Wealhþeow
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wealhtheow (also rendered Wealhþēow or Wealthow; ang, Ƿealhþēoƿ ) is a queen of the Danes in the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
poem, ''
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
'', first introduced in line 612.


Character overview

Wealhtheow is of the
Wulfing The Wulfings, Wylfings or YlfingsWord initial ''w'' was lost before rounded vowels in Proto-Norse, e.g. ''wulf'' corresponds to ''ulf'', and ''Wulfing''/''Wylfing'' corresponds to ''Ylfing'', because the ''i'' in the second syllable causes an umla ...
clan, Queen of the
Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...
. She is married to
Hrothgar Hrothgar ( ang, Hrōðgār ; on, Hróarr) was a semi-legendary Danish king living around the early sixth century AD. Hrothgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', in Norse sagas and poems, and in medieval Danish chron ...
(Hrōðgār), the Danish king and is the mother of sons,
Hreðric and Hroðmund Hreðric and Hroðmund were the sons of the Danish king Hroðgar and his queen, Wealhþeow, in the Old English epic '' Beowulf''. They are only mentioned in passing, and there seems to be some foreshadowing in ''Beowulf'' that their cousin, Halga' ...
, and a daughter
Freawaru Freawaru, introduced in l. 2020 of the poem ''Beowulf'', is the daughter of King Hroðgar and Queen Wealhþeow. Freawaru is a ''freoðuwebbe'' or peace-weaver (an important concept in the poem) who is married to Ingeld, King of the Heaðobards an ...
. The meaning of her name is disputed. One possible translation is "
foreign Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...
slave" (Hill, 1990). In her marriage to Hrothgar she is described as ''friðusibb folca'' (l. 2017), 'the kindred pledge of peace between peoples', signifying interdynastic allegiance between Wulfing and
Scylding Old English Scylding (plural Scyldingas) and Old Norse Skjǫldung (plural Skjǫldungar), meaning in both languages "children of Scyld/Skjǫldr" are the members of a legendary royal family of Danes, especially kings. The name is explained in many ...
achieved with her marriage to Hrothgar. She is both 'Lady of the Helmings' (l. 620) (by descent, of the Wulfing clan of Helm) and 'Lady of the Scyldings' (l. 1168), by marriage and maternity. Two northern sources associate the wife of Hrothgar with England. The ''
Skjöldunga saga The ''Skjöldunga saga'' (or, in another standardised Old Norse spelling, ''Skjǫldunga saga'') was an Old Norse legendary saga. Dating from c. 1180 – 1200, the saga was lost in its original form. The saga focused on the Danish dynasty of Scyl ...
'', in
Arngrímur Jónsson Arngrímur Jónsson the Learned ( is, Arngrímur Jónsson hinn lærði; 1568 – 27 June 1648) was an Icelandic scholar and a Christian Apologetics, apologist. His father was Jón Jónsson, who died in 1591. Arngrímur studied in Copenhagen, co ...
's abstract, chapter 3, tells that Hrothgar (''Roas'') married the daughter of an English king. The '' Hrolfs saga kraka'', chapter 5, tells that Hrothgar (''Hróarr'') married Ögn who was the daughter of a king of
Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
(''Norðhymbraland'') called Norðri. The argument was advanced in 1897 that the Wulfing name may have been synonymous with the
East Anglian East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom of the Kingdom of East Anglia, East Angles, ...
Wuffing The Wuffingas, Uffingas or Wiffings were the ruling dynasty of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Wuffingas took their name from Wuffa, an early East Anglian k ...
dynasty, and the family name ''Helmingas'' with the place-names 'Helmingham' in
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and
Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, both of which lie in areas of 5th–6th century migrant occupation. Although the theory was not favoured by some, it has more recently resurfaced in a discussion of the identity of Hroðmund.


