Unferth

Family: Danes · Role: speaker · First appears: Section VIII

In Section VIII, Unferth, son of Ecglaf, is galled by Beowulf’s quest, and the two are rivals. By Section XVII, Unferth sits at the feet of Hrothgar, the Scylding lord. In Section XXI, Unferth, Hrothgar’s orator, lends Beowulf the sword Hrunting for the encounter.

Relationship record

Life events

• Unferth, Hrothgar's orator, lends Beowulf the sword Hrunting for the encounter.(Section XXI)
  • With: Beowulf
  • “Nor was that the meanest of mighty helps which Hrothgar's orator offered at need: ‘Hrunting’ they named the hilted sword,”

Section VIII

• parent: Ecglaf “UNFERTH spake, the son of Ecglaf,”
• rivals with Beowulf “Beowulf's quest, sturdy seafarer's, sorely galled him”

Section XVII

• lord: Hrothgar “Unferth the spokesman at the Scylding lord's feet sat”

Section XXI

• recipient: Beowulf “For he bore not in mind, the bairn of Ecglaf sturdy and strong, that speech he had made, drunk with wine, now this weapon he lent to a stouter swordsman”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of Beowulf (Gummere's translation). Made with Rho MD.