King of the Danes in Beowulf: Who Is Hrothgar in the Famous Poem?
The name of the king of the Danes in Beowulf is Hrothgar, and he is the one whose people struggle against a monster for years. He called Beowulf to assist because he was too old and his men had been failing.
As Beowulf was successful, king Hrothgar rewarded him, but how did he feel about being too weak to fight? Find out more about the king of the Danes in Beowulf in this poem.
Who Is the King of the Danes in Beowulf?
The king of the Danes in Beowulf is Hrothgar, and his queen is Wealhtheow, who appears in the poem as well. Feeling successful in his people, the king decided to build a great hall named Heorot to bring his people together and to celebrate their victories. In the version of Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney, it states,
“So his mind turned
To hall-building: he handed down orders
For men to work on a great mead-hall
Meant to be a wonder of the world forever.”
It was to be where his throne room would be, and it would be at the center of the Danes’ life.
However, an evil monster, Grendel, came out from the darkness and heard the merriment that was going on in the hall. He hated this, hated all things about happiness and light, and decided to take his revenge against it. One night, he came upon the men as they celebrated in the hall, and he killed and ate, leaving destruction and bloodshed in his wake. Hrothgar,
“Their mighty prince,
The storied leader, sat stricken and helpless,
Humiliated by the loss of his guard”
The Danes were plagued by Grendel for twelve years. The hall stood empty all that time to keep the men safe from Grendel’s ferocity. However, as Beowulf heard about their problems, and when he did, he decided to travel to see them. Hrothgar welcomed him with open arms, glad to receive the warrior because of his father but also because he had no other option to fight the monster.
Descriptions of the King of the Danes in Beowulf: How Does He Appear?
There are many descriptions of Hrothgar in Beowulf which help give us a better idea of who the king was.
These include:
- “prince of the Shieldings”
- “powerful counselor”
- “the highest in the land”
- “lord of the Shieldings”
- “mighty prince”
- “storied leader”
- “gray-haired treasure-giver”
- “prince of Bright-Danes”
- “keeper of his people”
- “their ring of defense”
Other than these descriptions there are many more, this is a way we can identify what kind of character Hrothgar had. We can also know how he was viewed by his people and the other characters in the poem. He was a perfect king of the time: full of loyalty, honor, strength, and faith. However, although he couldn’t fight the monster himself, he had a long history of fighting in battle and succeeding.
Hrothgar and Beowulf: The Beginning of a Useful Relationship
When Beowulf was aware of the problems the famous king was facing, he traveled over the sea to reach him. He offers his services as part of the loyalty and honor that exists in the heroic code.
On the same token, he also wanted to offer help because of Hrothgar’s assistance to his family in the past. When Beowulf entered the throne room, having a great speech where he convinced the king of Danes to allow him to fight Grendel.
He says,
“My one request
Is that you won’t refuse me, who have come this far,
The privilege of purifying Heorot,
With my own men to help me, and nobody else.”
Honor was everything, and Beowulf was begging the king to allow him to support them even though it was a dangerous mission.
Hrothgar was grateful for the help, nevertheless, he did warn Beowulf about the dire dangers of fighting, that many others have done it before and failed. In Seamus Heaney’s version, Hrothgar says,
“It bothers me to have to burden anyone
With all the grief Grendel has caused
And the havoc he has wreaked upon us in Heorot,
Our humiliations.”
But even though he states the problems that have occurred in the past, he still allows Beowulf to fight. He tells the young warrior to “take your place.”
The Purpose of the King of the Danes and Future King’s Relationship
When Beowulf comes to the aged king, he is still a young warrior despite all his strength and bravery, however, Hrothgar has been through battles and knows more of the world. Scholars believe that he helped to prepare Beowulf for the future as he will become king of his own people, the Geats. Even after Beowulf is victorious in slaying the monster, and honor is being thrust upon him, Hrothgar has the wisdom to give Beowulf a piece of advice.
The speech is, as taken from Seamus Heaney’s version, as follows:
“O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, Eternal rewards.
Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
But it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
Illness or the sword to lay you low,
Or a sudden fire or surge of water
Or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
Or repellent age.
Your piercing eye
Will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
Dear warrior, to sweep you away.”
Even though Hrothgar gives this useful advice, Beowulf doesn’t really take it. Later in life when Beowulf reaches old age, he comes across a monster, he fights it, refusing any help. He defeats the monster, but it is at the cost of his own life, this is because he allowed his pride to take over.
Quick Recap of the Poem and The King of the Danes
Beowulf is a well known epic poem written anonymously in Old English between 975 and 1025. It went through many translations and versions over the years, so it’s unclear when it was originally transcribed. Scholars aren’t very sure which was the first version either. However, it is a fascinating poem that tells the tale of Beowulf, a warrior, a hero.
He goes to help Hrothgar, the king in Beowulf, in his efforts to kill a dangerous monster named Grendel. Hrothgar helped Beowulf’s father and Beowulf’s uncle Hygelac a long time ago, and Beowulf shows his loyalty by going to fulfill the debt. Grendel has plagued the Danes for years, killing at will, and Hrothgar is desperate. Beowulf is successful, and Hrothgar and his people are eternally grateful.
Beowulf also has to kill Grendel’s mother and is also successful. He leaves the Danes laden with treasure as gifts from the king of the Danes. Hrothgar exhibited all the “proper” behavior of a king at the time. Scholars believe that Hrothgar might have been the inspiration for Beowulf when he became the king of his own land in the future.
Conclusion
Take a look at the main points about the king of the Danes in Beowulf as mentioned in the article above:
- King Hrothgar, a famed warrior, and king of the Danes has now grown older
- But many descriptions in the poem such as “might prince” and “storied leader” show the respect his people and others have for him in the poem
- He decides to build a hall for his throne room and his people, a place where they can celebrate, but a monster named Grendel comes from the darkness and hates the happiness he finds in the hall
- He enters and slaughters as many as he can, leaving destruction in his wake
- This occurs for twelve years, and the hall has to remain empty to keep the people safe. Across the sea, Beowulf hears of their problem and comes to help
- Hrothgar helped his family in the past during a battle, and because of loyalty and honor, Beowulf must help
- He wants to follow the heroic code of assistance, and even though it’s terrifying, he will fight the monster
- He kills the monster. Hrothgar showers him in treasures as well as advice about the future, telling the young warrior not to become overcome with pride
- Scholars believe that Hrothgar could have helped to shape Beowulf as a future king. Unfortunately, Beowulf doesn’t listen entirely to the man’s advice as his pride dominates as he fights a monster on his own
- It follows the story of Beowulf, a warrior who goes to help King Hrothgar, king of the Danes, against a terrible monster
Hrothgar is the king of the Danes in the famous poem, Beowulf, and he is the one struggling against a monster. Even though he is old and weaker, there is no indication that he feels inferior because he cannot defeat him. He is grateful for Beowulf’s appearance, and he offers advice to the young to keep from getting too proud, but sadly, it didn’t prevent Beowulf’s downfall.
