| A | B |
|---|
| Beowulf | Geat warrior; becomes their king |
| Edgetho | Beowulf's father |
| Brecca | Beowulf's companion |
| Esher | Hrothgar's most trusted friend, killed by Grendel's mother |
| Geats | Beowulf's people; modern-day southern Sweden |
| Grendel | man-eating monster who descended from Cain |
| Cain | the perpetrator of the Bible's first murder |
| Herot | the mead-hall where warriors would relax after battle |
| Higlac | both Beowulf's king and his uncle |
| Hrethel | Beowulf's grandfather |
| Hrothgar | Danish king, built Herot, terrorized by Grendel |
| Hrunting | Unferth's ancient sword given to Beowulf for his battle with Grendel's mother |
| Nagling | Beowulf's sword, the name reveals the importance of armor and swords in this culture |
| Unferth | a royal in Hrothgar's court; at first, challenges Beowulf's stories of power but eventually respects and helps Beowulf |
| Welthow | Hrothgar's queen; even the queen is a servant |
| Wiglaf | a Geat warrior, Beowulf's great help in the battle against the dragon; becomes king |
