Who is Hrothgar's queen?

Hrothgar's queen is Wealhtheow, also written Wealhþeow or rendered Wealthow in some modern editions. In Beowulf, she is the Danish queen and the wife of King Hrothgar.

Wealhtheow is more than a background character. As hostess of Heorot, she carries the ceremonial cup, welcomes warriors, reinforces bonds of loyalty, and helps express the dignity and stability of Hrothgar's court. Her marriage also has political meaning: she is associated with the Wulfing or Helming clan and functions as a peace-weaver between groups.

She is the mother of Hrothgar's sons Hrethric and Hrothmund and of his daughter Freawaru. After Beowulf defeats Grendel, Wealhtheow publicly rewards him with gifts, including a necklace and horses. Readers sometimes confuse her with Hygd, who is queen of the Geats and wife of Hygelac, or with Freawaru, her daughter. Wealhtheow's role becomes especially important in the poem's contrast between the ordered human society of Heorot and the destructive world represented by Grendel and his mother.