People, Monsters, and Places

For ELA

Beowulf

•  a Geat

• son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hrothgar, king of the Geats. 

• Higlac is both Beowulf’s feudal lord and his uncle.

Dragon

• Guarding a vast treasure

• he awakens when a slave steals a cup from the treasure hoard

• He ravages Beowulf’s kingdom.

  
  

Ecglaf

•   Unferth’s father

Edgetho

• Beowulf’s father

Geats

• They lived in southern Sweden

• Beowulf belongs to this tribe.

Grendel

•  a man-eating monster who lives at the bottom of a foul

• murky lake or swamp.  

  
  

Healfdene

•  Danish king

• Hrothgar’s father

Herot

• A golden guest hall built by King Hrothgar, the Danish ruler. 

• It was decorated with the antlers of stags

• the name means “hart (stag) hall.”  

Hrothgar

• the king of the Danes

• builder of Herot

• He had once befriended Beowulf’s father.  

  
  

Hyglac

• Geatish king

• Beowulf’s uncle.

  
  

Unferth

• Son of Ecglaf

• killed his brother

• taunts Beowulf early in the poem, but later lends him his sword.

  
  

Welthow

•  Hrothgar’s wife

• queen of the Danes.

  
  

Wiglaf

•  a Geat warrior

• one of Beowulf’s select bands, and the only one to help him in his final fight with the dragon. 

• Wiglaf might be related to Beowulf.