Weohstan

Weohstan (Wīhstān), father of Wiglaf and, like Beowulf's father Ecgtheow, a member of the Wægmunding kindred — the kinship that makes Wiglaf Beowulf's relative and last loyal companion. Formerly in the service of the Swedish king Onela, Weohstan slew the rebel Scylfing prince Eanmund and won his giant-forged sword, helm and corslet; he later lived among the Geats and bequeathed these heirloom arms to his son Wiglaf, who draws Eanmund's sword to help Beowulf kill the dragon. Materialises the paternal node of Wiglaf, who previously recorded his father only by the epithet 'Son of Weohstan'.

Children

• Wiglaf

Domains

• warfare and the feud
• heirloom arms and lineage

Powers

• Slew the Swedish prince Eanmund and won his giant-forged arms

Relations

• father of: WiglafFather of Wiglaf (existing corpus figure anglosaxon_wiglaf, whose prose already names him 'Son of Weohstan' and whose parentIds are presently empty; add anglosaxon_weohstan as paternal parent).Beowulf, ll. 2602-2625 (ed. Klaeber): Wiglaf, son of Weohstan ('Weohstanes sunu') (primary)

Sources

• existence: Beowulf, ll. 2602-2625, 2862, 3076 (ed. Klaeber's Beowulf, 4th ed., Toronto 2008) (primary)
• fatherhood-of-Wiglaf-and-slaying-of-Eanmund: Beowulf, ll. 2602-2625 (primary)