Tette was careful to preserve the sexual segregation of the monastery. She "so wished the maidens, with whom she herself continuously remained, to be immune from consort with men, that she refused entry into their congregation not only to laymen and clerics, but even to the bishops themselves" (3). In contrast to Tette is the strict nun who was so strict that the other nuns grew to hate her. "With an obstinate heart" she dismissed the complaints of the nuns, especially the younger nuns, who cursed her (there were "maledictions uttered against her," par. 4). She failed to be gentle with them and to mollify their hostility, and she died without making amends for offending them. When she died, the young nuns "cursed her cruelty, nay more, they mounted the mound and, trampling it as if it were the dead corpse, they reproached the dead woman with most bitter insults to relieve their mortification" (4). Worse, they trample her grave, and the earth sinks where she is buried. Tette is horrified by this vengefulness, "For she realized from the disappearance of the earth the punishment of the woman buried there, and measured the severity of the just judgment of God by the damage to the tomb" (4). Tette's concern is that the strict nun has been damned. Thus she orders fasts and prayers, after which the earth rises. Rudolph (who heard this from Leoba) comments:
"Hence it is plainly shown that, when the monument visibly returned to its former state, the divine virtue invisibly absolved the soul of the dead woman through the prayers of the holy nun" (4).
One might characterize the lengthy portrait in section 11 by its emphasis on moderation. Although Leofgyth follows the rule, she is not like the "certain nun" who was despised for her severity. Rather, Leofgyth is beloved as gentle, learned, and ever-vigilant. "She used to uphold moderation in vigils as in other exercise of virtues," we hear, and she allowed the nuns to rest (although she did not allow them to make errors when they read to her in her sleep!). The rule of the female monastery and that of its male counterpart, governed by Abbot Sturmi, is under Boniface's direction. Unlike Ceolfrith, Leofgyth is neither disciplinarian nor innovator in tradition; those roles fall to her cousin, Boniface. Note the stress on monastic discipline in section 11 of the text. Clearly Boniface has anxieties about monastic discipline similar to those of Benedict Biscop and others. Leofgyth forgets family and nation in her dedication to her life at Tauberbischofsheim in Germany.
Another episode in this narrative that is typical of hagiography is the sterility of Leofgyth's parents and the miraculous event whereby they conceive a child (6). The child born late--and here the Life invokes a scriptural parallel--is destined to be dedicated to the service of God. Thus Leofgyth is seen as belonging to the monastery from birth.
Write a short paper that compares the duties of the abbess in the Life of Leofgyth with either the duties of the abbott in the Life of Ceolfrith or the duties of a king or queen in Beowulf. How is the gender asymmetry of Anglo-Saxon society reflected in the portrayal of queens and abbesses? What's the difference in personality between a good abbess (Leofgyth) and a good abbott (Ceolfrith). Are these differences like those that separate a good king (Hrothgar, Hygelac or Beowulf) from a good queen (Hygd, Wealhtheow)? What about a bad queen (Modthryth) or a failed one (Freawaru, Hildeburh)?
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