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Sceafa (Old English: Scēafa [ˈʃæːɑvɑ], also Scēaf, Scēf) was an ancient Lombardic king in English legend. According to his story, Sceafa appeared mysteriously as a child, coming out of the sea in an empty skiff. The name also appears in the corrupt forms Seskef, Stefius, Strephius, and Stresaeus.[1] Though the name has historically been modernized Shava (and Latinized Scefius), J.R.R. Tolkien used the correctly constructed modern English spelling Sheave.