Grendel's mother (Old English: Grendles mōðor) is one of three antagonists (along with Grendel and the dragon) in the work of Old English literature of anonymous authorship, Beowulf (c. 700-1000 AD). She is never given a name in the text.
The nature of Grendel's mother in the poem is the subject of ongoing controversy and debate among medieval scholars. This is due to the ambiguity of a few words in Old English which appear in the original Beowulf manuscript. These words, particularly "ides, aglæcwif" (ll.1258a-1259b), appear either in conjunction with Grendel's mother or with her place of dwelling (a lake). Some have a specific significance within the context of Germanic paganism.
Read more about Grendel's Mother: Story, Function in And Structure of The Poem, Debates On Grendel's Mother, Grendel's Mother in Film, Literature, and Popular Culture, Further Reading
Famous quotes containing the word mother:
“Much is made of the accelerating brutality of young people’s crimes, but rarely does our concern for dangerous children translate into concern for children in danger. We fail to make the connection between the use of force on children themselves, and violent antisocial behavior, or the connection between watching father batter mother and the child deducing a link between violence and masculinity.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)