Societal roles for men and women change from period to period and culture to culture. Yet there is always an underlying similarity relating to masculinity juxtaposed to femininity. Women and men have always been stereotyped for certain roles and the period for Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs is so exception. The male figures in these texts are depicted as strong, fearless warriors, and the women, for the most part, are quiet and compliant. Between battles, oaths, loyalties, and duties, each gender is very different and expected to stay that way, otherwise, it causes some resentment.
The story of Beowulf is flooded with fierce, fearless men who fight against evil and come out a heroes, but what about the women? It’s almost self-explanatory that the book centers around male figures and their good deeds, the women are overlooked, similar to the culture and time the book is set in. Women were mainly used as pawns; yes, there were queens such as Wealhtheow and Hygd, yet they didn’t wield as much power as their husbands or other kings. This isn’t far from a peace weaver. The sole purpose of a peace weaver is to create peace or treaties between opposing kingdoms. This is a perfect example of how women are used in this society as representations of something instead of respected people. Peace weavers such as Hildeburh are forced into marriage and given the goal of bearing children and living a happy life with their husbands. The marriage represents the bondage of the families and tribes, ultimately hoping for peace between the two. But the woman never has a choice, a woman put into this position is doing it out of loyalty to her family and what they tell her to do. Oaths and loyalty are big parts of their culture as well. That is why when these women are forced to do something, they fulfill it, along with the fact that many of them don’t have a choice, that is their duty and they are going to do what they are told. All of these attributes are heavily contrasted to the role of a man in this society. The men are seen as strong warriors who offer safety, strength, and guidance. The men are praised in this society when they go off to battle and return home after a long day’s work. They come home to be served by their wives. We can also see in this story that it is assumed that men know best. The kings make all the decisions and consult other men when needed. We never really witness a woman making any suggestions on how to handle situations that arise. We can also see that the culture idolizes men more when the main character, Beowulf, is a man. He is all the story wants to center around and he is always being uplifted and painted in a heroic light. He is described as a monster slayer, warrior, fearless, selfless man. Beowulf acts as an example of how all men are to behave and carry themselves, giving us an even more accurate depiction of the role of men in that world.
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The roles of men and women in The Saga of the Volsungs are very similar to Beowulf yet the women in this story are not afraid to push the boundaries of societal norms and men are not as glorified, they can be seen as failures as well. Just like in Beowulf, oaths and loyalty are a huge part of their culture. In this society, it is almost all you have. This mindset plays a big role in their actions and what they are and aren’t willing to do no matter their gender role. A great example of this would be when Signy is forced into a marriage with Siggeir. Due to her role as a woman, she is obligated to marry this man and do her part as a loving and doting wife. She provides children and doesn’t retaliate, that is until he kills her family. This is where loyalty trumps her gender and marital duties. Signy makes it her life’s mission to have her husband killed. This goes against the societal norm in every way. She is supposed to stay in her place, and not speak out, especially not against her husband. Yet her loyalty to her family pushes her to do outrageous things in the name of vengeance. We see this again when Gurdrun is forced into a marriage with King Atli. She has no choice but to marry him as a political exchange, much like a peace weaver in Beowulf. This once again shows us how little women are respected. But contrasting Beowulf she fights against her husband alongside her family, once again blurring the lines of gender roles when it comes down to loyalty. Much like in Beowulf The Saga of the Volsungs is centered around men, the women are used in the plot to get from one story to the next this accurately represents how they were treated in society. They are used to go from one goal to the next. Because of this, we can see how men are viewed in this society, as higher powers and more respected. The men make decisions for other people, especially women. Yet the males in this story can be seen as wrong in some situations. In many cultures in this period, men were never seen as weak or having bad qualities, yet one of the first examples we have in this text is Sigi having a lapse of judgment. He gets jealous and kills his slave when his slave is a better huntsman than he is. The townspeople find out about this and exile him. This portrays a more accurate representation of society than Beowulf does. While men are still put on a pedestal, they can be deemed unworthy.
Men and women are given strict gender roles at this time, yet some cultures value loyalty and oaths more than their given stereotypes. At the basic level, men are superior to women and are held to different standards. Men are expected to be powerful, knowledgeable combatants. On the other hand, women are subservient to their husbands, they do as they are told and act the way they are expected to, which is selfless and unopinionated. But when it comes down to family ties and blood, the lines are blurred and people will do what needs to be done to keep their family first, no matter societal obligations.
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