Role in the poem

Wealhtheow (like
Hygd Hygd, introduced in line 1925 of the poem ''Beowulf'', is the wife of Monarch, King Hygelac of Götaland, Geatland. She is the daughter of Hæreth. After Beowulf (hero), Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother, he and his men returned to thei ...
) fulfills the important role of hostess in the poem. The importance of this cup carrying practice is emphasized in lines 1161-1231. Here Wealhtheow, anxious that Hrothgar secures the succession for her own offspring, gives a speech and recompenses
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
for slaying
Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...
with three horses and a necklace. The necklace is called ''Brosinga mene'', and the name is held to be either a corruption or a misspelling of OE ''Breosinga mene'', ON '' Brisingamen'',
Freyja In Norse paganism, Freyja (Old Norse "(the) Lady") is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future). Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chario ...
's necklace. Richard North compares the gift of the necklace to ''Brosing'', Freyja's BrisingamenRichard North, "The King's Soul: Danish Mythology in Beowulf" in the ''Origins of Beowulf: From Vergil to Wiglaf'', (New York: Oxford University, 2006), 194 and he comments that, :The wider
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
-
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ic tradition attributes the Brisinga men or giroli Brisings (Brisinger's girdle c.900) to Freya who is at once the sister of Ingvi-freyr of the
Vanir In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; Old Norse: , singular Vanr ) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the ...
, the leading Norse goddess of love, and a
witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...
with the power to revive the dead. Freya's acquisition of this necklace and its theft by
Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
are the central incidents in Sorlaþattr. Wealhtheow has also been examined as a representative of Hrothgar's kingdom and prestige and a fundamental component to the functioning of his court. According to Stacy Klein, Wealhtheow wore “elaborate garb” to demonstrate the “wealth and power” of the kingdom. As queen, Wealhtheow represents the “female's duty to maintain peace between two warring tribes” and to “signify the status of the court.”Gardner, Jennifer. The Peace Weaver: Wealhþēow in ''Beowulf''. Diss.
Western Carolina University Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded t ...
. March 2006.
While her position may appear ritualistic, she also maintains “the cohesiveness of the unity of the warriors.” The role of queens in the early Germania was to foster “social harmony through active diplomacy and conciliation.” Wealhtheow inhabits this role by constantly speaking to each of the men in her hall and reminding them of their obligations – obligations to their country, their family, or their king. In a grimly ironic passage that would not be lost on the Anglo-Saxon audience of ''Beowulf'' Wealhtheow commends her sons to Hroðulf's generosity and protection, not suspecting that he will murder her sons to claim the throne for himself. All the qualities marking Wealhtheow as an ideal queen place her in contrast to
Grendel's mother Grendel's mother ( ang, Grendles mōdor) is one of three antagonists in the anonymous Old English poem ''Beowulf'' (c. 700-1000 AD), the other two being Grendel and the dragon. Each antagonist reflects different negative aspects of both the hero ...
, who appears for the first time following a lengthy passage concerned with Wealhtheow and her sons. The contrast between Wealhtheow and Grendel's mother echoes the parallels between Beowulf, Hrothgar, and Grendel. Notes


References

* Boehler, M. (1930). Die altenglischen Frauennamen, Germanische Studien 98. Berlin: Emil Ebering. * Damico, Helen. ''Beowulf's Wealhþēow and the Valkyrie Tradition.'' Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984. * Damico, Helen. "The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature." ''New Readings on Women in Old English Literature''. Eds. Helen Damico and Alexandra Hennessey Olsen. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990. 176-89. * * Hill, Thomas D. "'Wealhtheow' as a Foreign Slave: Some Continental Analogues."
Philological Quarterly The ''Philological Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on medieval European and modern literature and culture. It was established in 1922 by Hardin Craig. The inaugural issue of the journal was made available at sixty ...
69.1 (Winter 1990): 106-12. * * Newton, Sam. ''The Origins of Beowulf and the pre-Viking Kingdom of East Anglia''.
D. S. Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...
, Woodbridge 1993. * North, Richard. ''Origins of Beowulf: From Vergil to Wiglaf.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. * * * Sarrazin, Gregor. "Neue Beowulf-studien," Englische Studien 23, (1897) 221-267. *Trilling, Renée R. (2007).
Beyond Abjection: The Problem with Grendel's Mother Again"
Australian and New Zealand Association of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (Inc). Volume 24, Number 1: 1-20 - via Project MUSE. * Jurasinski, Stefan. ''The feminine name Wealhtheow and the problem of Beowulfian anthroponymy'', Neophilologus (2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wealhtheow Characters in Beowulf English heroic legends Fictional queens Geats People whose existence is disputed