# XVII: Banquet (Continued)—The Scop’s Song of Finn and Hnaef explained — Beowulf

> Chapter companion for Beowulf by Anonymous.

## What happens

The chapter continues the banquet in Heorot, where Hrothgar bestows gifts upon Beowulf's men and compensates those who lost kinsmen to Grendel. The scop then recites the tragic tale of Finn and Hnaef, recounting the battle between the Danes and Frisians, the death of Hnaef, the sorrow of Hildeburg, and the subsequent oath and funeral pyre.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Divine Providence

The chapter emphasizes fate and divine governance, as seen in the lines 'Had far-seeing God and the mood of the hero / The fate not averted' and 'Fate so requiring.'

### Mortality and Legacy

The funeral pyre of Hnaef and the lament of Hildeburg highlight the transience of life and the legacy of warriors who fall in battle.

### Loyalty and Kingship

The compact between Finn and Hengest, and the loyalty of the surviving warriors to their ring-givers, underscore the bonds of fealty and kingship.

## Character check-ins

### Hrothgar

Hrothgar gives costly gifts to Beowulf's men and orders compensation for those slain by Grendel.

### Beowulf

Beowulf is the hero whose men receive gifts; his fate is credited with averting further slaughter by Grendel.

### Finn

Finn is the Frisian leader who makes a compact with Hengest after the battle, vowing to honor the Danes.

### Hengest

Hengest leads the surviving Danes after Hnaef's fall and agrees to the truce with Finn.

### Hnaef

Hnaef, the Half-Danish hero, is fated to perish in the battle against the Frisians.

### Grendel

Grendel is referenced as the monster who had wickedly slaughtered men before being thwarted by fate and Beowulf.

## Key lines

> And the atheling of earlmen to each of the heroes / Who the ways of the waters went with Beowulf, / A costly gift-token gave on the mead-bench, / Offered an heirloom

Hrothgar gave each of Beowulf's men a valuable gift on the mead-bench.

_Hrothgar rewards Beowulf's company for their journey and deeds._

> Had far-seeing God and the mood of the hero / The fate not averted: the Father then governed / All of the earth-dwellers, as He ever is doing

If God and Beowulf's courage had not prevented fate, Grendel would have killed more men; God rules all as always.

_Acknowledges divine providence and Beowulf's role in averting disaster._

> The Half-Danish hero, Hnaef of the Scyldings, / On the field of the Frisians was fated to perish.

Hnaef, the Danish hero, was doomed to die in battle against the Frisians.

_Introduces the tragic fate of Hnaef in the scop's song._

> Hildeburg bade then, at the burning of Hnaef, / The bairn of her bosom to bear to the fire, / That his body be burned and borne to the pyre.

Hildeburg ordered her son to be placed on the funeral pyre alongside Hnaef.

_Hildeburg's grief and the ritual of cremation are depicted._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/beowulf_se/chapters/xvii-banquet-continued-the-scop-s-song-of-finn-and-hnaef
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/beowulf_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/beowulf_se/chapters