Modthryth, Thryth ('strength', cf.

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

Þrúðr (Old Norse: , "strength"),Lindow (2001:291). sometimes anglicized as Thrúd or Thrud, is a daughter of the major god Thor and the goddess Sif in Norse mythology. Þrúðr is also the name of one of the valkyries who serve ale to the einherjar ...

, the daughter of

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...

), and Fremu are reconstructed names for a character who figures as the queen of King Offa in ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English Epic poetry, epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translations of Beo ...

''.

Naming problem: Modthryth, Thryth, or Fremu?

The reason for the usage of both ''Thryth'' and the compound name ''Modthryth'' is that the latter name is an emendation by Klaeber (1953). ''Mod'' appears just before ''Þryð'' on line 1932 of the poem, where she is introduced, and scholars are divided as to whether ''mod'' is part of her name, or a separate word. The queen of the eighth-century Mercian king Offa in the thirteenth-century ''

Vitae duorum Offarum The '' Vitae duorum Offarum'' "The lives of the two Offas" is a literary history written in the mid-thirteenth century, apparently by the St Albans monk Matthew Paris; however, the most recent editor and translator of the work rejects this attrib ...

'', which portrays both this Offa and his fifth-century namesake, is called Quendrida, a somewhat flawed Latin rendering of

Cynethryth Cynethryth (''Cyneðryð''; died after AD 798) was a Queen of Mercia, wife of King Offa of Mercia and mother of King Ecgfrith of Mercia. Cynethryth is the only Anglo-Saxon queen consort in whose name coinage was definitely issued. Biography Orig ...

, the actual name of Offa's wife. The author, moreover, etymologised the word as consisting of the words ''quen'' 'queen' and the personal name Drida: ''Quendrida, id est regina Drida''. This parallel has sometimes been taken as a further argument that the Offa of ''Beowulf'' had a queen called Thryth and that the passage was intended as a veiled reference to the eighth-century queen. More recently, R. D. Fulk has challenged the long-held view that the queen was named either Modthryth or Thryth, pointing out difficulties with the ending -''o'', its implications for the overall syntax, and the weaknesses of the Drida argument. Instead, he revives the suggestion made by Ernst A. Kock in 1920 that ' is not an adjective modifying ' "the people's princess" and meaning "excellent" (which would be inappropriate at this stage of the narrative), but her actual name. On the basis of such parallels as ' "bore arrogance" (Old English ''Genesis A'' line 2240b), he likewise treats ' as a

common noun A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''Africa'', ''Jupiter'', ''Sarah'', ''Microsoft)'' as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (''continent, ...

, although this necessitates an emendation of the ending -''o'' to -''a''. Eric Weiskott has challenged Fulk's reinterpretation on grounds of poetic syntax, concluding that the queen remains anonymous.

From wicked princess to virtuous queen

The relevant passage immediately follows, almost interrupts, a favourable description of Hygelac's queen

Hygd Hygd, introduced in line 1925 of the poem ''Beowulf'', is the wife of King Hygelac of Geatland. She is the daughter of Hæreth. After Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother, he and his men returned to their native country, where they are re ...

. First, the portrayal focuses on the princess's character in her early days before her marriage to Offa. She is a powerful and vengeful woman who punishes any man beneath her station who dares to look her directly in the eye: She changes her ways after being married to

Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

, becoming a gracious ''hostess'' and gaining fame for her good deeds and devotion to her husband: The poet juxtaposes the vice of the queen with the virtues of

(introduced a few lines prior in l. 1926), not only condemning Modthryth's behavior but reinforcing the idea that it is the role of a queen to be a ' or

peace-weaver Peace-weavers ( ang, freothwebbe) were women who were married to a member of an enemy tribe for the purpose of establishing peace between feuding groups.Dorothy Carr Porter, , "The Social Centrality of Women in ''Beowulf'': A New Context," ''The He ...

(lines 1940–1944). Based on the similarity of name, the portrayal of 'Thryth' has been interpreted as an attack upon

Offa of Mercia Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

's wife

Alternate Readings of Modthryth

While scholars such as

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

and R. D. Fulk adhere to the limiting tamed

virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' (genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-āg ...

motif of Modthryth that is apparently suggested by the ''Beowulf'' poet, there are various possibilities in regards to the reading of this character. For instance,

Helen Damico Helen Damico (January 30, 1931 – April 14, 2020) was a Greek-born American scholar of Old English and Old English literature. Career Damico was a professor emerita at the University of New Mexico, where she began teaching in 1981 and founded ...

and

Mary Dockray-Miller Mary Dockray-Miller (born 1965) is an American scholar of early medieval England, best known for her work on gender in the pre-Conquest period. She has published on female saints, on ''Beowulf'', and on religious women. She teaches at Lesley Unive ...

view Modthryth as a far more majestic and powerful figure than either Fulk or Heaney attests. Damico views Modthryth as encompassing both the threatening and benevolent aspects of the ''

Wælcyrge In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36 ...

'': she "parallels the evolution of the archetypal figure that Modthrytho is modelled upon, the progression of fierce war-demon to gold-adorned warrior-queen". Dockray-Miller fails to agree specifically with Damico's Valkyrie idea, however, stating that she is "neither a reformed peace pledge, nor a heroic Valkyrie. Instead, her character both confirms and denies a masculine economy that depends on women as commodities

hus Hus or HUS may refer to: Medicine * Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a disease characterized by haemolytic anemia, kidney problems and a low platelet count People * Hus (surname) * Hus family, an 18th-century French dynasty of ballet dancers and acto ...

Modþryðo's masculine performance manages to subvert the usual use of women as objects in exchanges between men". Another feminist scholar, Pat Belanoff, comments upon the Old English tradition of strong female characters and images, positing that " thin the resources available to Anglo-Saxon poets was a traditional image of the female: an intelligent strong minded, usually glowing or shining, verbally adept woman whose actions are resolute and self-initiated". Considering that the poem itself includes similar descriptions of Modthryth, stating that she is "famous for her good deeds and conduct in life" and similarly referencing her shining beauty, certain ignored possibilities for this character are being explored. Taking such criticism into account, it is apparent that complexities hitherto denied to Modthryth are being explored through the revision of feminist scholars -thus uncovering nuances of gendered power that are implicit within the poem. With this in mind, Modthryth no longer acts solely as a foil to the good queen Hygd, but contributes to a tradition of strong female figures. Evidently, it would be profitable to view Modthryth as comparable to such figures as Judith or even the Old Norse Valkyrie-brides.

References

Primary sources

*''Beowulf'', ed. and tr.

Michael Swanton Michael James Swanton (born 1939) is a British historian, linguist, archaeologist and literary critic, specialising in the Anglo-Saxon period and its Old English literature. Early life Born in Bermondsey, in the East End of London, in childho ...

, ''Beowulf''. 2nd ed. New York, 1997. Swanton's prose translation is re-arranged as verse-lines above. *''Beowulf''. Trans. Fulk, R. D. Ed. Fulk. ''The Beowulf Manuscript: Complete Texts and the Fight at Finnsburg''. Cambridge and London: Harvard UP, 2010. Print. *''Beowulf: A Verse Translation''. Trans. Heaney, Seamus. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2002. Print.

Naming problem: Modthryth, Thryth, or Fremu?

From wicked princess to virtuous queen

Alternate Readings of Modthryth

See also

References

Primary sources

Further reading