Peace-weavers ( ang, freothwebbe) were women who were married to a member of an enemy tribe for the purpose of establishing peace between
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
ing groups.
[Dorothy Carr Porter, , "The Social Centrality of Women in ''Beowulf'': A New Context," ''The Heroic Age'' Issue 5] It was hoped that by relating two tribes, the animosity between them would be eased as individuals would be reluctant to kill their own flesh and blood.
History
Anglo-Saxons thrived on battle. Politically organized into tribes with local chieftains, Anglo-Saxons were sworn to protect their leaders and had a fierce loyalty to their own tribes.
Tacitus said of the Germanic people: “They choose their kings for their noble birth, their leaders for their valour ... Many noble youths, if the land of their birth is stagnating in a protracted peace, deliberately seek out other tribes, where some war is afoot.” With this cultural background, peace was difficult to achieve in Anglo-Saxon communities. There were two major ways that the Anglo-Saxons tried to establish peace between tribes. One was
weregild, and the other was the creation of peace-weaver.
[Michael Delahoyde]
Washington State University Although tribes attempted to establish peace through these means, their intended goals were rarely met, as fighting was an institution more honorable than peace.
A few scholars believe that the term "peace-weavers" “does not necessarily reflect a Germanic custom of giving a woman in marriage to a hostile tribe in order to secure peace. Rather, it is a poetic metaphor referring to the person whose function it seems to be to perform openly the action of making peace by weaving to the best of her art a tapestry of friendship and amnesty."
This argument originates from the idea that the term is used to refer to angels that are sent from God as peace-weavers between God and man. Thus, peace-weaver can have a broader meaning, but when speaking of peace-weavers in literature, the most common discussions revolve around women married to rival tribes in order to establish peace between warring peoples.
Literature
The Anglo-Saxon word for peace-weaver is ''freothuwebbe'' (''fríÞwebbe''). It is a
kenning, a literary device common in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
''Beowulf''
Two main characters in ''
Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
'' stand as peace-weavers.
Wealhþeow is a fairly able peace-weaver inasmuch as a peace-weaver can be effective. She attended to the successes of her husband and sons while providing her daughter as another peace-weaver to a different enemy tribe. The
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
describes Wealhþeow as both a ''freothuwebbe'', or a peace-weaver, and as a ''frithu-sibb'', a peace-pledge. Some scholars consider the minor difference in terms as irrelevant. Others, though, point out the difference distinguishing ''freothuwebbe'' as one who weaves peace socially and ''frithu-sibb'' as one who creates peace politically.
Wealhþeow's role as a peace-weaver is both social and political, and she is clearly effective in both dimensions.
The second character portrayed in the peace-weaving role is
Hildeburh Hildeburh, introduced in line 1071 of the poem, ''Beowulf'', is the daughter of the Danish King Hoc (Beowulf), Hoc and the wife of the Finn (Frisian), Finn, King of the Frisians. Her story is sung by a scop during festivities in lines 1071-1158.
H ...
. She experiences, unlike Wealhþeow, the destruction of her husband's people (including her own son) and her brother's people. Hildeburh, too, serves as a peace-pledge bringing the Danes and Frisians together. She returned to her home land after her husband's kingdom was destroyed. This history represents the conflict that many peace-weavers felt: with whom should the loyalty lie? Anglo-Saxon tradition says that once married, the peace-weaver's duties and loyalties lie first and foremost with her new husband.
In this text the queen of the Danes gives ''Brosinga mene'' (read ''
Brísingamen
In Norse mythology, ''Brísingamen'' (or ''Brísinga men'') is the torc or necklace of the goddess Freyja. The name is an Old Norse compound ''brísinga-men'' whose second element is ''men'' "(ornamental) neck-ring (of precious metal), torc". The ...
'') to Beowulf as the price for killing Grendel. She acts as a
Völva.
"The Wife's Lament"
Although the term peace-weaver is not specifically mentioned in this particular piece, it has been hypothesized that the narrator is a peace-weaver who is mourning the distance between herself and her husband, and she remains with his family.
[Ellen Amatangelo and Dr. Rick McDonald]
"The Wife's Lament," Utah Valley University
See also
*
Marriage of state
References
{{Reflist
Exogamy
Anglo-Saxon society
Conflict in Anglo-Saxon England
Wives
History of women in the United Kingdom
Types of marriage
European royal families
Arranged marriage
Peace mechanisms
Peacebuilding
Peacekeeping
Diplomacy
Women in war