Grendel's Mother - Debates On Grendel's Mother

Debates On Grendel's Mother

There is a debate among medieval scholars concerning the ambiguity of a few words in Old English related to Grendel's mother or her home (a lake) which appear in the original Beowulf manuscript. Because these terms are ambiguous, scholars disagree over aspects of her nature and appearance. Indeed, because her exact appearance is never directly described in Old English by the original Beowulf poet, part of the debate revolves around what is known, namely her descent from the biblical Cain (who was the first murderer, according to Abrahamic religions). For some scholars, this descent links her and Grendel to the monsters and giants of the Cain Tradition. Others argue that the lack of descriptives leaves Grendel's mother a marginal, rather than monstrous, figure.

This lack of consensus has led to the production of a few seminal texts by scholars over the past few decades. One important focus of these articles and books concerns the numerous, and at times opposing, translations of especially the Old English compound "ides aglæcwif" (1259a).