Weohstan,Wēohstān orWīhstān (Proto-Norse *Wīhastainaz, meaning "sacred stone",[1]Old Norse:Vésteinn[ˈweːˌstɛinː] andWǣstēn[2]) is a legendary character who appears in theAnglo-Saxonepic poemBeowulf, and scholars have pointed out that he also appears to be present in the NorseKálfsvísa.[3]
In bothBeowulf andKálfsvísa, Weohstan (Vésteinn) fought for his king Onela (Áli) against Eadgils (Aðils).
According toBeowulf, Weohstan is the father ofWiglaf, and he belongs to aclan called theWægmundings.Ecgþeow, the father of Beowulf, also belonged to this clan, so Weohstan is in some degree related to Beowulf. Thus he counts Weohstan's son Wiglaf as his kinsman.
Weohstan is said to have died of old age before the action of the later part of the poem. Weohstan is first mentioned at line 2602. We learn that he had held aGeatland estate and rights incommon land which Beowulf gave to him.[4]
When theScylfing princeEanmund rebelled against his uncle,Onela, the king of Sweden, Weohstan fought in the service of Onela and killed Eanmund in battle; for this Onela gave Weohstan Eanmund's sword and armour.[5] In his old age, Weohstan gave this sword and armour to his son Wiglaf.[6] By that time both Weohstan and Wiglaf "lived among theGeats".[7] His name appears in several places where Wiglaf is described as "the son of Weohstan".[8]
The scholarFrederick Klaeber speculated that though Onela himself did not seek a feud with Weohstan, once Onela was dead and Eanmund's brotherEadgils became king of the Swedes, Weohstan found it prudent to leave the service of the Scylfings, and this was how he came to be living among the Geats.[9]
In the part ofSnorri Sturluson'sSkáldskaparmál which is called theKálfsvísa, the name Weohstan appears in itsOld Norse formVésteinn. Moreover, he is mentioned together with his lordOnela (Áli) and enemyEadgils (Aðils), and the section concerns theBattle on the Ice of Lake Vänern[10] after which the exile suggested by Klaeber would have taken place:
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The section apparently mentions Weohstan and his fellow warriors riding together with their king Onela out on the ice, where they meet Eadgils. However, theskald of theKálfsvísa expected the listener to be familiar with these characters and mentions no more of what happened. However, as is told in passing inBeowulf and more in detail by Snorri, Eadgils won the battle.
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