by Christine DeRenzis
Beowulf's society exalts its people through their actions; honor and courage equal heroism, and heroism equals power. Although Beowulf faces three adversaries--Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon--it is through biblical allusions to Cain that Beowulf's author establishes Grendel's mother as the definitive evil. The negative characterization of Grendel's mother in Beowulf achieves two goals. Establishing Grendel's mother as the "mother" of evil denotes her as a symbol of Satan, consequently branding powerful women in a patriarchal society as an instrument of the devil. Furthermore, as a result of placing Beowulf in a position to directly combat the supernatural evil manifest in Grendel's mother, his status subsequently transforms from mere human to superhuman.
The role of Grendel's mother is important in strengthening Beowulf's status; the author begins to build up Beowulf from the moment he arrives on shore at Heorot: "Nor have I seen / a mightier man-at-arms on this earth / than the one standing here.... / This is no mere / hanger on in hero's armor" (247-251). Beowulf is immediately recognized by the watchman as a true hero, however, the watchman is also quick to point out that Beowulf is a hero here "on this earth." Perhaps for Beowulf to be praised as a superhero he must first exhibit the superhuman ability to defeat something otherworldly.
There is an otherworldly connection between Grendel, his mother, and Cain. Beowulf's author uses the allusion to Cain as a means of strengthening the evil attributes associated with Grendel and his mother: "And from Cain there sprang / misbegotten spirits, among them Grendel / the banished and accursed" (1265-1267). Establishing Grendel as the "misbegotten" son of Cain deepens the connection to evil for Grendel's mother, as well as drawing a possible connection between her and Eve: if Grendel's mother was "forced down into fearful waters" after Cain killed Abel, the implication is that she knew Cain before she bore Grendel. According to the Old Testament, the only woman alive before Cain was his mother, Eve. God's curse on Cain after killing Abel transforms Cain from an instrument of God to one of evil, and the author of Beowulf uses that curse/transformation to his advantage in establishing Grendel and his mother as a channel of the devil: "Grendel's mother / monstrous hell-bride brooded on her wrongs / She had been forced down into fearful waters / ...after Cain had killed his father's son" (1258-1262). The epithet, "monstrous hell-bride," increases the supernatural evil quality of Grendel's mother. Not only is she an instrument of the devil, she may very well be his wife.
The actual relationship between Cain and Grendel's mother is not clear: either Grendel's mother knew Cain as his wife, or as his mother. Because the author tells us that Grendel is the child of this woman, we take that at face value, but perhaps Grendel is actually her grandchild. If this were so, that would make Grendel's mother a fallen Eve. Since Grendel's mother is referred to in the text as being the wife of Satan ("monstrous hell-bride"), perhaps the connection between her and Eve is to make Grendel's mother the antithesis of Eve. Before Eve's fall she would have been God's Eve, innocent and good; after her fall from Eden she became the unnamed bride of Satan, monstrous and terrifying. Beowulf's author comments that after Grendel's mother was forced down, she "brooded on her wrongs." Perhaps the author is referring to "wrongs" that she has committed, rather than wrongs she has received. Although Cain is cursed by God for slaying his brother, it is Eve who receives the original curse from God for disobeying his commands, thus dooming mankind. That Grendel's mother and Cain are both named as parents to Grendel could also imply an incestuous relationship, if Grendel's mother is in fact Eve. That would be yet another "wrong" for Grendel's mother to brood on.
Even if Grendel's mother were wife to Cain, instead of mother, the connection to Eve remains. Because Cain's murder of Abel was the first murder ever committed, Cain is the first man to be cursed by God outside of Adam and Eve. Assuming Grendel's mother was Cain's one-time wife, she bears the child of a cursed man when she gives birth to Grendel. Grendel is "a fiend out of hell" (100), a "grim demon / haunting the marches" (103-104). As Eve was the first to give birth to a human child, so too is Grendel's mother the first to give birth to a demon child. Even if Grendel's mother and Eve are not the same person, they are both the first woman of their kind.
Because Eve stands as a symbol of the inherent wickedness of women in a patriarchal society such as Beowulf's, the connection between Eve and Grendel's mother would have further intensified the evilness that Beowulf faced in battle with her. Not only is Grendel's mother Satan's bride, but a connection to Eve also identifies her with the woman who ruined God's paradise for every human, forever. Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother places Beowulf on the same level as God; by fighting an agent of Satan, Beowulf is doing God's work. Beowulf's defeat of Grendel's mother means a victory for God, and also elevates Beowulf to a god-like status. Now that Beowulf has proven he can defeat the supernatural, possesses god-like powers, and has unmatched bravery, he can claim the rank of superhero.
Not only does the defeat of Grendel's mother transform Beowulf into a superhero, but it also furthers the concept of a patriarchal society that women are not to be trusted with issues of import. The only other woman in Beowulf who retains a position of power is the queen of Heorot. Despite the fact that she is queen, her powers are far inferior to those of Grendel's mother. As queen, she speaks only after the king has already spoken. After Beowulf's defeat of Grendel, he is given a party at Heorot. The queen gives a speech praising Beowulf, but at the end of her speech she "move[s] then to her place" (1232). Her place is beside the king, beside the men, quiet and complacent. Grendel's mother is far from complacent. The author uses the evil powers and ill-temperament of Grendel's mother as a symbol of powerful women who don't keep their "place." The queen of Heorot lives in comfort because she complies with the wishes of the men around her; Grendel's mother expresses emotion and power, and is cursed by God to live as a demon in hell, and then is later killed by Beowulf. It's a warning to women to follow the men., and "move to their place."
Throughout Beowulf images of God and Satan are introduced through biblical allusions to Cain. It is because of these allusions to Cain that Grendel's mother is painted in such an unholy image, and it is because of this unholy image that Beowulf is able to escalate himself from human to superhuman. With the defeat of the supernatural, Beowulf rises to a god-like figure throughout the land. By using Grendel's mother as the instrument which gains Beowulf his iconographic status, the author is also able to deliver a warning to women, not to contest for power with men. Beowulf is not just a story, it is history. Through its characters the author reveals a commentary of society at that time. Men were strong, women were weak. Honor and courage brought heroism, heroism brought power. It is not just a commentary of Beowulf's time, however, but a reflection of our society today. Women are still subjugated by patriarchal tyranny, a more subtle tyranny perhaps, but no less virulent. Consider the woman being paid less for the same job as her husband, or the woman in politics who must work twice as hard to prove herself. Consider double standards. Consider the insults and names given to women who demonstrate the same power as a man. Even today, women who try to move "from their place" are portrayed with evil or malicious characterizations. Women are crones, while men are superheroes. Beowulf forces us to look at the society of yesterday, and see that we have not quite reached tomorrow.
Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. New York: Norton and Company, 2006. 26-97.