908) described as a "water-witch" trying to stab Beowulf]]
'''Grendel's mother''' ({{langx|ang|Grendles mōdor}}) is one of three [[antagonist]]s in the anonymous [[Old English literature|Old English poem]] ''[[Beowulf]]'' (c. 700–1000 AD), the other two being [[Grendel]] himself and the [[The dragon (Beowulf)|dragon]]. Each antagonist reflects different negative aspects of both the hero [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]] and the heroic society in which the poem is set.{{Clarify|date=November 2024|reason= What negative aspect(s) does she allegedly reflect?|pre-text=removal or }} Grendel's mother is introduced in lines 1258b to 1259a as: "Grendles modor/ides, aglæcwif".

Grendel's mother, who is never given a name in the text, is the subject of an ongoing controversy among [[medieval]] [[scholars]]. This controversy is due to the ambiguity of a few words in [[Old English language|Old English]] which appear in the original [[Nowell Codex|''Beowulf'' manuscript]]. While there is agreement over the word "modor" (mother<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Tichy |first1=Ondrej |last2=Rocek |first2=Martin|title=módor|url=https://bosworthtoller.com/23062|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Bosworth-Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online|language=en}}</ref>), the phrase "ides,<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Tichy |first1=Ondrej |last2=Rocek |first2=Martin|title=ides|url=https://bosworthtoller.com/20436|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Bosworth-Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online|language=en}}</ref> aglæcwif<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Tichy |first1=Ondrej |last2=Rocek |first2=Martin|title=ag-lǽc-wíf|url=https://bosworthtoller.com/1255|access-date=2022-02-09|website=Bosworth-Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary online|language=en}}</ref>" is the subject of scholarly debate.

==Story==
{{main|Beowulf}}
The poem, ''[[Beowulf]],'' is contained in the [[Nowell Codex]]. As noted in lines 106–114 and lines 1260–1267 of ''Beowulf,'' monsters (which include Grendel's mother and [[Grendel]]) are descendants of [[Cain]]. After Grendel is killed, Grendel's mother attacks [[Heorot]] in revenge. Beowulf then ventures into her cave under a lake, and engages in fierce combat with Grendel's mother. She nearly kills him until he sees an ancient sword, with which he kills her, and beheads the dead Grendel. Beowulf then returns to the surface and to his men at the "ninth hour" (l. 1600, "nōn", about 3&nbsp;pm).<ref>Jack, George. ''Beowulf: A Student Edition,'' p. 123</ref>

==Function in and structure of the poem==
[[File:Beowulf Cotton MS Vitellius A XV f. 132r.jpg|thumb|upright=.6|right|The first page of the ''[[Beowulf]]'' manuscript]]
Some scholars have argued that the female characters in ''Beowulf'' fulfill certain established roles such as ''hostess'' ([[Wealhþeow]] and [[Hygd]]) and [[peace-weaver]] ([[Freawaru]] and [[Hildeburh]]). Grendel's mother and [[Modthryth]] (before her marriage to [[Offa of Angel|Offa]]), challenge these roles, and therefore represent "monster-women".<ref>{{cite journal | first= Dorothy | last=Porter| url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/5/porter1.html| title=The Social Centrality of Women in ''Beowulf'': A New Context| journal=The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe |issue=5| date=Summer–Autumn 2001| access-date=2006-08-09}}</ref>

[[Jane Chance]] argues in "The Structural Unity of ''Beowulf'': The Problem of Grendel's Mother"<ref name="Chance">Nitzsche, Jane Chance (1980). "The Structural Unity of ''Beowulf'': The Problem of Grendel's Mother." ''Texas Studies in Literature and Language'' '''22'''(3): 287–303. {{JSTOR|40754612}}</ref> that there are two standard interpretations of the poem: one view which suggests a two-part structure (i.e., the poem is divided between Beowulf's battles with [[Grendel]] and with the dragon) and the other, a three-part structure (this interpretation argues that Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother is structurally separate from his battle with Grendel). Chance stated that, "this view of the structure as two-part has generally prevailed since its inception in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics]]''."<ref name="Chance"/> In contrast, she argued that the three-part structure has become "increasingly popular".<ref name="Chance"/> She later developed this argument in ''Woman as Hero in Old English Literature.''<ref>Nitzsche, Jane Chance. ''Woman as Hero in Old English Literature.'' Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1986.</ref>

