Map of 6th century Northern Europe
The Heathobards were a Germanic tribe that inhabited northern Germany during the time of the Roman Empire. A branch of the Lombards, the Heathobards ("war beards") lent their name to the city of Bardengau in Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the region which they had inhabited. The Heathobards were involved in a war with the Scyldings, and their king Ingeld was convinced to turn against his father-in-law, the Danish king Hrothgar, by the warrior Starkad. The Heathobards would later be defeated by Hrothulf and Hrothgar at Heorot, the mead hal of the Danes.