Halga

Halga seducing his daughter Yrsa (Jenny Nyström, 1895).

Helgo

Heoroger (Brother)

Hrothgar (Brother)

Signý (Sister)

Hrothulf (Son)

Yrsa (Daughter)

Heoroweard (Nephew)

Hrethric (Nephew)

Hrothmund (Nephew)

Freawaru (Nephew)

Gesta Danorum

Hrólfr Kraki's saga

Skjöldunga saga

Bjarkarímur

Ynglinga saga

Halga was a legendary Danish King and a member of the Scylding dynasty, believed to have lived sometime around the 6th Century AD. He was one of the four children of Halfdane, and brother to Hrothgar. While he was only mentioned in passing in Beowulf, but he has appeared in other Scandinavian sources as well.

## Background

Halga was a legendary Danish king or Prince, appearing in or being mentioned in various works of old Scandinavian and Danish literature, including Beowulf. While not all the stories line up, and there are some inconsistencies, his generally agreed upon story is as follows:

He was the son of Halfdane, with at least one brother, and, according to some traditions, another brother and a sister. After Halfdane died, he ended up ruling the land in some capacity, most traditions agreeing he ruled with his brother, Hrothgar.

At some point, he slept with a woman. Some sources say this woman was a farmer's daughter, others say she was a Saxon queen, Queen Oluf, that he raped. After the encounter, he leaves the woman, unaware that she is pregnant with his daughter, Yrsa.

Years later, he ended up finding Yrsa, and, unaware that she was his daughter, fell in love. After having a son with her, they discovered they were related. According to some sources, Halga ended up killing himself as a result of this discovery. According to other sources, Halga was fine with it, but Yrsa decided to leave, and Halga died in battle trying to reconnect with her.

## Strengths and Weaknesses

### Strengths:

* Skilled Combatant
	+ Many traditions record Halga killing various respected foes, incuding Skalk of Sklavia, Hothbrodd, the Saxon king Hunding, Ingled, and Froda. These successes suggest that he is a skilled combatant.
* Skilled Leader
	+ Most traditions have Halga winning some military victory over some outside forces by leading a large army to victory, suggesting he is a competent, if not skilled, leader. Additionally, some sources record him as being in charge of Denmark's naval forces while Hrothgar ruled the land.

### Weaknesses:

* Lust
	+ While sources tend to disagree on how he died, most sources suggest that the root cause was lust for his daughter. In some cases, it was suicide due to discovering the incestuous nature of their relationship. In others, he died trying to get back together with her after she left him.

## Significance + Appearances in Beowulf

### Old English:

> "Ðæm feower bearn forð-gerimed
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>  in worold wocun: weoroda ræswa,
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>  heorogar, ond hroðgar ond halga til;
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> hyrde ic ~~þæt~~ . . . . . wæs Onelan cwen,
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> heaðo-Scilfingas healsgebedda."
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> (59-63)
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### Modern Translation:

> "He was four times a father, this fighter prince:
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> one by one they entered the world,
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> Heorogar, Hrothgar, the good Halga
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> and a daughter, I have heard, who was Onela's queen,
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> a balm in bed to the battle-scarred Swede."
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> (Heaney, 59-63)
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The above quote is the only mention of Halga in the poem, talking about the history of Halfdane and, more specifically, his family. At first glance, this mention doesn't seem to serve a purpose, aside from stating that Hrothgar has a family. However, Halga has his own wealth of stories associated with him, and by mentioning that name, it references that wealth of stories that already exist in Scandinavian and Danish tradition, giving people hearing the poem a lot of context in just a few words.

## References

1. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. Translated by Seamus Heaney. Norton, 2000. Beowulf
2. Kightley, M.R. (2016). The Brothers of *Beowulf*: Fraternal Tensions and the Reticent Style. *ELH* *83*(2), 407-429. doi:10.1353/elh.2016.0015.
3. Chronicon Lethrense, excerpt. https://web.archive.org/web/20070310135852/http://www.oe.eclipse.co.uk/nom/lejre.html
4. http://mcllibrary.org/DanishHistory/book2.html