==Debates on Grendel's mother==
There is ongoing debate among medieval scholars concerning the ambiguity of certain words in [[Old English language|Old English]] (related to Grendel's mother) which appear in the original [[Nowell Codex|''Beowulf'' manuscript]]. Because these terms are ambiguous, scholars disagree over aspects of her nature and appearance. As her exact appearance is never directly described in [[Old English]] by the original ''Beowulf'' poet, part of the debate revolves around what is known, namely her descent from the biblical [[Cain and Abel|Cain]] (who was the first murderer, according to the [[Abrahamic religion]]s).  For some scholars, this descent links her and Grendel to the monsters and giants of the ''[[Cain tradition]]''.<ref>[[David Williams (medievalist)|Williams, David]]. ''Cain and Beowulf: A Study in Secular Allegory''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1982</ref>  Other scholars  argue that there is "plenty of evidence for defending Grendel's mother as a heroic figure"<ref>Kiernan, Kevin S. "[http://www.uky.edu/~kiernan/iconic/GrendelesHeroicMother.htm Grendel's Heroic Mother]". In ''Geardagum: Essays on Old English Language and Literature'' 6 (1984): 31.</ref> as she "accepted and adhered to the heroic ethic of the blood-feud, the main difference between Grendel's feckless feud with the noise at Heorot and his mother's purposeful one exacting retribution for the death of her son. In heroic terms, her vengeance for the death of her kinsman Grendel."<ref>Kiernan, Kevin S. "[http://www.uky.edu/~kiernan/iconic/GrendelesHeroicMother.htm Grendel's Heroic Mother]". In ''Geardagum: Essays on Old English Language and Literature'' 6 (1984): 24–25.</ref>

This lack of consensus has led to the production of some seminal texts by scholars over the past few decades. One important focus of these articles and books concerns the numerous, and at times opposing, translations of especially the [[Old English]] compound "ides aglæcwif" (1259a).

===Monster or demon===
Until the late 1970s, all scholarship on Grendel's mother and translations of the phrase "aglæc-wif" were influenced by the edition of noted ''Beowulf'' scholar [[Frederick Klaeber]]. His edition, ''Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg'', has been considered a standard in ''Beowulf'' scholarship since its first publication in 1922.<ref>[http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/modern_language_quarterly/v060/60.2bloomfield.pdf Bloomfield, Josephine. Benevolent Authoritarianism in Klaeber's Beowulf: An Editorial Translation of Kingship. "Modern Language Quarterly 60:2, June 1999]</ref> According to Klaeber's glossary, "aglæc-wif" translates as: "wretch, or monster of a woman". Klaeber's glossary also defines "aglæca/æglæca" as "monster, demon, fiend" when referring to [[Grendel]] or Grendel's mother, or as "warrior, hero" when referring to the character [[Beowulf (hero)|Beowulf]].<ref>[[Frederick Klaeber|Klaeber, Frederick]]. ''Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg''. Third ed. Boston: Heath, 1950.</ref>

Klaeber has influenced many translations of ''Beowulf.'' Notable interpretations of  "aglæc-wif" which follow Klaeber include "monstrous hell-bride" (Heaney),<ref name="Beowulf: A New Verse Translation">[[Seamus Heaney|Heaney, Seamus]] ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ynD9o-LfTDMC&dq=Beowulf:+A+New+Verse+Translation&pg=PP1 Beowulf: A New Verse Translation]''. New York: Norton, 2001.</ref> "monster-woman" (Chickering) <ref>Chickering, Howell D. ''Beowulf''. Garden City: Anchor, 1989.</ref> "woman, monster-wife" (Donaldson),<ref>Donaldson, E. Talbot, and Nicholas Howe. ''Beowulf : A Prose Translation : Backgrounds and Contexts, Criticism''. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2002.</ref> "Ugly troll-lady" (Trask) <ref>Trask, Richard M. ''Beowulf and Judith : Two Heroes''. Lanham: UP of America, 1998.</ref> and "monstrous hag" (Kennedy).<ref>Kennedy, Charles W., and tr. ''Beowulf, the Oldest English Epic''. New York: Oxford UP, 1940.</ref>

