Hrethel

Deceased Person

98

Who is Hrethel?

Hrethel was the king of the Geats, in Beowulf. He was the son or son-in-law of Swerting and he had three sons Hæþcyn, Herebeald and Hygelac. He also had a daughter who married Ecgþeow and had the son Beowulf.

Hrethel fostered Beowulf by taking him into his royal household aged seven. Fostering was a common Anglo-Saxon practice and does not indicate Beowulf's father, Ecgþeow did not want to raise him; indeed, the practice was intended to further improve relations between families and family members, and create close ties of obligation, affection and shared responsibility. As an adult, Beowulf expressed his gratefulness to his grandfather explicitly:

Hreðel died of grief when his oldest son Herebeald was killed by his own [brother]sister Hæþcyn in a hunting accident, a death that could not be avenged. He was succeeded by Hæþcyn.

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Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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"Hrethel." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/hredel>.

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