Aeschere

Family: Danes · Role: sage adviser · First appears: Section XX

In Section XX, at Heorot, Hrothgar tells Beowulf that Aeschere, his “sage adviser and stay in council,” has been slain by Grendel's mother. Hrothgar calls him the elder brother of Yrmenlaf and remembers him as a comrade in battle.

In Section XXI, Aeschere’s head is found by the flood. Later, in Section XXVIII, Beowulf tells that Grendel's mother carried his corpse beneath a mountain stream, and that the Danes could not burn their dead comrade.

Relationship record

Life events

• Hrothgar tells Beowulf that Aeschere, his adviser, is dead, slain by Grendel's mother.(Section XX · 📍 Heorot)
  • With: Hrothgar Grendel's mother
  • “Dead is Aeschere, of Yrmenlaf the elder brother, my sage adviser and stay in council, shoulder-comrade in stress of fight when warriors clashed and we warded our heads, hewed the helm-boars; hero famed should be every earl as Aeschere was! But here in Heorot a hand hath slain him of wandering death-sprite. I wot not whither, proud of the prey, her path she took,”
• Aeschere is found dead, his head lying by the flood.(Section XXI)
  • With: Hrothgar
  • “ill for earls, when Aeschere's head they found by the flood on the foreland there.”
• Beowulf tells that Grendel's mother killed Aeschere and carried his corpse away beneath a mountain stream.(Section XXVIII)
  • With: Grendel's mother
  • “From Aeschere old, loyal councillor, life was gone; nor might they e'en, when morning broke, those Danish people, their death-done comrade burn with brands, on balefire lay the man they mourned. Under mountain stream she had carried the corpse with cruel hands.”

Section XX

• lord: Hrothgar “my sage adviser and stay in council, shoulder-comrade in stress of fight”
• siblings with Yrmenlaf “of Yrmenlaf the elder brother,”
• enemies with Grendel's mother “But here in Heorot a hand hath slain him of wandering death-sprite.”

Section XXI

• enemies with Grendel's mother “of men-at-arms she bore the bravest and best one, dead, him who with Hrothgar the homestead ruled.”

Section XXVIII

• lord: Hrothgar “From Aeschere old, loyal councillor, life was gone;”
• enemies with Grendel's mother “From Aeschere old, loyal councillor, life was gone;”

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