Beowulf Scylding

Son of Scyld, father of Healfdene, grandfather of Hrothgar.

Breca

A boy who has a swimming match with Beowulf. Beowulf admits it was a foolish thing to do. They are separated by a storm at sea. Breca reaches shore in Finland. Beowulf comes ashore after killing nine sea monsters who tried to eat him.

Daegrefn

The champion of the Franks. Beowulf defeats him in single combat before the armies of the Geats and the Franks, crushing him in a bear hug.

Dragon

As late as the sixteenth century, writers assumed that dragons still existed in out-of-the-way places. The dragon in this epic is only an animal-unlike many other dragons in northern legends, it does not speak. Traditionally dragons lived in caves or burial mounds, guarding treasure which they had either found or somehow accumulated. An Anglo-Saxon would probably expect Fort Knox to have a real dragon problem...