The Tale of Beowulf

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XLIII. OF THE BURIAL OF BEOWULF.

For him then they geared, the folk of the Geats,
A pile on the earth all unweaklike that was,
With war-helms behung, and with boards of the battle,
And bright byrnies, e'en after the boon that he bade.
Laid down then amidmost their king mighty-famous 3140
The warriors lamenting, the lief lord of them.
Began on the burg of bale-fires the biggest
The warriors to waken: the wood-reek went up
Swart over the smoky glow, sound of the flame
Bewound with the weeping (the wind-blending stilled),
Until it at last the bone-house had broken
Hot at the heart. All unglad of mind
With mood-care they mourned their own liege lord's quelling.
Likewise a sad lay the wife of aforetime
For Beowulf the king, with her hair all upbounden, 3150
Sang sorrow-careful; said oft and over
That harm-days for herself in hard wise she dreaded,
The slaughter-falls many, much fear of the warrior,
The shaming and bondage. Heaven swallow'd the reek.
Wrought there and fashion'd the folk of the Weders
A howe on the lithe, that high was and broad.
Unto the wave-farers wide to be seen:
Then it they betimber'd in time of ten days,
The battle-strong's beacon; the brands' very-leavings
They bewrought with a wall in the worthiest of ways, 3160
That men of all wisdom might find how to work.
Into burg then they did the rings and bright sun-gems,
And all such adornments as in the hoard there
The war-minded men had taken e'en now;
The earls' treasures let they the earth to be holding,
Gold in the grit, wherein yet it liveth,
As useless to men-folk as ever it erst was.
Then round the howe rode the deer of the battle,
The bairns of the athelings, twelve were they in all.
Their care would they mourn, and bemoan them their king, 3170
The word-lay would they utter and over the man speak:
They accounted his earlship and mighty deeds done,
And doughtily deem'd them; as due as it is
That each one his friend-lord with words should belaud,
And love in his heart, whenas forth shall he
Away from the body be fleeting at last.
In such wise they grieved, the folk of the Geats,
For the fall of their lord, e'en they his hearth-fellows;
Quoth they that he was a world-king forsooth,
The mildest of all men, unto men kindest, 3180
To his folk the most gentlest, most yearning of fame.

PERSONS AND PLACES

(_Numbers refer to Pages_)

[Transcriber's Note:
In this and the following section, page numbers in parentheses are
accompanied by a line reference in brackets.]

BEANSTAN, father of Breca (31 [524]).

Beowulf the Dane (not Beowulf the Geat, the hero of the poem) was the
grandfather of Hrothgar (2, 4 [18, 53]).

Beowulf the Geat. _See_ the Argument.

Breca (30 [506]), who contended with Beowulf in swimming, was a chief of
the Brondings (31 [521]).

Brisings' neck-gear (70 [1199]). "This necklace is the Brisinga-men, the
costly necklace of Freyja, which she won from the dwarfs and which was
stolen from her by Loki, as is told in the Edda" (Kemble). In our poem,
it is said that Hama carried off this necklace when he fled from
Eormenric, king of the Ostrogoths.

DAYRAVEN (143 [2500]), a brave warrior of the Hugs, and probably the
slayer of Hygelac, whom, in that case, Beowulf avenged.

EADGILS, Eanmund (136, 137 [2379, 2391]), "sons of Ohthere," and nephews
of the Swedish King Onela, by whom they were banished from their native
land for rebellion. They took refuge at the court of the Geat King
Heardred, and Onela, "Ongentheow's bairn," enraged at their finding an
asylum with his hereditary foes, invaded Geatland, and slew Heardred. At
a later time Beowulf, when king of the Geats, balanced the feud by
supporting Eadgils in an invasion of Sweden, in which King Onela was
slain.

Eanmund (149 [2610]), while in exile at the court of the Geats, was
slain by Weohstan, father of Wiglaf, and stripped of the armour given
him by his uncle, the Swedish King Onela. Weohstan "spake not about the
feud, although he had slain Onela's brother's son," probably because he
was not proud of having slain an "exile unfriended" in a private
quarrel.

Ecglaf, father of Unferth, Hrothgar's spokesman (29 [499]).

Ecgtheow (22 [373]), father of Beowulf the Geat, by the only daughter of
Hrethel, king of the Geats. Having slain Heatholaf, a warrior of the
Wylfings, Ecgtheow sought protection at the court of the Danish King
Hrothgar, who accepted his fealty and settled the feud by a
money-payment (27 [463]). Hence the heartiness of Beowulf's welcome at
Hrothgar's hands.

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.

