In the spring, one of the Danish warriors presents him with a sword symbolic of leadership and implying revenge. As time passes, Hengest, Hnaef's top thane and now the Half-Danes' leader, thinks more about vengeance than he does about returning home. The Danes are forced to stay the winter because of rough, icy seas. Old enmities and recent deaths lead to an uneasy truce. The Half-Danes agree out of necessity they are on foreign soil, without a king. Finn's troops are so decimated that he cannot continue to attack the hall the Danes, on the other hand, are on foreign soil and unable to break out to victory.Ī truce is reached, and Finn offers to take in Hnaef's thanes as his own. This had been a place of great happiness for her. Many warriors are killed, including Hildeburh's brother, King Hnaef (leader of the Half-Danes), and her son (a Frisian). These are the major players.įor motives that are not made clear, the Frisians attack the hall where the Half-Danes are sleeping. With the Half-Danes is Hnaef's top retainer, Hengest. Queen Hildeburh and King Finn have at least one son. The marriage was probably arranged to settle a feud, which relates to Beowulf in that it anticipates Hrothgar's plans for his daughter (Freawaru) and may echo the reason for Hrothgar's own marriage to Wealhtheow. Hnaef's sister, Hildeburh, is married to King Finn.
Critics differ on motivation of the major characters but, considering both sources, we can make a fair assessment of the action and how it fits in Beowulf.Īs the story begins, about 60 warriors of the Half-Danes, a division of the Danes, are visiting King Finn of Frisia at his fortress or burh.
The latter consists of an account of a single battle that supposedly took place in the Danes' past but recently enough to stir passions and reflect on current feuds. Our only knowledge of the Finnsburh episode comes from two sources: Beowulf (lines 1068-1159 of the epic) and The Finnsburh Fragment, a short (47 lines) heroic ballad by another poet. Although a modern audience might think that the Beowulf poet is interrupting the story, the scop's performance, or something like it, probably would have taken place. The inclusion of the story of Finnsburh is interesting partly because it gives us an idea of how a story like the Beowulf epic might have been presented. As the celebration continues within Heorot, Hrothgar's scop honors Beowulf with a story of another Danish victory, the Finnsburh episode.
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