Hengist

Kentish king (r. c. 456-c. 488 c.e.)

• Born: c. 420
• Birthplace: Probably Jutland (now in Denmark)
• Died: c. 488
• Place of death: Probably Kent, or near Knaresborough, Yorkshire (now in England)

Hengist is reputed to have led the first Germanic invasion of Britain and to have established the first “English” kingdom in Kent.

Early Life

Information on Hengist (HENG-guhst) is derived from oral tradition subsequently captured in written texts. Chief among these is the Historia ecclesiastica (731; Ecclesiastical History of the English People, 1723) of Bede, which was the basis for the relevant entries in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c. 900) by an unknown author, the standard source for the story of Hengist. More detail can be found in the Historia Britonum (c. 830; History of the Britons, 1819) by Nennius, who drew on an earlier document, perhaps from the sixth century, known as the Kentish Chronicle, though this is clearly a mixture of fact and legend. Even less reliable is Historia regum Britanniae, (Vulgate version, c. 1136; History of the Kings of Britain, 1718) by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Yet Geoffrey’s work cannot be dismissed out of hand, for he may have had access to sources no longer available.

A character called Hengist appears in Beowulf (eighth century) and in the related fragment The Fight at Finnesburg (perhaps seventh century). The contemporaneity of these events and the similarity of background with the works of Bede and Nennius are strongly suggestive that the two Hengists are the same. The references in Beowulf and The Fight at Finnesburg help scholars to date Hengist to the middle of the fifth century c.e., independent of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, which specifically dates Hengist’s arrival in Britain to the period 449-457. Nennius also places Hengist’s arrival in that period, citing it as forty years after the end of the Roman Empire in Britain, which is usually dated to 410 c.e.

Nennius provides a genealogy for Hengist, recording that he was the son of Wichtgils and grandson of Witta. Witta is recorded elsewhere as the ruler of the Swæfe, or Suebi, a tribe of Angles who lived in what is now southern Denmark. Beowulf and The Fight at Finnesburg fragment reveal that Hengist was a prince in exile, no doubt driven out of his homeland by interdynastic rivalries. He was probably of mixed Anglian/Jutish descent, as he was one of an army of Half-Danes, a mercenary warband. Their leader Hnæf was killed in a fight at Finnesburg against the men of Finn, king of the East Frisians. Hengist survived the battle and became the leader of the Half-Danes. He agreed to winter at Finnesburg, but in the spring, the feud erupted again. Hengist’s army defeated the Frisians, and Finn was killed.

This episode, referred to by Anglo-Saxonist J. R. R. Tolkien as the freswæl, or “Frisian massacre,” doubtless established Hengist’s reputation as a warrior. He was probably in his late twenties at this time, as he had been some years in exile and was old enough to be accepted as leader of the Half-Danes and to entreat with Finn on equal terms. It is possible that it was news of this episode that encouraged the British high king, Vortigern, to invite Hengist to Britain.

Life’s Work

In the mid-fifth century, Britain was in a state of chaos, with civil wars between the native British punctuated by incursions by the Picts from the north and the Irish from the west. This disruption of the social fabric led to poor harvests and famine. In the midst of this turmoil, the Germanic invaders began to arrive, their forces peppering the eastern coastline of Britain from Bamburgh and the Forth estuary to Thanet and the Kentish coast. What marks Hengist’s arrival as different is that he was invited and, in return for his services, was granted land. Whereas other Germanic colonies may have been won by conquest, Hengist’s was, at least initially, authorized. Hengist was summoned at the request of Vortigern (whose real name may have been Vitalinus Vortigern, the latter a title that means “high king”). Bede is not specific about where Hengist settled, simply saying that it was in the “east of the island.” The traditional landing place was Ebbsfleet, near Richborough in Kent, but this was probably the site of a later landing. Scholars David Dumville and John Morris, while disagreeing on many points, agree that the initial settlement was almost certainly in the north, probably around Bamburgh, a logical site for fighting the Picts. Hengist arrived with his brother Horsa in three boats, or “keels.” Despite this small force, they were successful in pushing back the Picts. In gratitude, Vortigern granted Hengist and his men land in Thanet. According to Nennius, Hengist convinced Vortigern that he could be of greater assistance with additional warriors. Nennius reports that Hengist was able to appeal to the gullible Vortigern by handing him his daughter, Reinwen, as his wife. Reinwen was probably only fifteen or so, and Hengist might have fathered her when he was about seventeen, which would place him in his early thirties, supporting the supposition that he was about thirty during the fight at Finnesburg.

Hengist brought to Britain his son Oisc, or Æsc (called “Octha” by Nennius), and his nephew Ebissa (possibly Horsa’s son), along with forty ships. Oisc and Ebissa focused their efforts in the north, and the ensuing fighting evidently spread over several years. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suggests it lasted from 449 to 455, though the true date was probably later. At the end, Ebissa stayed in the north, but Oisc apparently joined his father in Kent. Later references suggest that Oisc remained in the north, so it is probable that he joined his father temporarily in order to provide reinforcements. The British, led by Vortigern’s son Vortimer, were trying to drive the Jutes out of Britain. The sequence of events differs in the records, but all agree that there were a series of three or four battles in which the British gradually gained the upper hand. The most important of these was at Ægelesprep, or Aylesford, near Maidstone on the river Medway, where Horsa was killed. The British may have claimed the victory, though the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle asserts that Hengist declared himself king of Kent after the battle. Perhaps negotiations set the river Medway as the frontier, with Hengist as ruler of the territory to the east. Vortimer continued to press Hengist’s forces back. A third battle took place at an unknown location conjectured to be on the Wantsum, the river that once divided Thanet from mainland Kent. The victory again went to the British, and Hengist was forced back to Thanet and subsequently expelled from the island.