Freawaru (116 [2022]), daughter of Hrothgar and Wealhtheow. Beowulf
tells Hygelac that her father has betrothed her to Ingeld, prince of the
Heathobards, in the hope of settling the feud between the two peoples.
But he prophesies that the hope will prove vain: for an old Heathobard
warrior, seeing a Danish chieftain accompany Freawaru to their court
laden with Heathobard spoils, will incite the son of the former owner of
the plundered treasure to revenge, until blood is shed, and the feud is
renewed. That this was what afterwards befell, we learn from the Old
English poem _Widsith_. _See also_ ll. 83-5.

Friesland (65 [1126]), the land of the North Frisians.

Frieslands (135 [2356]), Frisian land (165 [2914]), the home of the West
Frisians.

Frisians. Two tribes are to be distinguished: 1. The North Frisians (61,
63 [1070, 1093]), the people of Finn. 2. The West Frisians (143, 165
[2502, 2911]), who combined with the Franks and Hugs and defeated
Hygelac, between 512 and 520 A.D.

Froda (117 [2025]), father of Ingeld. _See_ Freawaru.

GUTHLAF and Oslaf (66 [1148]). _See_ Finn.

HAERETH (112, 114 [1929, 1981]), father of Hygd, wife of Hygelac.

Haethcyn (139, 142, 165 [2433, 2481, 2924]), second son of Hrethel, king
of the Geats, and thus elder brother of Hygelac. He accidentally killed
his elder brother Herebeald with a bow-shot, to the inconsolable grief
of Hrethel. He succeeded to the throne at his father's death, but fell
in battle at Ravenwood (165 [2924]) by the hand of the Swedish King
Ongentheow.

Half-Danes (61 [1069]), the tribe to which Hnaef belongs. _See_ Finn.

Hama (69 [1198]). _See_ Brisings.

Healfdene (4 [57]), king of the Danes, son of Beowulf the Scylding, and
father of Hrothgar, "Healfdene's son" (16 [268]).

Heardred (126, 136-7 [2202, 2374-2387]), son of Hygelac and Hygd. While
still under age he succeeds his father as king of the Geats, Beowulf,
who has refused the throne himself, being his counsellor and protector.
He is slain by "Ongentheow's bairn" (137 [2386]), Onela, king of the
Swedes.

Heathobards, Lombards, the tribe of Ingeld, the betrothed of Freawaru,
Hrothgar's daughter (117 [2032]).

Heatholaf (27 [460]). _See_ Ecgtheow.

Helmings. "The Dame of the Helmings" (36 [620]) is Hrothgar's queen,
Wealhtheow.

Hemming. "The Kinsman of Hemming" is a name for Offa (112 [1944]) and
for his son Eomaer (113 [1961]).

Hengest (62-5 [1083-1127]). _See_ Finn.

Heorogar (5 [61]), elder brother of Hrothgar (27 [467]), did not leave
his armour to his son Heoroward (124 [2158]); but Hrothgar gives it to
Beowulf, and Beowulf gives it to Hygelac.

Herebeald (139, 141 [2433, 2462]), eldest son of the Geat King Hrethel,
was accidentally shot dead with an arrow by his brother Haethcyn.

Heremod (53, 99 [915, 1709]) is twice spoken of as a bad and cruel
Danish king. In the end he is betrayed into the hands of his foes.

Hereric may have been brother of Hygd, Hygelac's queen, for their son
Heardred is spoken of as "the nephew of Hereric" (126 [2206]).

Here-Scyldings (64 [1108]), Army-Scyldings, a name of the Danes.

Hetware (135, 165 [2362, 2915]), the Hattuarii of the _Historia
Francorum_ of Gregory of Tours and of the _Gesta Regum Francorum_, were
the tribe against which Hygelac was raiding when he was defeated and
slain by an army of Frisians, Franks, and Hugs.

Hildeburh (61, 64 [1071, 1114]). _See_ Finn.

Hnaef (61, 64 [1069, 1114]). _See_ Finn.

Hoc (62 [1076]). _See_ Finn.

Hrethel, a former king of the Geats; son of Swerting (70 [1202]), father
of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf (22 [374]), to whom he left his
coat of mail (26 [454]). He died of grief at the loss of his eldest son
Herebeald (139-42) [2429-2473], who was accidentally slain by his brother
Haethcyn.

[Transcriber's Note:
Page 70 [l. 1202] text reads "Hygelac ... grandson of Swerting."
Hrethel is not named.]

Hrethlings (167 [2959]), the people of Hrethel, the Geats.

Hrethmen (26 [445]), Triumph-men, the Danes.

Hrethric (69, 106 [1189, 1836]), elder son of Hrothgar and Wealhtheow.

Hrothgar. _See_ the Argument.

Hrothulf (59, 68 [1017, 1181]), probably the son of Hrothgar's younger
brother Halga (5 [61]). He lives at the Danish court. Wealhtheow hopes
that, if he survives Hrothgar, he will be good to their children in
return for their kindness to him. It would seem that this hope was not
to be fulfilled ("yet of kindred unsunder'd," 67 [1164]).

