Hildebrand
Hildebrand (ahd. Hiltibrant; old north. Hildibrandr; from hilti "fight, battle" and brant "sword", actually "feuergebrandt, fiery") is a hero from the legends of Dietrich von Bern and the main character of his own heroic song .
In the compilatory version of the Thidrek saga , the son of Reginbald, the Duke of Wends , from the Wolfing family , went to the court of King Dietmar in Bern ( Verona ) at the age of thirty , where he met his wife and son Hadubrand (also Alebrand). There he became the tutor and armorer of Dietmar's son, Dietrich von Bern. He is known as a bold fighter with a red shield, the symbol of Dietrich, and, like Dietrich, is closely associated with the Nibelungen saga . At the end of the Nibelungenlied he kills Kriemhild with Siegfried's sword.
The "older" Hildebrand's song recorded at the beginning of the 9th century describes the return home. Hildebrand meets the army of his son Hadubrand there. Hildebrand and Hadubrand meet between the armies. Hadubrand grew up believing that his father, who was a great hero, was dead. Hildebrand reveals himself, but the son dismisses this as a ruse and challenges him to a duel. Tradition forbids Hildebrand to refuse this fight. Accordingly, he can only decide whether to be slain by his own son or to kill himself.
The end of the song is not preserved, but a tragic outcome is near. Scandinavian traditions of the legend suggest that Hadubrand fell in battle and Hildebrand had his picture engraved on his shield; there are the pictures of all opponents he killed in battle. The Icelandic Ásmundar saga Kappabana from the 13th / 14th centuries. The 16th century contains a fragment of Hildibrand's death song: he is defeated by the half-brother Ásmundar in battle and, dying, comes to rest with his head close to his shield with the portrait of his son. He laments the killing of the son and asks the victor to wrap him in his (the brother's) clothes.
The " younger Hildebrandslied " and the Thidreksaga offer a more forgiving outcome: Hadubrand survived the defeat.
literature
- Elvira Glaser , Ludwig Rübekeil : Hildebrand, Hildebrandslied . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Edited by Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich, Heiko Steuer. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1999, ISBN 3-11-016423-X .