Jormunrek hears of the beauty of Swanhild and sends his son Randver to seek her out for him in marriage. Gudrun consents; on the way Randver is incited by the traitor Bicci to betray Swanhild, and is then accused by him to the king. For this treachery Jormunrek hangs Randver and causes Swanhild to be trampled to death by wild horses. Then the three sons of Gudrun set out to avenge their sister. On the way his two brothers kill Erp, and are consequently unable to kill Jormunrek. They only succeed in maiming him. Saxo Grammaticus, to whom we also owe the story of Hamlet, tells a similar story. Characters 1. Jarmeric, a Danish King. 2. Swawilda (= Swanhild), wife of Jarmeric. 3. Hellespontine brothers, brothers of Swawilda. 4. Bicco, a servant of Jarmeric. Bicco accuses Swawilda to Jarmeric of unfaithfulness. He causes her to be torn to pieces by wild horses. Then her brothers kill Jarmeric with the help of a witch, Gudrun, hewing off his hands and feet. These three stories are evidently based on one common original. V MARRIAGE OF FREAWARU AND INGELD Characters 1. Freawaru, daughter of Hrothgar the Dane. 2. Ingeld, son of Froda, King of the Heathobards. 3. Froda, King of the Heathobards. 4. A Heathobard warrior. 5. Son of the Danish warrior who had killed Froda. The Heathobards were a people in Zealand. There had been an ancient feud between the Danes and the Heathobards in which Froda had been killed by a Danish warrior. Hrothgar hoped to appease the feud by the marriage of his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld. Unluckily, the son of the Danish warrior who had killed Froda accompanied Freawaru to Ingeld's Court. Then an old Heathobard warrior notices this and stirs up strife. The marriage fails in its object, and war breaks out again between the Danes and the Heathobards. Beowulf predicts the course of events in his speech to Hygelac (Chapters XXVIII. and XXIX.). VI FINN The Finn episode (Chapters XVI. and XVII.) is one of those events in Beowulf that would be quite well known to the first hearers of the song, but to us is lacking in that clearness we might desire. Fortunately, Dr. Hickes discovered a fragment entitled, 'The Fight at Finnsburgh,' on the back of a MS. of the Homilies. From Beowulf and from this fragment we are able to piece together an intelligible story. It is probably as follows: Characters 1. Finn, King of the North Frisians and Jutes. 2. Hoc, a Danish chieftain. 3. Hildeburh, daughter of Hoc. 4. Hnaef, son of Hoc. 5. Hengest, son of Hoc. 6. Two sons of Finn and Hildeburh. 7. Hunlafing, a Finnish warrior. 8. Guthlaf and Oslaf, two Danish warriors.