written
by Ashley Crownover
published by Iroquois Press (December 2007)
Trade paperback, 208 pages
ISBN: 1596523913
ISBN-13: 978-1596523913
reviewed by Michael Lohr
08.22.2008
Rating: 4 stars ****
Ashley Crownover’s
debut novel, Wealtheow: Her Telling of
Beowulf, is a splendid achievement in historical fiction. Beyond the
elegance of her writing style and storytelling ability, what see manages to
accomplish is no small feat, especially for a debut novel. She breathes new
life into a tale that, even in recent years, has been worked and reworked in
various mediums. From Michael Crichton’s underappreciated Eaters of the Dead that was repackaged as The 13th Warrior for both the pulp paperback market and
cinema to Seamus Heaney’s best selling Beowulf: a New Translation to Gerard
Butler’s much maligned movie, Beowulf
& Grendel to the most recent Paramount
Pictures animation adaptation of the story, Beowulf is seemingly more popular
than ever.
But what Ms. Crownover has achieved is to breathe a vibrant surge of
life into an old dusty tale by providing a fresh prospective from the woman’s
point of view and not just any serving maiden either. She tackles head on the
Queen of the Danes, Wealtheow. But then again, whom else would you expect her
write about? The prime female candidate through which to view the Beowulf saga,
other than maybe Grendel’s mother Ginnar,
would be Wealtheow. For it was Wealtheow, beyond all others, that was most
affected by the mayhem. In the traditional poem, Wealtheow fulfilled the
dutiful role of hostess, the holder of the golden cup. But here, Wealtheow’s role is greatly expanded and so it should be.
The principal role of the matriarch in early Germanic/Nordic society was to
encourage diplomatic relations and nurture social harmony. Her indemnification
for reminding the king of his ruling obligations as well as setting an example
of compassionate valor for her people to emulate was great admiration and
respect of the citizenry. Wealtheow had to quickly ascertain her role; she had
no choice.
Born
of the Wulfing tribe to King Helm, Lord of the Helmings, Wealtheow had to grow up quickly. At a tender age
she was betrothed to Hrothgar, King of the Danes in
order to prevent a war between the tribes. She soon found herself in the
unsettling role of “Peaceweaver” – a role that only she
could accomplish, being the daughter of the one king and the wife of the other.
But Ms. Crownover gives Wealtheow a life with purpose
beyond just being a Dark Ages trophy wife whose sole aspiration it is to
produce a male heir. Ms. Crownover imbues Wealtheow
with a powerful resonance and verve. She is a special duality, at once gentle
and feminine and yet, filled with strength and succor. Even in the darkest of
days of the kingdom, she stands strong supporting Hrothgar
and is faithful in her resolve as she deals with the sexual tension brought
forth by the presence of Beowulf.
Ms. Crownover’s
first person narration of Wealtheow’s life places the
reader in her position so you see the darkening world through her eyes. This
perspective gives the novel a very realistic sensibility. It’s as if you are
gazing through a magical looking glass and witnessing the events unfold before
you. This subtle, but effective storytelling mechanism allows the reader to
immerse themselves into the characters. You are there with fingers crossed as
the runes are cast forth. It allows you to feel the pain when Grendel attacks the meadhall and
kills the first Geat. It causes you to experience the
quickening of repulsion at the smell of burning flesh as funeral pyres cast an
unholy glow upon the obsidian, night sky.
Wealtheow: Her Telling of Beowulf is saturated with rune lore, ancient Scandinavian
folklore and Nordic mythology. Using these traditional cultural modalities Ms. Crownover paints an authentic spiritual landscape of the
age. But also there is a certain reflection cast by both Wealtheow and Ginnar. They both seemingly represent diametrically
opposite aspects of Nordic, and indeed ancestral Indo-European goddess
traditions; the lovely, matronly mother and the deadly, ruthless hag. In fact,
Ms. Crownover delegates the dual aspects of the
maiden and mother to Wealtheow. However, she also gives a potent voice and
indeed a glimmer of soul to Ginnar. She makes her
more than just a sea hag, more than just a nameless monster. You feel empathy
for her plight, for her longing of things past and for the life she once had.
But she never allows you to forget that Ginnar is in
fact a fallen being. That it was by her own choices that she lost her humanity.