Beowulf - Beowulf-(family trees, fueds,and a list of characters) lyrics

A Guide to the Characters and Feuds in Beowulf Genealogies 1. The Danes (Scyldings) (Heremod) | Scyld Scefing (Shield Sheafson) | Beowulf (Beow) | Healfdene (Halfdane) | | | | | Heorogar Hrothgar+Wealtheow Halga [daughter (Yrse?)]+ Onela (Swede) | | | | | | Heoroweard | Hrothulf | | | | | Hrethric Hrothmund Freawaru+Ingeld (Heathobard) 2. The Geats Hrethel | | | | | | Herebeald Haethcyn Hygelac+Hygd [daughter]+Ecgtheow | | | | | BEOWULF | | | [daughter]+Eofor Heardred 3. The Swedes (Scylfings) Ongentheow | | | | Ohthere Onela+[Healfdene's daughter (Yrse?)] | | | Eanmund Eadgils The People 1. The Danes (Scyldingas) Aeschere—counselor and friend of Hrothgar; slain by Grendel's mother Beowulf/Beow—son of Scyld/Shield and king of the Danes Ecglaf—father of Unferth Ecgwela—Danish king Freawaru—daughter of Hrothgar and Wealtheow; wife of Ingeld Guthlaf—a warrior in Hengest's band Halga—third son of Healfdene/Halfdane; younger brother of Hrothgar; father of Hrothulf Healfdene/Halfdane—son of Beowulf/Beow; father of Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga, and a daughter; Danish king Hengest—leader of the Half-Danes (under Hnaef) against Finn Heorogar—Danish king; eldest son of Healfdene and brother of Hrothgar; father of Heoroward Heremod—Danish king Hildeburh—sister of Hnaef; daughter of Hoc; wife of Frisian king Finn Hnaef—chief of the Half-Danes; son of Hoc; brother of Hildeburh Hoc—father of Hnaef and Hildeburh Hrethric—eldest son of Hrothgar and Wealtheow; older brother of Hrothmund; cousing of Hrothulf Hrothgar—Danish king; second son of Healfdene; builder of Heorot; husband of Wealtheow; father of Hrethric and Hrothmund; uncle of Hrothulf; protector of Ecgtheow Hrothmund—youngest son of Hrothgar and Wealtheow; brother of Hrethric; cousin of Hrothulf Hrothulf—son of Halga; newphew of Hrothgar; cousin of Hrethric and Hrothmund Hunlafing—a warrior in Hengest's band (or possibly the name of a sword) Oslaf—a warrior in Hengest's band Scyld/Shield—eponymous Danish king; son of Sceaf/Sheaf Unferth—thyle of Hrothgar; son of Ecglaf; a kinslayer Wealtheow—Hrothgar's wife and queen; from the tribe of Helmingas (the “sons of Helm”) Wulfgar—door warden of Hrothgar at Heorot Yrmenlaf—a Danish warrior 2. The Geats (Hrethlingas) Aelfhere—a kinsman of Wiglaf Beanstan—father of Breca Beowulf—son of Ecgtheow; nephew of Hygelac; grandson of Hrethel; slayer of Grendel, Grendel's mother, Daeghrefn/Dayraven, and a dragon; Geatish king Breca—son of Beanstan; chief of Brondingas (a tribal dynastic name that means “sons of Brond”) Ecgtheow—father of Beowulf; son in law of Hrethel; brother in law of Hygelac; slayer of Heatholaf Eofor—a Geatish warrior; thane of Hygelac; slayer of Ongentheow Haereth—father of Hygd, the wife of Hygelac Haethcyn—second son of Hrethel; brother of Herebeald and Hygelac; slayer (accidently) of Herebeald; slain by Ongentheow; Geatish king Heardred—son of Hygelac and Hygd; slain by Onela; Geatish king after Hygelac's d**h Herebeald—eldest son of Hrethel and oldest brother of Haethcyn and Hygelac; slain by Haethcyn Hereric—probably the brother of Hygd (wife of Hygelac) and uncle of Heardred Hondscio—a Geatish warrior and companion of Beowulf's to Heorot; slain by Grendel Hrethel—Geatish king; father of Herebeald, Haethcyn, Hygelac, and unnamed daughter; grandfather of Beowulf Hygd—wife of Hygelac; mother of Heardred Hygelac—third son of Hrethel; husband of Hygd; father of Heardred; uncle