Hygelac, Proto-Norse *Hugilaikaz [1], Latin Chlochilaicus, Old Norse Hugleikr (d. ca 516) is the king of the Geats in the first part of Beowulf. He is the son of Hrethel and has the brothers Herebeald and Haethcyn. His sister is married to Ecgtheow and has the son Beowulf. The hero Beowulf is consequently his nephew. Hygelac is married to Hygd and they have the son Heardred, and an unnamed daughter who married Eofor. When Hygelac's brother Haethcyn is fighting with the Swedes, Hygelac arrives one day too late at Ravenswood to save his brother, but manages to rescue the surviving Geatish warriors, who are besieged by the Swedish king Ongentheow. The Swedes seek refuge at a hill fort but are assaulted by the Geats and the Swedish king is slain by Eofor. Proto-Norse, Proto-Nordic, Ancient Nordic or Proto-North Germanic was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved from Proto-Germanic between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century, and was spoken until ca 800, when it evolved into the Old Norse language. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... Events Council of Tarragona Sigismund becomes king of Burgundy. ... Geatish kings existed since the provinces of Götaland/Gautland/Geatland are considered to have been more or less independent with their own petty kings. ... The first page of Beowulf This article describes Beowulf, the epic poem. ... Hreðel was the king of the Geats, in Beowulf. ... Herebeald was the son of the Geatish king Hrethel in Beowulf. ... Hæþcyn (d. ... Ecgþeow was a warrior in Beowulf in the service of the Geats. ... Beowulf is the hero of the Anglo-Saxon poem by his name (see Beowulf). ... Hygd is the young queen of Geatland and the wife of its king Hygelac, in Beowulf. ... Heardred (d. ... Eofor, son of Wonred, was a Geatish warrior in Beowulf. ... Hæþcyn (d. ... There are many places named Ravenswood: In Australia: Ravenswood, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston In the United Kingdom: Ravenswood, Scottish Borders Ravenswood, West Sussex Ravenswood, Ipswich In the United States: Ravenswood, West Virginia In Beowulf: A forest in Sweden where there was a battle between Geats and Swedes. ... Geats (Gautar Old Norse or Götar in Swedish) is the Old English spelling of the name of a Scandinavian people living in Götaland, land of the Geats, currently within the borders of modern Sweden. ... Ongenþeow, Ongentheow, Ongendþeow, Egil, Egill, Eigil, or Angantyr (- ca 515) was the name of one or two semi-legendary Swedish kings of the house of Scylfings, who appear in Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian sources. ...

After the death of his brother, Hygelac ascends the Geatish throne. Hygelac then goes on a Viking raid to Frisia, and dies. Frisia (known in German and Dutch as Friesland) is a region along the southeastern coasts of the North Sea. ...

This event has helped scholars approximate the date of Hygelac's death to ca 516, because the raid was documented by Frankish scribes. Events Council of Tarragona Sigismund becomes king of Burgundy. ...

In these sources he appears as Chlochilaicus, king of the Geats (Rex Getarum, in Liber Monstrorum, and Rege Gotorum in a copy of Historiae Francorum of Gregory of Tours), or the Danes (in most copies of Historiae Francorum, III, 3.), who invaded Gaul in the early sixth century, and was killed by Theudebert, son of Theuderic, king of the Franks. Geats (Gautar Old Norse or Götar in Swedish) is the Old English spelling of the name of a Scandinavian people living in Götaland, land of the Geats, currently within the borders of modern Sweden. ... Gregory of Tours (c. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... Centuries: 5th century - 6th century - 7th century Decades: 460s - 470s _ 480s - 490s - 500s - 510s - 520s - 530s - 540s - 550s - 560s Years: 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 Events and Trends: Categories: 510s ... Theodebert I (French Thibert Ier or Théodebert Ier), (circa 500 - 547 or 548), Merovingian king of Austrasia from 533 - 548, residence: Reims, now in northeast France. ... Theuderic I or Theodoric I (French Thierry I, d. ... The Franks were one of several west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire from Frisia as foederati and established a lasting realm in an area that covers most of modern-day France and the region of Franconia in Germany, forming the historic kernel of both these two modern...

The double identification of Hygelac as either Dane or Geat is not surprising, since Dane seems to have been used as a generic term for Scandinavians (cf. Danish toungue and East Dane). East Dane is an Anglo-Saxon ethnonym which was used in the epic Beowulf as a kenning for the Geats, the people of Götaland in southern Sweden. ...

Hygelac was succeeded by Heardred. Heardred (d. ...

Hæþcyn (d. ... Geatish kings existed since the provinces of Götaland/Gautland/Geatland are considered to have been more or less independent with their own petty kings. ... Heardred (d. ...

Secondary sources

Nerman, B. Det svenska rikets uppkomst. Stockholm, 1925.

External links

• In Latin: Chlochilaicus part 3.