The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats
General
The Tale of Beowulf, Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats
Dragons -- Poetry; Epic poetry, English (Old); Monsters -- Poetry
Ecgwela. The Scyldings or Danes are once called "Ecgwela's offspring"
(99 [1710]). He may have been the founder of the older dynasty of Danish
kings which ended with Heremod.
Eofor (142, 167-9 [2485, 2963-2996]), a Geat warrior, brother of Wulf.
He came to the aid of his brother in his single combat with the Swedish
King Ongentheow, and slew the king, being rewarded by Hygelac with the
hand of his only daughter.
Eotens (61, 62, 66 [1072, 1088, 1141]) are the people of Finn, king of
Friesland. In other passages, it is merely a name for a race of
monsters.
FINN (61-7 [1068-1156]). The somewhat obscure Finn episode in _Beowulf_
appears to be part of a Finn epic, of which only the merest fragment,
called the _Fight at Finnsburg_, is extant. The following conjectured
outline of the whole story is based on this fragment and on the Beowulf
episode; Finn, king of the Frisians, had carried off Hildeburh, daughter
of Hoc, probably with her consent. Her father, Hoc, seems to have
pursued the fugitives, and to have been slain in the fight which ensued
on his overtaking them. After the lapse of some twenty years Hoc's sons,
Hnaef and Hengest, are old enough to undertake the duty of avenging their
father's death. They make an inroad into Finn's country, and a battle
takes place in which many warriors, among them Hnaef and a son of Finn,
are killed. Peace is then solemnly concluded, and the slain warriors are
burnt. As the year is too far advanced for Hengest to return home, he
and those of his men who survive remain for the winter in the Frisian
country with Finn. But Hengest's thoughts dwell constantly on the death
of his brother Hnaef, and he would gladly welcome any excuse to break the
peace which had been sworn by both parties. His ill-concealed desire for
revenge is noticed by the Frisians, who anticipate it by themselves
attacking Hengest and his men whilst they are sleeping in the hall. This
is the night attack described in the _Fight at Finnsburg_. It would seem
that after a brave and desperate resistance Hengest himself falls in
this fight at the hands of the son of Hunlaf (66 [1143]), but two of his
retainers, Guthlaf and Oslaf, succeed in cutting their way through their
enemies and in escaping to their own land. They return with fresh
troops, attack and slay Finn, and carry his queen Hildeburh back to the
Daneland.
Folkwalda (62 [1089]), father of Finn.
Franks (70, 165 [1210, 2911]). Hygelac, king of the Geats, was defeated
and slain early in the sixth century, in his historical invasion of the
Netherlands, by a combined army of Frisians, Franks, and Hugs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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