venom-twigs Some scholars suggest that Hrunting's edge was equipped with small, sharp points to which poison may have been applied; more likely, this is a reference to the use of acid (poison) in the shaping of the points during manufacture, a customary procedure of the time.
Waegmunding scholars dispute whether this clan, with which Wiglaf and Beowulf are associated, is Swede or Geat or a mixture of the two.
Waelsing reference to Sigemund, son of Waels.
waif a forsaken or orphaned child, such as Scyld.
walking dead similar to zombies, cursed to roam the earth after death.
warlock a male witch or demon.
the web's short measure the web of life — destiny, fate, Wyrd — has spun a short life for Queen Hildeburh's brother and son.
Weders Geats
Weland in Germanic legend, a blacksmith with magical powers; he made Beowulf's war-shirt (455).
Weohstan probably part Swede (Scylfing) and part Geat (as Chickering suggests, p. 369), father of Wiglaf. Weohstan apparently killed the Swede Eanmund on behalf of the victim's uncle, Onela, and was rewarded with Eanmund's war gear, which he eventually passed on to Wiglaf.
whale-road ocean or sea, from the Anglo-Saxon hron-rade. This is one of the poem's best known kennings, descriptive metaphors that identify a person or thing by a chief characteristic or use.
Withergyld a Heathobard warrior.
word-hoard a kenning for vocabulary.
woven snake-blade in constructing swords, numerous thin iron rods were woven together and forged to form a single blade.
Yrmenlaf a Dane, Aeschere's younger brother.