Doreen M. E. Gillam's 1961 essay, "The Use of the Term 'Æglæca' in ''Beowulf'' at Lines 893 and 2592", explores Klaeber's dual use of the term "aglæca/æglæca" for the heroes [[Sigmund|Sigemund]] and Beowulf as well as for Grendel and Grendel's mother.<ref>Gillam, Doreen M. "The Use of the Term 'Aeglaeca' in Beowulf at Lines 893 and 2592". ''Studia Germanica Gandensia'' 3 (1961): 145–69.</ref> She argues that "aglæca/æglæca" is used in works besides ''Beowulf'' to reference both "devils and human beings". She further argues that this term is used to imply "supernatural", "unnatural" or even "inhuman" characteristics, as well as hostility towards other creatures.<ref>Gillam, Doreen M. "The Use of the Term 'Aeglaeca' in Beowulf at Lines 893 and 2592". ''Studia Germanica Gandensia'' 3 (1961).</ref> Gillam suggests: "Beowulf, the champion of men against monsters, is almost inhuman himself. [Aglæca/æglæca] epitomises, in one word, the altogether exceptional nature of the dragon fight. Beowulf, the champion of good, the 'monster' amongst men, challenges the traditional incarnation of evil, the Dragon: æglæca meets æglæcan."<ref>Gillam, Doreen M. "The Use of the Term 'Aeglaeca' in Beowulf at Lines 893 and 2592". ''Studia Germanica Gandensia'' 3 (1961):169.</ref>

===Ides/ dis (lady)===
[[File:ValkyrieOnHorse.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A sculpture of a valkyrie on a horse by [[Stephan Sinding]], 1908]]
[[File:Gefion.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Gefion Fountain]] in Copenhagen, Denmark by Anders Bundgård, 1908]]
[[File:Freya by Penrose.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Freyja, in a painting by [[James Doyle Penrose]], 1890]]

The [[Old English language|Old English]] ''[[Idis (Germanic)|ides]]'', [[Old High German]] ''itis'' and Old Norse ''[[dís]]'' are cognates that all mean "lady",<ref name="nordisk">The article ''[https://runeberg.org/nfbf/0272.html Dis]'' in ''[[Nordisk familjebok]]'' (1907).</ref> and ''idisi'' appears as the name of the [[Valkyrie]]s in the only surviving pagan source in [[Old High German]], the ''[[Merseburg Incantations]]''.<ref>Calvin, Thomas. ''An Anthology of German Literature'', D. C. Heath & co. {{ASIN|B0008BTK3E}}, {{ASIN|B00089RS3K}}.  p. 5.</ref> More generally, in [[Norse mythology]], the ''[[Dísir]]'' ('ladies') are fate goddesses who can be both benevolent and antagonistic towards mortal people.

Consequently, many have pointed out that ''dís'' is probably the original term for the [[valkyrie]]s (lit. "choosers of the slain"), which in turn would be a [[kenning]] for ''dís''.<ref>'''Including:''' Ström, Folke (1954) ''Diser, nornor, valkyrjor: Fruktberhetskult och sakralt kungadöme i Norden''; Näsström, and Britt-Mari (1995) ''Freyja: The Great Goddess of the North''.</ref>

A few scholars have drawn from the work of [[Eric Stanley]]<ref>[[Eric Stanley|Stanley, Eric]]. "[https://archive.today/20121221031054/http://nq.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/23/8/339 Did Beowulf Commit 'Feaxfeng' against Grendel's Mother]" ''Notes and Queries'' 23 (1976): 339–40. {{doi|10.1093/nq/23-8-339}}.</ref><ref>Stanley, Eric. "Two Old English Poetic Phrases Insufficiently Understood for Literary Criticism: Þing Gehegan and Senoþ Gehegan". ''Old English Poetry: Essays on Style''. Ed. Daniel G. Calder. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979. 67–90.</ref> by exploring the term ''ides'' as "lady" when discussing Grendel's mother, such as Temple ("Grendel's Lady-Mother", 1986)<ref>Temple, Mary Kay. "Beowulf 1258–66: Grendel's Lady Mother". ''English Language Notes'' 23.3 (March 1986): 10–15.</ref> and Taylor<ref>Taylor, Keith. "Beowulf 1259a: The Inherent Nobility of Grendel's Mother". ''English Language Notes'' 31.3 (March 1994): 13–25.</ref> (who argues in his 1994 essay that the term ''Ides'' indicates that "Grendel's mother is a woman of inherently noble status.").<ref>Taylor, Keith. "Beowulf 1259a: The Inherent Nobility of Grendel's Mother". ''English Language Notes'' 31.3 (March 1994): 18</ref> In addition, others have suggested that Grendel's mother may be associated with the [[Norse paganism|Norse]] figures of the [[valkyrie]]s and of the goddess [[Gefjun|Gefion]] who may be an extension of [[Gefjun#Possible connections with Frigg and Freyja|Frigg and Freyja]]. [[Freyja]], the daughter of the sea god [[Njörðr]], was both a [[fertility goddess]] and a goddess of [[war]], [[battle]], [[death]], [[seiðr]], [[prophecy]] and was also sometimes [[Valkyrie#Connections with Freyja|associated with the valkyries and disir]].

