Hrefnesholt
Encyclopedia
Hrefnesholt is a location in Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...

where the Geatish king Hæþcyn
Hæþcyn
Hæthcyn was the son of the Geatish king Hreðel in Beowulf. The hero Beowulf was his nephew. Hæþcyn killed his elder brother Herebeald with an arrow in a hunting accident, which caused their father Hrethel to die from grief...

 had taken the Swedish queen. The Swedish king Ongenþeow
Ongenþeow
Ongentheow was the name of a semi-legendary Swedish king of the house of Scylfings, who appears in Old English sources...

 arrived to save her and killed Hæþcyn. The Geatish force was, however, reinforced by Hygelac
Hygelac
Hygelac was a king of the Geats according to the poem Beowulf. He was the son of Hrethel and had brothers Herebeald and Hæthcyn. His sister was married to Ecgtheow and had the son Beowulf. Hygelac was married to Hygd and they had the son Heardred, and an unnamed daughter who married Eofor...

, whereupon the Swedes sought refuge in a hillfort, but were stormed by the Geats. Ongenþeow was killed and Hygelac became their new king.

A place by this name, Ramshult (the modern Swedish form), actually exists and it has a hillfort. It is located on the island of Orust
Orust
Orust is an island in western Sweden, and Sweden's third largest island. The largest town on Orust is Henån, where approximately 1,800 inhabitants live...

, an island which was Geatish territory at this time according to Nordisk familjebok
Nordisk familjebok
Nordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...

.
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