Essential #3: How is Wealtheow portrayed? What does she do? can we expect of Anglo Saxon Women

Wealtheow is like high ranking slave. The fact that she serves the king his mead demonstrates her secondary nature.The author refers to her as, "excellent in mind" (615). In other words, a woman who serves a man is the ideal anglo saxon woman. We can expect very little from her due to to her subservient nature. We discussed in class, that a large part of being a hero involves gaining respect from others. The food and drink that she provides for Beowulf and his men are a token of her respect demonstrating that all women ought to offer tokens of their gratitude to men who look to protect them.