- Eanmund
Eanmund was a Swedish
prince of the Scylfingdynasty . Unlike his relatives, Eanmund is only mentioned inBeowulf . Eanmund was the son ofOhthere , and was the brother ofEadgils . If he existed in real life, his real name was probablyProto-Norse *"Aiwamunduz" (Old East Norse "Ēmund") or *"Āmunduz" (Old East Norse "Āmund").Ohthere died, and Ohthere's younger brother
Onela , usurped the Swedish throne. Since their uncle had seized power, Eanmund and Eadgils sought refuge among theGeats . This caused Onela to attack the Geats, an attack which was also motivated by the fact that theGeatish king Heardred 's father had killed Onela's fatherOngentheow . During the battle, Eanmund was killed by Onela's championWeohstan and Heardred was killed as well. Eadgils, however, survived and according to the poem Beowulf later helped him avenge Eanmund and Ohthere by slaying Onela, an event which also appears in Scandinavian sources.In the tale, Weohstan took Eanmund's sword which was inherited by his son Wiglaf who used the sword when fighting the
dragon together with Beowulf.econdary sources
Nerman, B. "Det svenska rikets uppkomst". Stockholm, 1925.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.