Medieval Monday: Peace-Weavers and Mischief-Makers Intro

For my final research paper in Graduate Studies in Medieval Literature, I analyzed the role of women in medieval literature, and I determined that women are basically divided into two categories: peace-weavers and mischief-makers, a predecessor to the virgin-whore dichotomy that comes in later literature. Over the next few weeks, I will share my insights with you in my Medieval Monday posts. First, an overview:

In the Middle Ages, the role of a queen was quite simple: “A queen should weave peace” (Beowulf 1942). Her function was to ensure peace between nations and people and this expectation carries over to all females within medieval literature; however, the reality is that not every female character fulfills this more positive role; some take a darker route. Women, in texts such as Beowulf, The Lay of Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, seem to fulfill one of two roles: the peace-weaver or the mischief-maker, meaning the female characters are either trying to foster peace or they are trying to stir up trouble.

What is truly interesting is that, regardless of which role they are fulfilling, the women are active Lanval definitely had their work cut out for them as well. Some recent criticism has suggested that women such as Wealhtheow and other peace-weavers are “fundamentally passive figure[s] in [their] story” (Welsh 12); however the ability to maintain peace may require more effort than these critics realize. After all, “the strenuous and delicate balance of behavior which [these female peace-weavers] must daily execute seems to be more difficult to achieve than the warrior’s bold plunge into destruction” (Welsh 13). While brandishing a sword appears more active and maybe even more effective on the surface, the artful and delicate manipulation required to assert control over a situation in which these women are culturally subordinate is admirable.
participants, suggesting a level of engagement generally denied them in popular conceptions regarding medieval gender roles. The mischief-makers such as Grendel’s mother, Morgan Le Fey, and Lady Bertilak may seem like more active participants, but peace-weavers like Wealhtheow and the Faerie Queen from

Still the sword-brandishers and deceivers deserve their just due as well. Instead of weaving peace, they foster discontent. Instead of calming men down, they rile them up. They are the mischief-makers, the tricksters and evil manipulators, of medieval literature. Whether mischief-maker or peace-weaver, the female characters discussed in this paper played active and integral roles in their stories, suggesting a level of engagement and control often denied them. Contemporary, popular opinion seems to perceive medieval women as oppressed, passive damsels in distress who languish helplessly behind castle walls while big, brawny men run about conquering, rescuing, and pillaging. According to Scott Farrell, this perception is in part due to 19th century authors and painters who “melded the stories and images of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with a Victorian sense of gallantry, which delineated a passive role for women.” Despite the contrary portrayal in medieval texts, this image of medieval women as inactive persists. Farrell argues that “this role would have been quite alien to the audiences of the Middle Ages." Why, oh why, does the misconception still exist?

For more information on this topic, check out my next few Medieval Monday posts as I will be putting pretty much my entire paper up here. :)