What is Beowulf? Choose by Section Choose by Author Choose by Date
This genealogical information is available in many of the translations, although the content is not perfectly consistent between them. This version is a combination of Rebsamen (page 101) and Mitchell/Robinson (pages 179-180).
The dates shown in the tree are speculative and approximate birth and death years taken from Klaeber, pages xxxi and xxxviii, which in turn was taken by Klaeber from "Zeitrechnung im Beowulfepos", by Andreas Heusler (1910). These dates are based on the known birth and death dates of real persons in history, to whom many scholars believe the people in this story refer.
This information is usually presented in a family tree diagram, with descendants below their parents and lines between married couples, but that is difficult to do in HTML.
The Danes
Scyld Scefing
Beaw (or Beowulf the Dane)
Healfdene
Heorogar (470-500)
Heoroweard (b. 490)
Hrothgar (473-525) (married Wealhtheow)
Hrethric (b. 499)
Hrothmund (b. 500)
Freawaru (b. 501) (married Ingeld [below, in the list of Heathobards])
Halga (475-503)
Hrothulf (495-545)
a daughter [Yrse in Norse tradition] (married Onela [below, in the list of Swedes])
The Geats and Waegmundings
Hrethel (445-503)
Herebeald (470-502)
Haethcyn (472-510)
Hygelac (475-521) (married Hygd [below] - probably his second wife)
a daughter from first marriage (married Eofor)
Heardred from second marriage(511-533)
a daughter (married Ecgtheow, a descendant of Waegmund)
Beowulf
Hæreth
Hygd (married Hygelac [above])
?Hereric
The Swedes
Ongentheow (450-510)
Ohthere (478-532)
Eanmund (505-533)
Eadgils (b. 510, becomes king 535)
Onela (480-533) (married Healfdene's daughter [above, in the list of Danes])
The Half-Danes
Hoc
Hnæf
Hildeburh (married Finn [below])
a son
The Frisians
Folcwalda
Finn (married Hildeburh [above])
The Heathobards
Froda
Ingeld (married Freawaru [above, in the list of Danes])
