Grendel's Mother: The Saga of the Wyrd-Wife
by Susan Signe Morrison
Publication Date: September 25, 2015
Top Hat Books
Paperback & eBook; 238 Pages
ISBN-10: 1785350099
An amber bead. A gold and glass drinking horn. A ring engraved with Thor’s hammer – all artifacts from a Germanic tribe that carved a space for itself through brutality and violence on a windswept land . Brimhild weaves peace and conveys culture to the kingdom, until the secret of her birth threatens to tear apart the fragile political stability. This is her story – the tale of Grendel’s Mother. She is no monster as portrayed in the Old English epic, Beowulf. We learn her side of the story and that of her defamed child. We see the many passages of her life: the brine-baby who floated mysteriously to shore; the hall-queen presiding over the triumphant building of the golden hall Heorot and victim of sexual and political betrayal; the exiled mere-wife, who ekes out a marginal life by an uncanny bog as a healer and contends with the menacing Beowulf; and the seer, who prophesizes what will occur to her adopted people. We learn how the invasion by brutal men is not a fairy tale, but a disaster doomed to cycle relentlessly through human history. Only the surviving women can sing poignant laments, preserve a glittering culture, and provide hope for the future.
"What a gift! Grendel’s Mother is sure to become an integral part of every class on Beowulf." -Candace Robb, author of the Owen Archer Mystery Series and, as Emma Campion, A Triple Knot
"This fascinating narrative is to readers today what John Gardner’s Grendel was to readers of the 1970s." -Haruko Momma, Professor of English, New York University
Review: I have a vague recollection of reading Beowulf in high school. I think it was 10th grade honors English. The sad part is that I don't recall much of the story. I only remember an animated version that Mrs Shrag played for us.
I was intrigued by this story, and though it was a short read it was one you need your brain for especially to wrap your brain around all the names of the characters.
Brimhild's story is a heartbreaking one. She arrives much like Moses from the sea and grows up to be a good and kind woman who catches the eye of the king. There's is a love match, but things change and soon she is cast out of her home with her son.
I loved the imagery of this story. I also loved the tales of the Gods, Thor, Odin and Loki and their antics. The only problem with that for me was that every time there was a mention of Loki, I thought about Tom Hiddleston and Chris Helmsworth.
I wanted to say something import about the story, but all I can say is that it made me want to revisit Beowulf sometime in the future. Whether or not, I'll enjoy that tale the second time around remains to be seen, but Grendel's Mother will peak your interest in the story that was the inspiration for this novel.
This was a quick read for me, and I didn't want to put it down once I started it.
Rating: 5 flowers
I was intrigued by this story, and though it was a short read it was one you need your brain for especially to wrap your brain around all the names of the characters.
Brimhild's story is a heartbreaking one. She arrives much like Moses from the sea and grows up to be a good and kind woman who catches the eye of the king. There's is a love match, but things change and soon she is cast out of her home with her son.
I loved the imagery of this story. I also loved the tales of the Gods, Thor, Odin and Loki and their antics. The only problem with that for me was that every time there was a mention of Loki, I thought about Tom Hiddleston and Chris Helmsworth.
This was a quick read for me, and I didn't want to put it down once I started it.
Rating: 5 flowers
About the Authors
Susan Signe Morrison writes on topics lurking in the margins of history, ranging from recently uncovered diaries of a teenaged girl in World War II to medieval women pilgrims, excrement in the Middle Ages, and waste. Susan Morrison is Professor of English at Texas State University. She grew up in New Jersey by the Great Swamp, a National Wildlife Refuge with terrain not unlike that of Grendel's Mother's mere in Beowulf. Committed to bringing the lives of medieval women to a wider audience and making the ethics of waste fundamental to our study of literature, Susan can be found at grendelsmotherthenovel.com, homefrontgirldiary.com, and amedievalwomanscompanion.com and tweets @medievalwomen.
Susan's BA is from Swarthmore College and her A.M./Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Brown University. She has studied in Germany and taught in the former East Germany. Susan’s publications have appeared in such journals as The Yearbook of Langland Studies, Medievalia et Humanistica, Medieval Feminist Forum, The Chaucer Review, Exemplaria: A Journal of Theory in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, The New York Times, Women In German Yearbook , Journal of Popular Culture , Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik, as well as numerous book chapters. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, daughter and son.
For more information visit Susan's website.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, March 28
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
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Review at History From a Woman's Perspective
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Guest Post at Just One More Chapter
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Review at A Chick Who Reads
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Guest Post A Literary Vacation
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Review at Impressions In Ink
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Review at Sprinkled With Words
Tuesday, April 12
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Thursday, April 14
Review at Seize the Words: Books in Review
Friday, April 15
Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A Book
Giveaway
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