Vortimer, however, died soon afterward, reputedly poisoned by Reinwen, and Vortigern was too weak a king to resist Hengist. Hengist returned with more troops, and this time their advance was decisive. This may be the time of the Battle of Crayford, dated to 456 by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle though it may have occurred as much as nineteen years later. Hengist’s army routed the British and sent them fleeing to London. Hengist then called a peace conference. The British representatives were unarmed, but Hengist ordered his men to hide their knives in their boots. At his command, Hengist’s men slaughtered the British, save only Vortigern. Most authorities regard this episode as fiction, but it is consistent with Hengist’s character. The treachery is similar to that played on Finn and supports the argument that the two Hengists are the same and that he was the “shrewd and skilful” warrior Nennius described. Thereafter, Vortigern was forced to grant Hengist his wishes. According to the Kentish Chronicle, Hengist received not only Kent but also parts of what became Essex and Middlesex, including London. Hengist’s triumph established his kingdom and opened up the Thames River route into the British heartland for the next wave of Saxons.

The final reference to Hengist in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is to the year 473, when, it is reported, he and his son again defeated the British and gained “innumerable spoils.” Oisc succeeded to the kingdom in 488, which may be the year of Hengist’s death; he would have been about sixty-eight, a remarkable age for a warrior. Bede, Nennius, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle remain silent on Hengist’s fate, but Geoffrey of Monmouth reveals the full story with customary flair. He states that after Vortigern’s death, Hengist was defeated by Aurelius Ambrosius (known otherwise as “Ambrosius Aurelianus”) at Maisbeli, from where Hengist fled to Kaerconan or Cunungeburg, identified by some as Knaresborough in Yorkshire. There, Hengist was captured, beheaded, and buried. Because Hengist’s son Oisc was apparently still in the north of England, probably at York, at this time, Geoffrey’s story remains within the realm of possibility, although certainly suspect.

It is because they were descended from Oisc that the members of the Kentish royal family were known as “Oiscingas.” This raises the question of the relationship between Hengist and Oisc and the matter of Hengist’s real name. “Hengist” means “stallion,” while “Horsa” is interpreted as “wild horse.” Some commentators have suggested that these were two names for the same person. However, the horse was probably an emblem of the brothers, and the names by which they were known could have been nicknames, not their real names. There is also some confusion in the genealogies over the name of Hengist’s son. The Kentish Chronicle calls him “Octha,” and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle calls him “Æsc” or “Oisc.” However, Bede states that Oisc’s real name was “Oeric.” It is possible that Bede’s source confused these names. If Hengist’s son was Oeric, then “Octha” might be Hengist’s real name. This could account for Oeric’s calling his own son “Octha,” in memory of his father. The epithet “Oisc” (derived from ossa, meaning “gods”) was a later veneration based on the tradition of ancestor worship, in which the forebears of the Angles were believed to be descended from the god Woden. Hengist may have been venerated in the same way, and Oeric was recognized as Oisc, the son of a god.

The argument about dates is far from resolved. John Morris proposed that Hengist arrived as early as 428, while David Dumville asserts that the correct date is closer to the year 480. The latter date is in keeping with errors in the early Anglo-Saxon Chronicle chronology, and it makes Oisc’s age more realistic. He ruled for at least twenty-four years after 488, which suggests a birth date of no earlier than 450. Oisc’s successors each ruled for around thirty years, a surprising span for those violent times. This unusual stability reinforces the view that Kent had been decisively won by Hengist, allowing its rulers to exist in relative peace.

Significance

Although there were other contemporary Germanic invaders of Britain, such as Cerdic in Hampshire and Aelle in Sussex, their conquests were not decisive. The kingdom of the South Saxons was obliterated, and the West Saxons remained as a ragged series of confederate tribes for more than a century. Hengist enabled others to benefit from a strong kingdom established by conquest and treaty and free from further British retaliation. Kent was the first of the Germanic kingdoms, and its early history, after Hengist, was relatively peaceful, allowing its people to trade, prosper, and develop a wealthy kingdom. Influential Frankish connections developed during the sixth century, almost certainly because of the strong base that Hengist established, and this paved the way for the arrival of Saint Augustine and the introduction of the Roman church to the English.

Bibliography

Bassett, Steven, ed. The Origins of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. New York: Leicester University Press, 1989. Includes a chapter that looks specifically at the creation and early structure of the kingdom of Kent.

Kirby, D. P. The Earliest English Kings. New York: Routledge, 2000. A highly readable and remarkably integrated study of the development of early English kingships.

Morris, John. The Age of Arthur. Rev. ed. Chichester, England: Phillimore, 1977. A creative and often challenging study of Dark Ages Britain that throws new light on the Germanic invasion.

Tolkien, J. R. R., with Alan Bliss, ed. Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. A detailed study of Hengist in Beowulf and his relationship to the Hengist of Bede. Challenging and original.

Witney, K. P. The Kingdom of Kent. Chichester, England: Phillimore, 1982. A thorough study of the first English kingdom, with a reasoned analysis of Hengist’s contribution.

Yorke, Barbara. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England. London: B. A. Seaby, 1992. Includes a detailed discussion on the origin of the Kentish kingdom and the roles of Hengist and Horsa.