Hildeburh, introduced in line 1071 of the poem, ''
Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
'', is the daughter of the Danish King
Hoc and the wife of the
Finn, King of the Frisians. Her story is sung by a
scop
A (
or ) was a poet as represented in Old English poetry. The scop is the Old English counterpart of the Old Norse ', with the important difference that "skald" was applied to historical persons, and scop is used, for the most part, to designa ...
during festivities in lines 1071-1158.
Hildeburh in her marriage to Finn thus acts as a ''freothuwebbe'' or
peace-weaver
Peace-weavers ( ang, freothwebbe) were women who were married to a member of an enemy tribe for the purpose of establishing peace between feuding groups.Dorothy Carr Porter, , "The Social Centrality of Women in ''Beowulf'': A New Context," ''The H ...
(an important concept in the poem). However, the peace was not kept and Hildeburh lost her brother,
Hnæf Hnæf son of Hoc is a prince mentioned in the Old English poems ''Beowulf'' and the ''Finnsburg Fragment.''
According to the listing of tribes in the poem ''Widsith'' (10th century), Hnæf ruled the Hocings. Hoc is called ''Hoc Healfdene'', sugg ...
, son and husband in battle. Hildeburh's position as a link between the two kingdoms and her stoicism are central concepts to the story.
See also
*
Finnsburg Fragment
The "Finnesburg Fragment" (also "Finnsburh Fragment") is a portion of an Old English language, Old English heroic poem about a fight in which Hnæf and his 60 retainers are besieged at "Finn's fort" and attempt to hold off their attackers. The sur ...
References
''The Social Centrality of Women in Beowulf: A New Context''
by By Dorothy Carr Porter
Characters in Beowulf
English heroic legends
Literary characters
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