Hrethel

King of the Geats; father of Herebeald, Hæthcyn, and Hygelac and of the daughter who married Ecgtheow and bore Beowulf. Foster-reared the young Beowulf at his court. His grief at the accidental killing of his eldest son Herebeald by Hæthcyn is one of the poem's great elegiac passages.

Children

• Haethcyn
• Herebeald
• Daughter of Hrethel
• Hygelac

Domains

• kingship of the geats
• fostering of the hero

Relations

• father of: Hygelac
• father of: Herebeald
• father of: Haethcyn
• father of: Daughter of Hrethel

Sources

• Beowulf, ll. 373-375, 2425-2471 — Hrethel, king of the Geats, father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf