Person
Hygelac
Hygelac is the king of the Geats in the Old English poem Beowulf, the hero's uncle and lord. The poem describes his death on a raid into Frisia, an event that matches Gregory of Tours' account of a Scandinavian king, Chlochilaicus, killed by the Frankish prince Theudebert in the early 6th century. He is therefore one of the few figures of Beowulf generally thought to be historical.
Mentioned in 1 state history
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hygelac. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hygelac
- MLA
- “Hygelac.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hygelac. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Hygelac.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hygelac.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hygelac’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hygelac (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