[[Nora Kershaw Chadwick]] (1959)<ref>[[Nora Kershaw Chadwick|Chadwick, Nora K.]] "The Monsters and Beowulf". ''The Anglo-Saxons: Studies in Some Aspects of Their History''. Ed. Peter ed Clemoes. London: Bowes & Bowes, 1959. 171–203.</ref> and later [[Helen Damico]] in two works (''Beowulf's Wealhtheow and the Valkyrie Tradition''<ref>[[Helen Damico|Damico, Helen]]. ''Beowulf's Wealhtheow and the Valkyrie Tradition.'' Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984</ref> and "The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature")<ref>Damico, Helen. "The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature". In ''New Readings on Women in Old English Literature''. Eds. Helen Damico and Alexandra Hennessey Olsen. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990. 176–89</ref> argue that Grendel's mother may refer to the myth of the valkyries. Damico states:

{{blockquote|in both their benevolent and malevolent aspects, the valkyries are related to a generic group of half-mortal, half-supernatural beings called ''idisi'' in Old High German, ''ides'' in Old English, and ''dis'' in Old Norse, plural, ''disir''. Both groups are closely allied in aspect and function: they are armed, powerful, priestly [...] The Beowulf poet follows the tradition of depicting the valkyrie-figure as a deadly battle demon in his characterization of Grendel's Mother. As Chadwick has argued, Grendel's Mother, that ''wælgæst wæfre'' 'roaming slaughter-spirit' epitomizes the earlier concept of the valkyrie.<ref name=reflex>Damico, Helen. "The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature". In ''New Readings on Women in Old English Literature,'' Eds. Helen Damico and Alexandra Hennessey Olsen. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990: 176, 178.</ref>}}

Damico later argues in ''Beowulf's Wealhtheow and the Valkyrie Tradition'' that Wealtheow and Grendel's mother represent different aspects of the valkyries.

===Aglæcwif (warrior)===
Contemporary scholars have suggested that the use of the term "aglæcwif" indicates that Grendel's mother is a [[women warriors in literature and culture|woman warrior]]. In 1979, ''Beowulf'' scholars Kuhn and Stanley argued against Klaeber's reading of Grendel's mother. In ''Old English Aglaeca-Middle Irish Olach''<ref>Kuhn, Sherman M. "Old English Aglaeca – Middle Irish Olach". In ''Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl''. Eds. Irmengard Rauch and Gerald F. Carr. The Hague, New York: Mouton Publishers, 1979. 213–30.</ref> Sherman Kuhn questioned Klaeber's translations of both "aglæc-wif" and of "aglæca / æglæca" when referring to Grendel and Grendel's mother, stating that there are {{blockquote|five disputed instances of áglæca [three of which are in ''Beowulf''] 649, 1269, 1512 ... In the first ... the referent can be either Beowulf or Grendel. If the poet and his audience felt the word to have two meanings, 'monster', and 'hero', the ambiguity would be troublesome; but if by áglæca they understood a 'fighter', the ambiguity would be of little consequence, for battle was destined for both Beowulf and Grendel and both were fierce fighters.<ref>Kuhn, S. (1979). "Old English Aglæca-Middle Irish Olach". ''Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl,'' pp.&nbsp;216–17. Mouton Publishers.</ref>}} Thus Kuhn suggested aglæca should be defined as  "a fighter, valiant warrior, dangerous opponent, one who struggles fiercely".<ref name="Kuhn218">Kuhn, S. (1979). "Old English Aglæca – Middle Irish Olach". ''Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl'', p.&nbsp;218. Mouton Publishers</ref> He supported his argument by also stating that "if there were one clear instance of áglæca referring to an unwarlike monster, a peaceful demon, or the like, this definition would fall apart."<ref>Kuhn, S. (1979). "Old English Aglæca – Middle Irish Olach". ''Linguistic Method: Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl'', p.&nbsp;227. Mouton Publishers.</ref> Kuhn concluded that {{blockquote|Grendel's mother was an 'aglæc-wif', 'a female warrior' [...] there is no more reason to introduce the idea of monstrosity or of misery here than there is in line 1519 where she is called ''merewif'', defined simply as 'water-woman', 'woman of the mere'.<ref name="Kuhn218"/>}}

