Beowulf In The Suburbs? 'The Mere Wife' Is An Epic Retelling
For too long the Old English poem has long been perceived as a "masculine text," says Maria Dahvana Headley. Her new adaptation is told from the perspective of Grendel's mother.
There's a vitally important word in the epic tale of Beowulf and, according to Maria Dahvana Headley, it's been translated incorrectly for a very long time. The word is aglæca/æglæca — no one's entirely sure how to pronounce it – and, as Headley explains, that same word is used to describe Beowulf and his three antagonists: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon.
"In the early English translations it was translated for Beowulf as 'hero' and for Grendel as 'monster,' and for Grendel's mother as 'wretch of a woman' or 'hag,' " Headley says. "But it's the same word."
That didn't sit well — particularly the characterization
