Ælfhere.-A kinsman of Wiglaf.
Æschere.-Confidential friend of King Hrothgar. Elder brother of Yrmenlaf. Killed by Grendel.
Beanstan.-Father of Breca.
Beowulf.-Son of Scyld, the founder of the dynasty of Scyldings. Father of Healfdene, and grandfather of Hrothgar.
Beowulf.-The hero of the poem. Sprung from the stock of Geats, son of Ecgtheow. Brought up by his maternal grandfather Hrethel, and figuring in manhood as a devoted liegeman of