Immediately, as the poem returns us to the noise and light of the feast at Heorot, and the scop lays down his harp, Queen Wealhtheow appears. It is probably an intentional contrast, as we turn from the sorrowing, homeless Hildeburh to the gold-crowned, secure Wealhtheow. Wealhtheow’s name means something like “foreign servant,” or “foreign captive,” and it is a reminder both of Hildeburh’s capture by her own people, and of the difficult role of the foreign bride-queen.
The first requirement of the role was tact. The queen must manage not to bring her own people into disfavor by acting foolish; she must not play favorites and meddle in politics so as to create factions for or against her native land. She was an ambassador as well as a queen. Further, the peril that Hildeburh found herself in is a reminder of how any royal house could fall through invasion or treachery.
The queen could perhaps help shore up alliances by showing wise favor to the strong, by smoothing over quarrels, by giving gifts to create loyalty. There is evidence that most Germanic queens had some independent power to give, perhaps laying up a store of treasures that had been given to them, so that they could in turn give them out. Germanic brides were not given toasters or towels, they were given weapons to pass to their sons, and if they were royal, then the weapons were valuable heirlooms. Their husbands paid them gold at betrothal, and very likely this gold remained as their personal wealth. Using their gift-giving power wisely was the first task of a royal “foreign captive.”
In the second feast, we see Wealhtheow in this role. She appears in the hall wearing her gold, and comes first to where Hrothgar and Hrothulf are seated, and then to where Beowulf now sits with the young Scylding warriors, perhaps promoted from a far-off bench to a place very close to Hrothgar. Her visit to these seats has a purpose, and at both stopping-points she makes a careful speech, perhaps heard clearly by all in the room. Wealhtheow may have waited to enter until the scop had finished his song of Finn, and then as the noise rose again, put a stop to it with her formal parade. Behind her, her servants are carrying a treasure as an official, ceremonial gift.
Wealhtheow has a motive in her speeches, which admits of two different interpretations. Of course, she wants to thank, praise and honor Beowulf, and the ancient treasure gift is for him. It is a fabulous necklace with its own story attached. However, her speeches do not focus on Beowulf and the death of Grendel, as we would expect. Instead, she appears to be pursuing a political purpose that is not easy to understand. The purpose of her speeches, both to Hrothgar and to Beowulf, appears to be the promotion of Hrothulf as the successor to Hrothgar.
One explanation, dominant in most interpretations of Beowulf, is that she senses the tension at court over who will succeed the aging Hrothgar. Her sons sit with the young warriors next to Beowulf, but they are young. As Hildeburh’s son was not able to withstand the treacherous attack of the Jutes on his father’s hall, perhaps Wealhtheow’s sons, Hrethric and Hrothmund, will not be able to stand up against treachery at Heorot. Wealhtheow may perceive that the nephew, Hrothulf, is older and stronger and has the support of the earls. She may be uneasy about Hrothulf’s intentions and is attempting to stave off future strife. Her speech suggests that Hrothulf is specially dear to her and that she trusts his intentions fully. She states that she knows he will be kind to her boys if he becomes king. Her speech to Beowulf echoes her trust that here at Heorot, loyalty will carry the day, and the earls will be united. She even asserts her command over the situation, that the war band will be loyal because she commands them to be.
If she is speaking out of uneasiness, though, her words seem like a forceful denial. She may actually fear that the opposite will come true, that a faction will form around Hrothulf to kill off her sons. Or, conversely, she may fear that with Hrothulf taking power, a faction will form to overthrow him in favor of her sons, resulting in a tragedy like that of Finnsburg. She seems to be pouring oil on troubled waters, speaking in a calculated way for all to hear. She even seems to be enjoining Beowulf to exert his influence in the future to make sure things stay quiet.
In support of this view, the narrator of the poem goes out of his way to mention the peace between uncle and nephew. It sounds like an ironic foreshadowing of trouble. Lines 1164-7 tell us that “their peace was still whole then, each true to the other,” and that Unferth is also true. Perhaps the poet is suggesting a story, not known to us, in which Unferth had played a role in the discord that is soon to envelope Heorot. Wealhtheow’s assurances that all hearts at Heorot are united, and all intentions true, may also be ironic foreshadowing of the opposite future. The poem certainly hints at future grief and betrayal, and it is joined in this by another Old English poem, called “Widsith.” This poem is the song of a traveling scop, who has been to every nation in known geography, and lists the kings before whom he sang. Among his listed kings are Hrothgar and Hrothulf, and the singer tells us that Hrothgar and Hrothulf were at peace for long time. This peace, says “Widsith,” lasted until after the feud with Ingeld.
Another possibility is argued by Damico (1984) in a careful study of the character of Wealhtheow. Wealhtheow may be somewhat alarmed by the public proclamation of Beowulf as “adopted” by Hrothgar, and she refers to this in 1175-80. She has heard that Hrothgar is calling Beowulf his new son, and she tells her husband openly that he should be leaving his estate to his kinsmen. She may be reminding him that in his gratitude for the death of Grendel, he is going a step too far. Ancient treasures are the best reward for the Geats, because his kingdom must stay in the family. She speaks her dependence on the Scylding princes, including Hrothulf, to make sure that all goes well after Hrothgar’s death.