Beowulf is an epic story which was estimated to be created in 1000 AD. The author of this story, however, is completely unknown with no clues. This piece mirrored the role of women in Anglo-Saxon society. Within this epic, women are often stereotyped to be frail, malevolent or are often dominated by men. This statement tends to be prevalent in modern literature and films have generalized it to aggressive proportions. However, the presence of women in Beowulf is not entirely compliant and must be looked at from an Anglo-Saxon perspective. Within this time societies, expectations of women were completely different from our modern expectations that we have of women now. If we look at the Laws of Aethelbert which are some of the codes those in the Anglo- Saxon period had to abide by, typically it seems that each gender was considered equal, they were also placed within certain roles in society. Men were looked at for their physicality while women were often sought for childbirth.
The role that women play in the poem of Beowulf seems to be incredibly minimal. Most if not all the women in the epic, tend to be confined to the task of the hostess to the men, however, this seems to not be completely the situation if you look beyond the exterior. In fact, women in the poem of Beowulf tend to be the peacemakers and peace weavers, the women that are made known in the epic are every so often seen giving gifts and honor, both which are highly valued in the culture. For example, in an unaltered version of the poem Wealtheow is described as noble, ‘Lady of the Helmings,' and "Gold-adorned" which contrasts with the modern translation as she is only mentioned as either giving men drinks and or just sitting silently by those in charge. It is this clash between the modern transcripts and the original ones that have led to the improper assumptions concerning the women inside the epic of Beowulf.
From looking at the poem at this angle greatly lessen...