[[Eric Stanley]] added to the debate by critiquing both Klaeber and Gillam: {{blockquote|Grendel is described as an æglæca, a word which we do not understand. One scholar [Gillam] has, in fact, made investigation of this word a model for the methodology of establishing meaning. The attempt is of interest, but in the end we always come back to the fact that, as Klaeber's glossary shows, the word is used by the poet not only to describe Grendel as here, and later in the poem to describe the dragon, and the monsters of the mere as they attack Beowulf, but also Beowulf himself; and at one point the two enemies, Beowulf and the dragon, are described together using the plural æglæcean. As we assemble the many uses including compounds [...] it becomes clear that it is not pejorative in force. We must not follow Klaeber's distinction of 'wretch, monster, demon, fiend' for Beowulf's enemies, and 'warrior, hero' for Beowulf himself; and we must not abuse Grendel's mother when she is called aglæcwif by translating the word as Klaeber does, 'wretch', or 'monster, of a woman'. We must never forget that she is called there ides aglæcwif (1259) and ''[[Idis (Germanic)|ides]]'', 'lady', is not a term of abuse [...] the poet does not speak of his monsters abusively.<ref>Stanley, E.G. (1979). "Two Old English Poetic Phrases Insufficiently Understood for Literary Criticism : Þing Gehegan and Senoþ Gehegan". ''Old English Poetry: Essays on Style'', pp.&nbsp;75–76. University of California Press.</ref> }}

Other scholars have offered varying opinions on this topic. Christine Alfano also questioned standard translations related to Grendel's mother.<ref>Alfano, Christine.  (1992). "[http://repositories.cdlib.org/cmrs/comitatus/vol23/iss1/art1/ The Issue of Feminine Monstrosity: A Re-evaluation of Grendel's Mother]". ''Comitatus'', 23: 1–16.</ref> She states that she found a "noticeable disparity between the Grendel's mother originally created by the ''Beowulf'' poet and the one that occupies contemporary ''Beowulf'' translations. Instead of being what Sherman Kuhn calls a 'female warrior', the modern Grendel's mother is a monster. This assumption informs almost all areas of ''Beowulf'' scholarship, although there is little evidence for this characterization in the original Anglo-Saxon work."<ref>Alfano, Christine.  (1992). "[http://repositories.cdlib.org/cmrs/comitatus/vol23/iss1/art1/ The Issue of Feminine Monstrosity: A Re-evaluation of Grendel's Mother]". ''Comitatus'', 23: 1–12.</ref> Melinda Menzer offered a different approach,<ref>Menzer, Melinda J. (September 1996). "Aglaecwif (Beowulf 1259a): Implications for -Wif Compounds, Grendel's Mother, and Other Aglæcan". ''English Language Notes'' 34.1: 1–6.</ref> suggesting that "aglæcwif denotes a woman, a human female, who is also aglæca".<ref>Menzer, Melinda J. (September 1996). "Aglaecwif (Beowulf 1259a): Implications for -Wif Compounds, Grendel's Mother, and Other Aglaecan". ''English Language Notes'' 34.1: 2</ref>

====Dictionary of Old English ====
The ''[[Dictionary of Old English]]'', [[University of Toronto]], made the following updates in 1994:
* {{Lang|ang|āglāc-wíf}} (noun) is translated as ''female warrior, fearsome woman''.
* {{Lang|ang|āglæca}} (adj.) is translated as ''formidable, awe-inspiring''
* ''{{Lang|ang|āglæca}}'' (noun) is translated as ''awesome opponent, ferocious fighter''<ref>Cameron, Angus, et al. (1986 / 1994). "Aglac-Wif to Aglaeca". ''[[Dictionary of Old English]]''. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies. (Published for the Dictionary of Old English Project Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto.)</ref>

The 1994 DOE translations were supported by George Jack in his 1997 glossary of ''Beowulf'' and [[Bruce Mitchell (scholar)|Bruce Mitchell]] in his 1998 glossary of ''Beowulf.''<ref>Jack, G. (1997). ''Beowulf : A Student Edition''. New York: Oxford University Press</ref><ref>[[Bruce Mitchell (scholar)|Mitchell, Bruce]], et al. (1998). ''Beowulf: An Edition with Relevant Shorter Texts.'' Oxford, UK: Malden Ma.</ref>

==Depictions in film, literature, and popular culture==
{{main|List of artistic depictions of Grendel's mother}}
Grendel's mother has been adapted in a number of different media, including film, literature, and graphic novels.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Beowulf}}

[[Category:Characters in Beowulf]]
[[Category:Beowulf]]
[[Category:Feminism and the arts]]
[[Category:Feminist theory]]
[[Category:Fictional female warriors]]
[[Category:Fictional monsters]]
[[Category:Female literary villains]]
[[Category:Female film villains]]
[[Category:Female characters in literature]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who use magic]]