Beowulf who is hygelac

When Hygelac was young his oldest brother Herebeald was accidentally killed by his other brother Haethcyn in an archery accident. Hygelac assumes the throne when King Haethcyn is killed in battle against the Swedes before the events of Beowulf take place.

During the early years of his rule, he names Beowulf to be one of his thanes. When Beowulf returns from his adventure, Hygelac bestows upon him gifts of land and gold, along with naming him in the line of succession for the throne.

Several years Beowulf defeats Grendel and returns home Hygelac leads his people to raid the Frisans in C. It is during this battle that Hygelac is killed and his son Heardred assumes the throne. Hygelac is described as honest, fair, and honorable. His strength comes from the loyalty of his thanes and other warriors. Like all men he becomes weaker as he grows older and is susceptible to death from any mortal weapon.

Hygelac is Beowulf's king and uncle. His role is mostly a background one, he provides the support for Beowulf and welcomes him back after he defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother. Still, a modern reader might be forgiven if the example still seems intrusive. At any rate, the poet does finally move on to Beowulf's arrival at Hygelac's court.

Propriety is the guideline at the great hall of the Geats. Hygd, like Wealhtheow, is the perfect hostess — courteous, friendly, but courtly — as she walks among the retainers and offers mead. Hygelac formally inquires about Beowulf's trip, a venture that had concerned him because of the extreme danger involved.

Beowulf is almost nonchalant in his response. He refers to the fight with Grendel as "dancing in the hall" and then interrupts his own story to consider Hrothgar's hopes for peace with the Heathobards literally the "War-Beards".

Hrothgar has promised to give his daughter, Freawaru, to Ingeld of the Heathobards in one of those marriages designed to quell a feud.

Beowulf, however, is skeptical of the outcome and imagines a scenario that causes the resumption of the old feud. In an elaborate form of dramatic irony extending beyond the current epic, Beowulf 's early audience almost certainly had known this story as well and that peace will not last despite the marriage. The audience thus confirms Beowulf's prescience. Then Beowulf gives an uninspired account of his victories. The reader may wonder at the purpose of this account; even Beowulf admits that the story is "scarcely a secret to much of mankind" by the time he arrives at Hygelac's court.

Although it fits dramatically, the reader should remember that the Beowulf epic probably was performed over the course of two or more nights. Recounting the first two victories refreshes the audience's memory and prepares it for the third major battle and the conclusion of the poem. The theme of generosity is tied to a retainer's relationship with his king and dominates the remainder of this section.

Generosity is symbolic politically and socially in Beowulf's world, significant in ways that transcend modern custom. A thane or retainer owes his lord first choice of treasure gained in battle. For his part, the ruler rewards the warrior with payments of gold or other values, including land, commensurate to the thane's achievements and value to his lord. Hrothgar would expect the young warrior to do this. To enhance value, Beowulf informs Hygelac of the history of the gifts.

Nor does he slight Queen Hygd, honoring her with the gold necklace as well as three horses with gold saddles. This generosity demonstrates respect and loyalty. In return, Hygelac presents Beowulf with an extremely valuable gold sword that once belonged to King Hrethel; he makes Beowulf a lord, officially granting him land, his own great hall, and a "gift-throne" Always conscious of weapons and tactics, Beowulf prepares by ordering a new shield, made of iron, since the dragon-fire would make short sparks of his usual linden-wood.

Courageous and determined, if not quite the man he once was, the old warrior sets off. The mutability of time is central to Hrothgar's sermon , and it provides the framework for the final third of the poem.

The passing of time brings changes to the lives of the Geats as it does to everyone. As Hrothgar warned, and as the Beowulf poet reminds us throughout the epic, all glory is fleeting. Time is out of joint as the poet reveals the events leading up to Beowulf's becoming king.

For a chronology of the Geats' feuds, see Chickering, pp. At this point, we only know that the king and his heir have been killed in separate conflicts. Beowulf could have become king sooner but was more loyal than ambitious. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband Hygelac died, thinking that her young son Heardred was unable to protect the kingdom; Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. After Heardred's death, Beowulf did become king and ruled his people well for 50 years.

Fortunes, however, do change, as Hrothgar predicted. The dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the dragon's treasure-trove. The ancient treasures in the hoard once belonged to a regional tribe of warriors; almost the entire tribe was killed in battle some years previously. One sole survivor, who is called the "keeper of rings" , hid the treasures in the high barrow-hall and soon died.

As poetry, one of the most moving passages in the epic is the Keeper's invocation as he leaves the gold and other items in the barrow He speaks of the mutability of time and the loss of the good men, heroes, and princes, who no longer have any use for the treasure.

They took the metals from the earth, and the Keeper now returns the treasures to it. He tells us that the stewards sleep who once burnished battle-masks. The chain-shirts can no longer protect their owners because the warriors will fight no more battles. There will be no more songs from the scop. The tribe's fortunes have turned. Everyone is dead. All glory is fleeting. The dragon's motivation is vengeance even though the poet makes it clear that the fire-breathing reptile, like the deceased warriors, has no use for the cup or any of the rest of the treasure.