GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Drawing a rough line between Stockholm and Gothenburg, south is the land of the Geats, and north is the Swedes.

Off the south-west coast is the Island of Zealand, where modern-day Copenhagen, capital of Denmark can be found. These islands were the land of the Danes.

The Jutland peninsula belonged to the Jutes in the north, and the Angles in the south.

The area around modern-day Hamburg was ruled by the Germanic Heathobards tribe.

To the west of the Heathobards were the Frisians and Franks.

To the east of the Heathobards were the Wylfings.

Further east of the Wylfings were the Vandals.

As you can see, the Danes occupied a crucial link between the Geats and mainland Europe, and Heorot is thought to have been in the centre of Zealand Island.

It is clear that both the Angles and the Heathobards would be keen to control the Danes territory.

Beowulf’s approach seems to be to create an alliance with the Danes.

This is an approximate guide as to the distribution of the peoples in this part of Europe during the 5^th and 6^th Centuries, when ‘Beowulf’ is set.

The Frisians, Franks, Jutes and Angles settled in Britain during the 5^th and 6^th Centuries, followed later in the 9^th and 10^th Centuries by the Danes and Vikings. The English get their name from the Angles tribe.

The culture that these tribes shared came with them on these visits to Britain.