Who is the father of King Hrothgar?

Healfdene is the father of King Hrothgar in Beowulf.

Healfdene belongs to the Danish Scylding royal line and is presented near the beginning of the poem as a powerful ruler. His sons are Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga, while his daughter is generally identified as the unnamed mother of Hrothulf. Hrothgar succeeds within this royal family and later rules the Danes from Heorot.

This genealogy helps establish Hrothgar's authority before the story turns to Grendel's attacks. Hrothgar builds Heorot as a magnificent mead hall, but the celebrations there attract Grendel, who repeatedly kills the warriors. Beowulf eventually arrives from Geatland to help him.

A common mix-up is Scyld, who is an earlier ancestor of the Scylding dynasty, not Hrothgar's father. Beow is also part of the ancestral tradition surrounding the Danish line, while Hrothgar's son is named Hrethel? In the poem, Hrothgar's known children include his daughter Freawaru and his son Hreðric; neither is his father.