Eanmund was a Suiones prince of the Yngling dynasty, whose existence is alleged in Beowulf.[ Beowulf, lines 2612-2615.]
Life according to Beowulf
Unlike his relatives, Eanmund is only mentioned in
Beowulf. Eanmund was the son of
Ohthere, and was the brother of
Eadgils. If he existed in real life, his real name was probably
Proto-Norse *
Aiwamunduz (Old East Norse
Ēmund) or
Āmunduz (Old East Norse
Āmund).
Ohthere died, and Ohthere's younger brother
Onela, usurped the Swedish throne. Since their uncle had seized power, Eanmund and Eadgils sought refuge among the
Geats. This caused Onela to attack the Geats, an attack which was also motivated by the fact that the Geatish thane Eofor had killed Onela's father
Ongentheow. During the battle, Eanmund was killed by Onela's champion
Weohstan and Heardred was killed as well. Eadgils, however, survived and according to the poem Beowulf later helped him avenge Eanmund and Ohthere by slaying Onela, an event which also appears in Scandinavian sources.
[Nerman, B. Det svenska rikets uppkomst. Stockholm, 1925.]
In the tale, Weohstan took Eanmund's sword which was inherited by his son Wiglaf who used the sword when fighting the dragon together with Beowulf.
Sources
Primary
Secondary
