Hildeburh, introduced in line 1071 of the poem, 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...

, is the daughter of the Danish King Hoc and the wife of the Finn

Finn (Frisian)

Finn, son of Folcwald, was a legendary Frisian lord. He is mentioned in Widsith, in Beowulf, and in the Finnsburg Fragment. There is also a Finn mentioned in Historia Brittonum....

, King of the Frisians. Her story is sung by a scop

Scop

A ' was an Old English poet, the Anglo-Saxon counterpart of the Old Norse .As far as we can tell from what has been preserved, the art of the scop was directed mostly towards epic poetry; the surviving verse in Old English consists of the epic Beowulf, religious verse in epic formats such as the...

 during festivities in lines 1071-1158.

Hildeburh in her marriage to Finn thus acts as a freothuwebbe or "peaceweaver" (an important concept in the poem). However, the peace was not kept and Hildeburh lost her brother, Hnæf

Hnæf

Hnæf son of Hoc is a prince mentioned in the Old English poems Beowulf and the Finnsburg Fragment.According to the listing of tribes in the poem Widsith , Hnæf ruled the Hocings...

, son and husband in battle. Hildeburh's position as a link between the two kingdoms and her stoicism are central concepts to the story.