Women's Role In Anglo-Saxon Society

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Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, men played a dominant role in society. They were the heads of their household and represented the strength and wisdom of their society. Their main role was to protect and provide for their family. Anglo-Saxon women on the other hand assumed specific roles in their society, such as peace-weaver, mistress and cup-bearer. One of these roles was that of a peace-weaver. A peace-weaver was a woman who was married off to make peace between warring tribes. An example of a peace-weaver in Beowulf is Hildeburh, the ancient Danish princess. She was married to the king of the Frisians to settle a feud. Eventually, Hildeburh’s brother, Hnaef and Hildeburh's son were killed in this battle. The next leader of the Danes, …show more content…

In Beowulf, Wealhtheow was the mistress of the Heorot. She was in charge of all household matters, but only with the permission of her husband, Hrothgar. The mistress presided over the hall table along side of her husband during mealtimes. Wealhtheow was also responsible for make sure everybody had enough to eat and was comfortable. Another important role Anglo-Saxon women had to uphold was cup-bearer. A cup-bearer was a woman who passed cups of mead or beer around to the men as they celebrated. In Beowulf, Wealtheow also had the role of cup-bearer, along with the role of mistress. One of Wealhtheow's most important duties is the ceremonial carrying of a goblet of mead around to the warriors during the feast, helping to establish brotherly affection between the Geats and Danes. While Anglo-Saxon women did not get to play a major role in their society like the kings and heroes of their culture, their roles, nevertheless, were important in holding the society together. When the men were off fighting it was the women’s duty to keep the household intact. In a society that frequently saw the devastation of war, women, whether they acted as peace-weavers or healers were often the ones who brought a measure of peace. The role of a Anglo-Saxon women was never easy, but they upheld their duty and served their

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