Compare And Contrast Susan Signe Morrison And Grendel's Mother

Grendel’s Mother In Grendel’s Mother by Susan Signe Morrison, the author creates a new perspective on the epic poem Beowulf. The novels the life of Grendel’s mother, Brimhild, from her mysterious arrival to the Danes as a child all the way until her death, told by her adopted granddaughter, Sif. By reworking the poem into a novel, there are many similar thematic elements present in both works. Morrison adopts the theme of the role of women as peacekeepers and the ultimate impossibility of achieving this both with outside tribes as well as within the Syclding’s own kingdom. In Beowulf the reader is first introduced to the idea of women as peace-weavers, by them being married off to another tribe to prevent war between the two. In the poem, …show more content…
This is first seen with Hrothgar’s mother, Ealhild. She was married off to the Danish tribe as a young girl. Her concern for peace is her arrival from a foreign land by the sea, she is worried that keeping the “alien will ultimately bring about trouble” to the kingdom in the years to come (Morrison 14). She is concerned that a foreign tribe will claim the Danes stole the child and rage war on them. At this point is it evident that the queen is firstly concerned with the safety of her kingdom. Even though Brimhild is just a baby, she looks far into the future to consider how the Danes could be affected by the decision to let the child stay. She doesn’t want to take a chance in bringing war to her home. Ironically, however, by letting Brimhild stay, the kingdom is destroyed not from external forces but from within the kingdom. When Brimhild grows up, she marries Hrothgar which Ealhild disapproves of. She doesn’t want Hrothgar to marry within the Danish kingdom because she feels it is a waste of social relations as seen when she says , “It is best for rulers to marry for peace. Only true marriage is between a ruler and his land,” ( Morrison 73). She prefer he marry a girl from a foreign tribe to weave peace and build relationships among the kingdoms. She has no concern for true love in marriage but rather what is most beneficial …show more content…
However, her role shows a different perspective on the traditional role of the queen in the court. Unlike Ealhild and Wealtheow, she doesn’t approve of war between nations, violence, and capturing of slaves, but she still serves a dominant political role in the kingdom. This is seen when she has trouble conceiving a child in which the narrator says she, “failed in her job as a queen without bearing an heir for the peace of the Honor-Scyldings,” ( Morrison 75). Because Brimhild cares considerably for her people, she consorts with the “Earth Goddess, Mother of Magic” to help her become pregnant (Morrison 76). This shows the extent to which she is willing to go just to produce a child who will keep peace in the next generation. Without an heir, there will be internal struggle over who will rule after Hrothgar, and she is thus preventing political issues from arising in the future. Hrothgar is pleased once she becomes pregnant and says “a warrior-boy or peaceweaving girl – both bless a conquering kingdom,” (Morrison 81). This again ties into the traditional role of the women keeping peace, but also the aforementioned idea of bloodshed and violence also maintaining peace. If a male heir is produced, he is expected to protect the kingdom by fighting to protect the people by destroying other nations. Another instance of Brimhild’s political role is seen with the construction of the Great Hall,