She would then pass on her father's inheritance to her spouse. She was normally married a few years after reaching puberty to a man well her senior. In the case of King Oedipus, Oedipus married his mother without knowing before hand. He displayed respect for her by informing her of events and consulting her for her opinion. His daughters played no significant role in the play but he was worried about them and who would take care of them after he was gone.
Women in Anglo-Saxon times were treated different, better, I am not sure. Some could look at Beowulf and view the women as pawns. They were held in very little regard or value in their society. Good women were peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to them. The author of Beowulf shows Grendel's mother as a strong and combative monster. The queen of the Danes, Wealhtheow, does assert herself in the interest of her husband and children, which reveals the masculine fear of feminine power. The author also reminds the readers that she is a member of the weaker sex and places her to her proper position behind the king. Wealhtheow cleverly uses her intelligence and ability to control men to protect her children and their place on the throne from Hrothulf, their cousin, in case of an untimely death of the king. .
Grendel's mother is portrayed as powerful, aggressive and combative. Not a traditional Anglo Saxon woman. She is thought of as a terrible monster, but shows she has great compassion for her son by vowing to avenge her son's death. She is given admiration along with fear for fighting Beowulf and having near success. One source noted the fear of a female uprising in Beowulf. The author speaks of an anonymous woman who was an evil person, if someone looked at her in a way she deemed bad; she would kill him or her. Her father sent her overseas to marry a King and the king tamed her and groomed her into an ideal queen.
