Social Workers as “Peace Weavers”

A peace weaver is always multitasking 

     In Anglo Saxon epic poems, such as Beowulf, they mention women as being “peace weavers” high-born woman who marries to make peace or keep the peace between powerful dynasties and tribes. The role of peace weavers were vital and included not only keeping the home but being protectors of all those who lived there. Some ways they did this were by graciously hosting events, honoring each visitor with respect and courtesy and even being given in marriage as a human treaty between two nations. The women were also tasked with physically and emotionally defending what was theirs, some women even trained armies and took them to war, as in the case of Aethelflaed. She has been described as 'our greatest woman-general,one of the most effective leaders we ever had, who commanded troops for eightyears of decisive warfare, and ruled a country as well.  In Beowulf, Queen Wealhtheow, in her speech welcoming Beowulf and his compatriots, spoke of the reinforcement of social unity, and the authority needed to ensure it. Women would intercede in negotiations and urge men toward reconciliation with speech and encouragement. These were women of substance, grace, eloquence and would stop at nothing to protect the human rights of all in their care.

     As a social worker we are tasked with the emotional and physical protection and empowerment of our clients. We are advocates for peace and will use our words, actions and resources to help our clients forge the best life possible. We not only focus on the client in front of is but consider the entire vulnerable populations. We attack big picture issues like policy changes, protection of human rights and social justice. We care for people who we barely know but treat them as they are our number one priority-because they are. We are governed by several documents but the largest of them is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document covers all the basic rights people should be afforded, but not always are. In the case of being peace weavers, social workers strive every day to make lives better by empowerment, advocacy and the pursuit of equality.

    As the peace weavers in Anglo Saxon literature, social workers are on the front lines trying to improve lives. We fight for each client we have as well as being politically active to affect change on a policy level. So the role of women in Anglo-Saxon society, at least according to Beowulf, is far from simple or marginalized; from brokering peace to reminding the men of their vows and pledges, women are the “‘mortar that cements the bricks;’ they facilitate relationships among men. If we compare policy changes to treaties between warring tribes and the gracious protection of all members of the household and guests to the dedication and empowerment of our clients, social workers are the modern day peace weavers.

Wool: The Staple of Fashion Medieval England

The process of dying added amazing pops of color to wool.

The art of wool weaving created a demand for this specific commodity specifically clothing. Wool became a style and a want of many English during the medieval time period. Fashion and a certain look became a desire and thus the birth of wool trend. The way wool was gathered, created, and sold wasa diligent process. England terrain and climate was perfect for rearing sheep.When sheep are first sheered the wool is raw and dirty. From England it would be sent to France where they process and clean the wool. The French had expertise in purifying, bleaching, and dying fabric. Later the English gained more knowledge and they no longer needed to export wool for cleaning and coloring. Many people had to take part in combing the wool after it returned from France. Mainly housewives would comb the wool through and through and this also helped clean it. English also learned from the French how to weave the wool into cloth. Using tools like the spinning wheel that wove the wool intofabric that could be used to make different types of garments and yarns. The most efficient spinning wheels were closest to running waterways that would power the wheel to make it fast moving. This is clear use of hydropower that the medieval English used to their advantage. After the fabric was woven it could be dyed further. Colors started as basic in the early medieval era, but over time they learned more tricks and vibrant colors. They used certain plants, flowers, insects, and fruits to create dyes. Red was the hardest dye to obtain therefore making it the most desirable color of wool. Blue was in abundance and more common. Some times patterns or multiple colors could be incorporated to create a design for richer folk. Colorful fashion became a popular trend to those who could afford it.

The specific type of textile and garments wore would signifywhich social class an individual belonged to in Medieval England. In that way fashion is similar to today how we can tell who is wealthy by the quality of what they’re wearing and how they look. Oppositely in the medieval era social classes specifically lower classes were restricted by Lords in which textiles they could don and how much they could spend on apparel. Craftsmen were not permitted to buy any clothing that was more than 4 shillings in price. Also they were not allowed to wear silk and cloth that was silver or gold colored. Wool made a large impact on society as a whole. It took part in the manufacturing and trade sector of medieval England. It created jobs, fashion, trade, art and more. Everyone could wear wool no matter the class. It was all in how they wore it and created their own sense of style.