of Beowulf; Geatish king Swerting—uncle or grandfather of Hygelac Waegmundings—specific family to which Beowulf, Weohstan, and Wiglaf belong Weohstan—father of Wiglaf; thane of Onela; slayer of Eanmund, Onela's nephew and Eadgils's brother Wiglaf—son of Weohstan; kinsman of Beowulf; Geatish king after Beowulf Wonred—father of Wulf and Eofor Wulf—a Geatish warrior; thane of Hygelac 3. The Swedes (Scylfingas) Eadgils—youngest son of Ohthere; brother of Eanmund; nephew of Onela; grandson of Ongentheow; seeks vengeance against Wiglaf for the d**h of his brother at Weohstan's (Wiglaf's father's) hand; Swedish king Eanmund—eldest son of Ohthere; brother of Eadgils; nephew of Onela; grandson of Ongentheow; slain by Weohstan; Swedish king Ohthere—eldest son of Ongentheow; father of Eanmund and Eadgils; brother of Onela; possibly slain by Onela; possibly a Swedish king Onela—youngest son of Ongentheow; brother of Ohthere; uncle of Eanmund and Eadgils; slayer of Heardred, son of Hygelac and king of the Geats; Swedish king Ongentheow—father of Ohthere and Onela; grandfather of Eanmund and Eadgils; slayer of Haethcyn; slain by Eofor and Wulf, retainers of Hygelac 4. Other Names/People(s) Cain—son of Adam and Eve; brother and slayer of Abel Daeghrefn/Dayraven—a warrior of the Hugas; slayer of Hygelac; slain by Beowulf Eomer—son of Offa, king of the Angles Eormenric—king of the East Goths Eotan—the Jutes/Frisians Finn—king of the Jutes/Frisians; husband of Hildeburh; son of Folcwalda Finnas—the Finns (people of Finland—not at all the related to Finn and the Jutes/Frisians) Fitela—nephew and son of Sigemund Francan—the Frankish people Fresan/Frisian—the West Frisians Freslond—land of the West Frisians Froda—Heathobard chief and father of Ingeld; slayer of Healfdene; slain (probably) by Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga Garmund—father of Offa, king of the Angles Gifthas—East Germanic tribe Grendel—descendant of Cain; harrower of Heorot; slayer of Hondscio and numerous others Hama—Gothic hero; stole the “Brosingamene” (the Brosing Necklace) from Eormenric Heathobards—a Germanic tribe Heatholaf—warrior of the Wylfing tribe; slain by Ecgtheow Heatho-Raemas—tribe living in southern Norway Hemming—a kinsman of Offa and Eomer Hetware—tribe living on the lower Rhine Hrunting—Unferth's sword Hugas—another name for the Franks Ingeld—son of Froda; chief of the Heathobards; husband of Freawaru; son in law of Hrothgar Modthryth—wife of Offa, king of the Angles Naegling—Beowulf's sword Offa—king of the Angles Sigemund—son of Waels; uncle and father of Fitela; a dragonslayer Waels—father of Sigemund Weland—famous smith of Germanic legend Wendlas/Vandals—the Vandals? Withergyld—a Heathobard warrior The Feuds/Rivalries The Danes Heathobards-Danes (when the poem opens, this feud is already ongoing and longstanding; apparently, Froda, father of Ingeld, k**ed Healfdene [Halfdane], father of Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga], so the three sons then invaded the Heathobard territory and slew Froda; and that is why, Beowulf says, Hrothgar will marry his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld, son of Froda; upon his return to Geatland, Beowulf informs Hygelac that Freawaru will be given in marriage to Ingeld, son of the Heathobard king Froda, as a means to bring peace between the Geats and Heathobards; he foretells, however, that an old warrior will encourage a young Heathobard warrior to avenge his father's d**h against the son of the Danish man