Shield Sheafson- The legendary Danish king from whom Hrothgar is descended, Shield Sheafson is the mythical founder who inaugurates a long line of Danish rulers and embodies the Danish tribe's highest values of heroism and leadership.
Shield Sheafson is the founder of the tribe of the Spear-Danes, a great warrior who manages to establish a little dynasty. Shield Sheafson's funeral is one of the first scenes in Beowulf, reminding us of the fragility of life and the importance, for a Scandinavian warrior, of establishing a name for himself during life so that he can be celebrated after death.
