My last post I ended with:
“These tales could also have lived in Frisia before they were incorporated into Beowulf. Especially since a lot of these in between parts deal specifically with Frisians.”

Of course it is possible that the Frisians mentioned were not the ones living in the Netherlands, but their northern brothers living between the Eems and Weser rivers. But the Frisians battling Hygelâc were certainly not. They are mentioned as  allies of the Franks.

One of the incorporated parts is the song of Hrôdhgâr’s bard (Chapter XVI) which in short says:
‘On the battlefield of the Frisians (Fresväle), Hnaef, Haelfdane’s liegeman, was killed. Hildeburth, daughter of Hôce and wife of Finn the Frisian king, then had no reason to praise the Juts for their loyalty because she was separated by death from brother and son. Many of Finn’s warriors had fallen in the fight against Hnaef’s friend Hengest, the Dane, who bested Finn. Therefor Finn devided his realm and gave half of it to Hengest and offered him many great gifts to seal the peace.
After the dead were buried with honor Finn returned to Frisia with Hengest. By a harsh winter Hengest was forced to stay there as a guest during the winter but when spring came Hengest wanted to avenge Hnaef’s death.
Two friends of Hengest; Gûdlâf and Oslâf sailed back and returned with an army. They attacked Finn and he died in this attack Hildeburth was taken with every treasure she possessed from Finneshâm and was taken to the land of the Danes. "

This part connects to the fragment we know as the “Finnesburgh Fragment” which is the tale of the fight in the Halls of Finnsburgh between Finn and his feared warriors and Hnaef with his sixty men.

The fragment starts with fierce support for the brave in poetic verse which reminds us of  the vivid style of the old Nordic skalds. Then we learn the names of the Danish heroes waiting at the side of the doorposts. Again Hengest is the most important figure, and he is helped by Ordlâf and Gûtlâf, liegeman of Hnaef, and Gârulf, Gûdhere, Eaha and Sigeferdh –the vassal of the Secgens and a renowned warrior (vrecca vide cûdh) The fight lasted for five days before the first wounded man gave up. The fragment ends in the middle of one of the leaders’ question. (1)

Another fragment is known as “the ruined Wallstone”(2). The burgh is destroyed, a giant work torn down and the warriors have fallen. Once the youth dwelt there in happiness, tasting the joys of life.

On a few occasion the suspection arises that this fragment would be the end of the Finn saga (3).

That’s it for now, more will follow later.

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(1) Möller, Winkler and others assume that this belongs to the last part of the battle and that Hnaef is long dead. But this is not entirely sure, see R.C. Boer in “Finnsage and Nibelungensage” in “Zeitschrift für Deutches Alterthum XLVII” (1903), page 125-160.
(2) “The ruined Wallstone” published by J.F. Conybeare, “Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry”, London (1826) p. 253-255; and in. in Grein's Bibl. der Angelsächsischen Poesie I 2 (Kassel 1883) p. 296-301.
(3) F.J. Mone, “Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der teutschen Heldensage,” Quedlinburg und Leipzig, (1836), page 136.