who k**ed his father and who struts around in his Heathobardish war-gear; the allusion to the burning of Heorot is to the Heathobard campaign against Heorot under the leadership of Ingeld; Heorot does burn and is destroyed, but the Danes are victorious over the Heathobards) Danes-Geats (lines 1855ff, Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he has brought the Geats and Danes into peace despite years of “hatreds” they had harbored in the past) Hrothgar-Grendel (Grendel attacks Heorot without cause, but Hrothgar has a legal right for vengeance) Hrothgar/Beowulf-Grendel's Mother (her feud is really with Beowulf because of his k**ing of Grendel, but insofar as Beowulf is Hrothgar's thane at this point, her feud is also with Hrothgar; Beowulf is justified to go after her because she has slain one of his men, Hondscio) Hrothgar's Sons (Hrethric & Hrothmund)-Hrothulf (alluded to in Wealtheow's comments to both Hrothgar and Beowulf that Hrothulf will treat his cousins appropriately and in her request of Beowulf that he protect her sons; allusions to this feud in the Old English poem “Widsith”) Danes-Frisians--Finnsburh episode (Hildeburh, wife of Finn, invites her brother Hnaef and his men [later led by Hengest] to visit her at Finn's fortress; they do so, and Finn's men attack them; Hnaef is k**ed as is his nephew, Hildeburh's own son; later, Hengest and his men renew the feud (instigated by Guthlaf and Oslaf) and Finn and his men are destroyed; Hengest and Hildeburh then return to the land of the Danes) The Geats Geats-Wylfings (Ecgtheow k**s Heatholaf, a Wylfing warrior; Ecgtheow is forced to leave his home [probably Geatland] because the wergild is too much; Hrothgar settles the feud by paying the Wylfing demand for wergild and Ecgtheow swears loyalty to him) Hrethel-Haethcyn (Haethcyn accidently k**s his older brother Herebeald and Hrethel, their father, unable to resolve this feud or contain his grief, dies of a broken heart) Ohthere & Onela-Haethcyn (Ohthere and Onela invade Haethcyn's land and score a major victory at Hreosnahill [Hill of Sorrow]) Haethcyn-Ongentheow (Haethcyn captures Ongentheow's wife at Hrefnesholt [Ravenswood]; Ongentheow rescues his wife and k**s Haethcyn at Hrefnesholt Hygelac-Ongentheow (Hygelac seeks vengeance for the d**h of his brother [Haethcyn]; Ongentheow is k**ed by Hygelac's men Eofor and Wulf at Ravenswood) Beowulf-Daeghrefn (Dayraven the Frank) (Daeghrefn slew Hygelac during the Frisian raid, so Beowulf was bound to k** him, which he did by squeezing/hugging him to d**h) Eanmund & Eadgils (Ohthere's sons)-Onela (Onela usurps the throne, possibly after k**ing his own brother Ohthere, and banishes his nephews Eanmund and Eadgils) Heardred (Hygelac's son)-Onela (Heardred takes in Onela's nephews Eanmund and Eadgils, so Onela invades Heardred's kingdom and k**s Heardred and allows Beowulf to a**ume the kingship [ll. 2389ff]) Weohstan (Weoxstan)-Eadgils (Weohstan, thane to Onela, k**s Eanmund, Eadgils's older brother) Eadgils-Onela (Eadgils returns to Sweden [with Beowulf's a**istance] and k**s his uncle, who had usurped the throne, possibly after k**ing his own brother, Ohthere) Beowulf-Dragon (because the Dragon terrorizes Beowulf's homeland) Wiglaf (Weohstan's son)-Eadgils (Weohstan previously k**ed Eadgils's brother Eanmund, so Eadgils must exact vengeance on Weohstan's son, Wiglaf) God Cain-God (caused by Cain's slaying of his brother Abel) Grendel-God (Grendel, we are told, bore God's anger and was in an eternal feud with Him)