The Role of Mothers in Medieval Literature

Women are often prominent characters in medieval literature, although they all tend to fill a similar plot role in each tale, whether it is as a wife, a witch, a temptress, or a wise old hag. One of the roles that is less represented is that of the mother. There are many examples of maidens or virgins in various texts during and after the medieval period such as "Judith" and Shakespeare's The Tempest. There are also many representations of the crone or hag in texts such as "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These two representations of women are commonplace, so where are the mothers?

Part of a woman's purpose in medieval times, and so in medieval literature, is to extend the man's family line. There was rarely a choice in the matter, so it was assumed that if at all possible, a woman would have children. Other than women who have given birth to famous figures and are included in the tale for mainly that reason, it is often only the women who are unable to have children who are mentioned in connection with the mother figure. Guinevere is an example of this, mainly in expanded Arthurian texts such as The Once and Future King by T.H. White, but it is noted on occasion the fact that she has been able to bear Arthur no children. This is part of her character flaw - she is queen to the greatest king that Britain has ever known, yet she cannot provide him an heir. Her fall to vanity, bitterness and adultery is often partly attributed to her barrenness. It is also possible that she is represented as vain and jealous because she has no children - what use is a woman in medieval times if she cannot bear children? Motherhood is also seen, even today, as a trait that softens a woman's personality and makes her selfless and nurturing, and since Guinevere was denied motherhood, she was denied those traits.

Two characters from medieval texts that are mothers are Morgause, Arthur's sister in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur, and Grendel's mother in Beowulf. They are two of the only women where their motherhood is explored over the course of the story. Grendel's mother serves the purpose of fulfilling a clan war in Beowulf, but despite the fact her son is a monster (and she herself is a witch, and might not be human at all) she is stricken by his death and moved to avenge him. Her motherhood is almost used as a humanizing trait, and makes her more terrible at the same time. She is a mother who loves her monster son, but she has none of the traits associated with motherhood. Because she is a female not controlled by a man, she is seen as monstrous, and her revenge is unnatural because it is something that (according to the representations of the time) is only allowed to men. Grendel's mother partially loses her gender in some of the descriptions of her in the poem, such as in the lines "Her onslaught was less / only by as much as an amazon warrior's strength is less than an armed man's" (Beowulf 1283-1285). Her behavior is so unnatural for a woman and mother of the time that she is compared to a man rather than a woman. She is violent, bloodthirsty and unforgiving. She nurtured Grendel, but in a hateful and dark way, instilling his hatred of Heorot, because she herself was obviously an outcast. But outside of her monstrous actions and her relation to Grendel, nothing is explored.

Morgause is better known for who she is related to than for her own achievements. She is Arthur's sister, and the mother of his famous knight Gawain. She is also the mother of Mordred. Much of her purpose in the story is just to be the relation of some other, more famous man. While Grendel's mother is an active part of the tale, Morgause is there to be Mordred's mother, and to die at her son's hand to continue the chaos in Arthur's court. Their characters and motherhood are different, but being a mother sits at the heart of both Morgause's and Grendel's mother's actions and their roles in the story. Without Morgause, there would be no Gawain to serve at Arthur's side, just as there would be no Mordred to steal his throne. Morgause shows a common representation of mothers in medieval texts as well, because she represents both stereotypical female weaknesses and the characteristics of the tempting sorceress. When a child is conceived outside of marriage or incestuously it takes on both the faults of the woman and of the relationship. The only mothers of note are also those who pass their weaknesses onto their children. So Mordred's wickedness is the fault of Morgause and her relationship with Arthur. Grendel's thirst for blood and evilness come from his unbound, uncontrolled, monstrous mother.

Mothers are left out of many of the tales because their roles often interfere with the stories, and as mothers, they don't always live up to the ideals of courtly behaviors. They are obviously not virgins, they are often much older than the other girls in the court, and they have children and responsibilities to tend to. They belong to a certain man, but they often are adulterous. In many cases, it seems that the loss of their virginity is a corrupting influence, and takes a toll on a woman's character. The two women in these texts are written as evil, impure or corrupted characters. Also, a woman is expected to be a mother unless she is a maiden or a crone, and since this is assumed with the time period, they are perhaps not explicitly mentioned or followed because they are so common place. Mothers generally cannot hold the same roles in stories as a hag or a virgin, and so their representation also isn't common because they do not fit into the story template of medieval texts. They are absent in texts because unless their lives involve an important man or some kind of corruption, their stories aren't noteworthy.

Works Cited

"Beowulf." The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J.H. Dettmar. New York, New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 31-92.

Malory, Sir Thomas. Morte Darthur. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and Kevin J.H. Dettmar. New York, New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 31-92.