Hygelac

E498909

Hygelac is the legendary king of the Geats and uncle to the hero Beowulf in the Old English epic poem.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Geatish king
legendary king
literary character
mythological figure
appearsIn Beowulf NERFINISHED
associatedPlace southern Scandinavia
associatedWith Beowulf’s youth and early exploits
characterTrait brave
generous
characterType ring-giver
conflictWith Frisians NERFINISHED
culture Geats NERFINISHED
deathContext slain during a raid in Frisia
deathInBeowulf killed in battle
ethnicity Geat
family House of Hrethel NERFINISHED
father Hrethel NERFINISHED
fatherOf Heardred NERFINISHED
giftsType treasure and land
givesTo Beowulf NERFINISHED
historicalAssociation identified by some scholars with the historical Chlochilaicus
historicalMention possibly referenced by Gregory of Tours
kingdom Geatland NERFINISHED
languageOfSource Old English
literaryFunction lord and patron of Beowulf
literaryStatus central supporting character in Beowulf
medium oral tradition (originally)
mentionedAs lord of the Geats
nameInOldEnglish Hygelāc NERFINISHED
nationalityInText Geatish
portrayedAs good and loyal king
predecessor Hrethel NERFINISHED
preservedIn Nowell Codex (Beowulf manuscript) NERFINISHED
reignsOver Geatland NERFINISHED
relatedBy maternal uncle of Beowulf
relative Beowulf NERFINISHED
roleInBeowulf king of the Geats
sibling Beowulf’s mother
sourceLanguageRegion Anglo-Saxon England NERFINISHED
sourceTradition Anglo-Saxon literature NERFINISHED
sourceWorkGenre epic poem
spouse Hygd NERFINISHED
succession predecessor of Heardred as king of the Geats
successor Heardred NERFINISHED
timePeriod early 6th century (traditional scholarly dating)
uncleOf Beowulf NERFINISHED

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Geats associatedWithRuler Hygelac
Geatland governedByInBeowulf Hygelac
the Geats heroAssociated Hygelac
subject surface form: Geats