Hygd, daughter of Haereth, wife of Hygelac, the king of the Geats, and
mother of Heardred. She may well be "the wife of aforetime" (177
[3149]).

Hygelac, third son of Hrethel (139 [2433]) and uncle to Beowulf, is the
reigning king of the Geats during the greater part of the action of the
poem. When his brother Haethcyn was defeated and slain by Ongentheow at
Ravenwood (165 [2923]), Hygelac quickly went in pursuit and put
Ongentheow to flight; but although, as leader of the attack, he is
called "the banesman of Ongentheow" (114 [1986]), the actual slayer was
Eofor (142, 167 [2485, 2963]), whom Hygelac rewarded with the hand of
his only daughter (169 [2996]). Hygelac came by his death between 512
and 520 A.D., in his historical invasion of the Netherlands, which is
referred to in the poem four times (70, 135, 143, 165 [1207, 2356, 2502,
2911]).

ING (147 [2576]). _See_ Ingwines.

Ingeld (119 [2064]). _See_ Freawaru.

Ingwines (60, 77 [1044, 1319]), "friends of Ing," the Danes. Ing,
according to the Old English _Rune-Poem_, "was first seen by men amid
the East Danes"; he has been identified with Frea.

MERWING, The (165 [2920]), the Merovingian king of the Franks.

OFFA (113 [1949]). _See_ Thrytho.

Ohthere (136-7, 165 [2379-2393, 2927]), son of the Swedish King
Ongentheow, and father of Eanmund and Eadgils (_q.v._).

Onela, "Ongentheow's bairn" (137 [2386]) and elder brother of Ohthere,
is king of Sweden ("the helm of the Scylfings," 136 [2380]) at the time
of the rebellion of Eanmund and Eadgils. He invades the land of the
Geats, which has harboured the rebels, slays Heardred, son of Hygelac,
and then retreats before Beowulf. At a later time Beowulf avenges the
death of Heardred by supporting Eadgils, "son of Ohthere" (137 [2393]),
in an invasion of Sweden, in which Onela is slain. _See also_ Eadgils;
and compare the slaying of Ali by Athils on the ice of Lake Wener in the
Icelandic "Heimskringla."

Ongentheow, father of Onela and Ohthere, was a former king of the
Swedes. The earlier strife between the Swedes and the Geats, in which he
is the chief figure, is fully related by the messenger (164 [2891]) who
brings the tidings of Beowulf's death. In retaliation for the marauding
invasions of Onela and Ohthere (142 [2474]), Haethcyn invaded Sweden, and
took Ongentheow's queen prisoner. Ongentheow in return invaded the land
of her captor, whom he slew, and rescued his wife (165 [2923]); but in
his hour of triumph he was attacked in his turn by Hygelac near
Ravenwood, and fell by the hand of Eofor (168 [2960]).

SCANEY (97 [1686]), Scede-lands (2 [19]), the most southern portion of
the Scandinavian peninsula, belonging to the Danes; used in our poem for
the whole Danish kingdom.

Scyld (1 [4]), son of Sheaf, was the mythical founder of the royal
Danish dynasty of Scyldings.

Scyldings, descendants of Scyld, properly the name of the reigning
Danish dynasty, is commonly extended to include the Danish people (3
[30]).

Scylfing: "the Scylfing" (167 [2967]), "the aged of Scylfings" (142
[2486]), is Ongentheow.

Scylfings (136 [2380]), the name of the reigning Swedish dynasty, was
extended to the Swedish people in the same way as "Scyldings" to the
Danes. Beowulf's kinsman Wiglaf is called "lord of Scylfings" (149
[2601]), and in another passage the name is apparently applied to the
Geats (170 [3004]); this seems to point to a common ancestry of Swedes
and Geats, or it may be that Beowulf's father Ecgtheow was a "Scylfing."

THRYTHO (112 [1931]), wife of the Angle King Offa and mother of Eomaer,
is mentioned in contrast to Hygd, just as Heremod is a foil to Beowulf.
She is at first the type of a cruel, unwomanly queen. But by her
marriage with Offa, who seems to be her second husband, she is subdued
and changed until her fame even adds glory to his.

UNFERTH, son of Ecglaf, is the spokesman of Hrothgar, at whose feet he
sits. He is of a jealous disposition, and is twice spoken of as the
murderer of his own brothers (34, 67 [587, 1165]). Taunting Beowulf with
defeat in his swimming-match with Breca, he is silenced by the hero's
reply, and more effectually still by the issue of the struggle with
Grendel (57 [980]). Afterwards, however, he lends his sword Hrunting for
Beowulf's encounter with Grendel's mother (85, 104 [1465, 1808]).

WAEGMUNDINGS (149, 160 [2605, 2803]), the family to which both Beowulf
and Wiglaf belong. Their fathers, Ecgtheow and Weohstan, may have been
sons of Waegmund.

