Which Danish prince is Hrothgar's son and heir in Beowulf?

Hrethric is the Danish prince identified as Hrothgar’s son and heir in Beowulf.

Hrethric, usually written Hreðric in Old English, is one of Hrothgar’s two sons by Queen Wealhtheow; his brother is Hrothmund. The poem mentions the brothers briefly rather than giving them extended scenes, but their position matters to the Danish succession. Hrothgar is already an aging king, having ruled for fifty winters, while his sons are still young.

Hrothulf, Hrothgar’s nephew, is expected to act as guardian or regent if Hrothgar dies before the boys mature. That arrangement creates an ominous hint: Beowulf suggests that Hrothulf may later betray or displace Hrethric and Hrothmund. The poem does not narrate that political crisis directly.

Hrethric is sometimes confused with Hrothgar’s older brother Heorogar, who ruled before Hrothgar, or with Hrothulf, the influential nephew. Later Scandinavian traditions may preserve echoes of Hrethric under different names, but those identifications remain interpretive rather than certain.