Grendel's Lupine Mother: An Analogue in Vǫlsunga saga.
This article reconsiders the figure of Grendel's mother, with particular attention to her liminal identity between beast, human, and aristocratic woman. Building on previous scholarship concerning her lupine associations and connections to women of the Vǫlsung-Nibelung tradition, it proposes a new a...
| Publicado en: | Neophilologus Vol. 110; no. 2; pp. 187 - 204 |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Literary Criticism |
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Springer Nature
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=194612161&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 194612161 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00282677 OK9 jtl: Neophilologus issn: 00282677 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 110 iid: 2 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 194612161 10.1007/s11061-025-09862-y ppf: 187 ppct: 17 formats: tig: atl: Grendel's Lupine Mother: An Analogue in Vǫlsunga saga. aug: au: Xu, Na affil: https://ror.org/01vy4gh70 English Department, Shenzhen University, 3688 Nanhai Avenue, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China su: Motherhood Wolves Monsters Identity (Psychology) Aristocracy (Political science) Mythical animals sug: subj: Motherhood Wolves Monsters Identity (Psychology) Aristocracy (Political science) Mythical animals keyword: Beowulf Grendel's mother Vǫlsunga saga Wolf ab: This article reconsiders the figure of Grendel's mother, with particular attention to her liminal identity between beast, human, and aristocratic woman. Building on previous scholarship concerning her lupine associations and connections to women of the Vǫlsung-Nibelung tradition, it proposes a new analogue for her: Siggeir's lupine mother (Signy's mother-in-law) in Vǫlsunga saga. By tracing the cumulative parallels between these two figures, this article argues that the wolf motif not only emphasizes her bestial traits but also illuminates the integrated complexity of her identity. Analysis of Siggeir's lupine mother demonstrates that monstrosity, aristocracy, and motherhood are not mutually exclusive but can coexist in a single, culturally legible character. This insight invites a reconsideration of Grendel's mother's hybrid nature and the role of the wolf imagery in actively negotiating and reconciling these facets in her character. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Literary Criticism src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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