Wedermark (17 [298]), the land of the Weder-Geats, _i.e._ the Geats.

Weders, Weder-Geats (13, 86, 122 [225, 1492, 2120]), Geats.

Weland (26 [455]), the Voelund of the Edda, the famous smith of Teutonic
legend, was the maker of Beowulf's coat of mail. See the figured casket
in the British Museum; and compare "Wayland Smith's Cave" near the White
Horse, in Berkshire.

Weohstan was the father of Beowulf's kinsman and faithful henchman
Wiglaf, and the slayer of Eanmund (149 [2601]).

Wonred, father of "Wulf the Wonreding" (167 [2964]), and of Eofor.

Wulf (167 [2964]). _See_ Eofor.

Wulfgar, "a lord of the Wendels" (20 [348]), is an official of
Hrothgar's court, where he is the first to greet Beowulf and his Geats,
and introduces them to Hrothgar.

Wythergyld (118 [2051]) is a warrior of the Heathobards.

THE MEANING OF SOME WORDS NOT COMMONLY USED NOW

(_Numbers refer to Pages_)

[Transcriber's Note:
In this and the previous section, page numbers in parentheses are
accompanied by a line reference in brackets.]

_A-banning, the work was_ (5) [74], orders for the work were given.
_Arede_ (119) [2056], possess.
_Atheling_, prince, noble, noble warrior.

_Barm_, lap, bosom.
_Behalsed_ (5 [63]), embraced by the neck.
_Berne_, man, warrior, hero.
_Bestead_ (143 [2499]), served.
_Beswealed_, scorched, burnt.
_Beswinked_, sweated.
_Birlers_, cup-bearers.
_Board_, shield.
_Bode_, announce.
_Bollen_, swollen, angry.
_Boot_ (9 [158]), compensation.
_Boun_ (18 [301]), made ready.
_Braided_ (147 [2574]), drew, lifted.
_Brim_, sea.
_Brook_, use, enjoy.
_Burg_, fortified place, stronghold, mount, barrow; protection;
protector; family (163 [2886]).
_Byrny_, coat of mail.

_Devil-dray_, nest of devils. Cf. _squirrel's-dray_, common in Berks;
used by Cowper.
_Dreary_, bloody.
_Dree_, do, accomplish, suffer, enjoy, spend (155 [2725]).

_Ealdor_, chief, lord.
_Eme_, uncle.
_Eoten_, giant, monster, enemy.

_Fathom_, embrace.
_Feeless_, not to be atoned for with money.
_Ferry_, bring, carry.
_Fifel_, monster.
_Flyting_, contending, scolding.
_Fold_, the earth.
_Forheed_, disregard.
_Forwritten_, proscribed.
_Frist_, space of time, delay.

_Gar_, spear.
_Graithly_, readily, well.

_Halse_, neck.
_Hand-shoal_, band of warriors.
_Hery_, praise.
_Hild-play_, battle.
_Holm_, ocean, sea.
_Holm-throng_, eddy of the sea.
_Holt_, wood.
_Hote_, call.
_Howe_, mound, burial-mound.
_Hythe_, ferry, haven.

_Kemp_, champion, fighter.

_Lithe_, slope.
_Loom_, heirloom.
_Low_ (133 [2320]), flame.
_Lyke_, body.

_Moody_, brave, proud.

_Nicors_, sea-monsters.
_Nithing_ (12 [193]), spite, malice.

_O'erthinking_, overweening, arrogance.

_Rail, railings_, coat, armour.
_Rimed_, counted, reckoned.

_Sea-lode_, sea-voyage.
_Sin_, malice, hatred, hostility.
_Skinked_, poured out.
_Slot_, track.
_Staple_, threshold.
_Stone-bow_, arch of stone.
_Sty_, stride, ascend, descend.
_Sweal_, burn.

_Through-witting_, understanding.

_Undern_, from 9 o'clock till 12 o'clock; "at undren and at middai,"
O.E. Miscellany.

_Warths_, shores, still in use at Wick St. Lawrence, in Somerset.
_Wick_, dwelling.
_Wick-stead_, dwelling-place.
_Wise_, direct, show.
_Wit-lust_, curiosity.
_Worth_, shall be.
_Wreak_, utter.
_Wyte_, blame, charge with.
_Yare_, ready.
_Yode_, went.

* * * * *

Errors and Inconsistencies

List of Names

Dayraven, Ravenwood
_both names hyphenated in body text_
Freawaru
_text reads "Ereawaru"_
Hrethel ... at the loss of his eldest son Herebeald (139-42)
_text reads "-41"_
Wythergyld
_name spelled "Withergyld" in body text_

Glossary

_Arede_ (119) [2056], possess.
_text reads "(118)"_

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