ARE WOMEN AS PEACE WEAVERS THE SYMBOLS OF HOPE FOR THE ANGLO-SAXON SOCIETY?
ARE WOMEN AS PEACE WEAVERS THE SYMBOLS OF HOPE FOR THE ANGLO-SAXON SOCIETY?

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with one of the women’s roles in Anglo-Saxon literature: the peace-weaving tradition. For many decades, the female characters from several Old English epic poems have all been considered marginal and excluded figures (Overing, 1995: 216-260) because of their representations in these literary creations. In this paper, we try to offer an anthropological approach to womanhood in Beowulf, taking into account the context of the society presented in the epic poem, emphasizing the woman’s central role for the sealing of peace between two rival tribes/populations, thus representing the hope for the whole Anglo-Saxon society, for its continuity and development. We will present the women’s roles in Beowulf within the story itself and the society presented in the poem. Our investigation of these women in relation with their men indicates the preservation of memories about the pagan Germanic past for the Anglo-Saxon poet who will include these details further in the Anglo-Saxon traditions and culture.

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