Waltharius
The Waltharius , also Walthari song , is a Latin heroic poem, probably from the 10th century. The poet created the Germanic Walther legend in 1455 hexameters . One or more vernacular songs may have served as a source for this, but the form in which it is used is not clear. He could have taken his material from an orally transmitted German Walther song , and parts of the saga can also be found in the old English " Waldere ", which is considered the oldest version of the story of Walther and Hildegund , but has only survived in parts.
author
Two names are brought into play for the author of Waltharius :
- One group of manuscripts contains a prologue of 22 verses in which a Geraldus appropriates the epic to a high priest named Erckambald. The latter could have been Bishop Erkanbald of Strasbourg (965–991), which speaks against the fact that “summus sacerdos” is usually only used to refer to archbishops. However, the prologue leaves it unclear whether Geraldus is presenting his own work or someone else's work. The linguistic style of the prologue also differs so clearly from that of the epic that a subsequent creation of the prologue is more likely than Gerald's authorship. Then Archbishop Erkanbald von Mainz (1011-1021), the predecessor of Aribo von Mainz (1022-1031), also comes into consideration as addressee of the prologue .
- At Aribo's instigation, Ekkehard IV, according to his own statement , had stylistically improved a Vita Waltharii manu fortis in his Casus sancti Galli (cap. 80) , which Ekkehard I of St. Gallen once wrote as a pupil (around 930). The fact that this text meant Waltharius is increasingly doubted by research, but Dieter Schaller argues with weighty arguments. The fact that, at least in St. Gallen, Ekkehart I was believed to be the author of Waltharius is supported by the fact that Herimannus of St. Gallen, the author of the younger Vita of Saint Wiborada (around 1075), apparently as a homage to Ekkehart I ., the author of the older, heavily revised Vita of Saint Wiborada, verse 51 from the Waltharius, cited by Herimannus. Gustav Adolf Beckmann argues for Ekkehard I as the author and an origin before the Gesta Berengarii , dated between 915 and 926 , which seem to quote Waltharius.
content
The legend of " Walther and Hildegunde " takes place on the Wasigenstein in the Wasgenwald (= Vosges ) (today France) near the Franco-German border and is about the fight between Walther of Aquitaine and the twelve warriors of King Gunther of Franconia (= Gunther the Burgundy King of Nibelungenlied ).
Walther and Hildegunde, who were betrothed by their parents when they were children, had lived together with Hagen as hostages at the court of Attila , King of the Huns . Although he and his wife take the hostages up lovingly, raise their own children and, as they have grown up, honor them with a high level of trust - Hildegunde becomes the guardian of the treasure, Walther and Hagen are even appointed army commanders - Hagen decides when he dated Death of the Frankish king Gibicho and the refusal of his successor to pay tribute, Gunther heard to flee.
On the advice of the queen, Attila Walther then offers to marry a local princess in order to bind him more tightly. But he has other plans. In a deception he therefore rejects this offer on the grounds that as a married father he could no longer serve the king as unconditionally and fearlessly as before and would therefore prefer to remain celibate forever. In fact, however, he too is preparing to flee, which he does not want to undertake without Hildegunde, with whom he has fallen in love.
After another brilliant victory, he used the opportunity of a private conversation on his return home to explain himself to Hildegunde and explain the escape plan to her. She is supposed to steal the royal armor, two boxes with gold rings and the equipment necessary for the escape from the royal treasure. He will use the upcoming victory celebration to get the king and his entourage drunk so that the escape initially goes unnoticed and a sufficient head start is gained.
The plan succeeds, and in forty night marches Walther and Hildegunde get undetected to the Rhine, over which a ferryman translates them. He sells the strange fish, which he received from Walther as ferry money, to King Gunther's cook, which makes him aware of the refugees and allows him to investigate.
When Hagen hears the ferryman's description of the couple, he realizes that it must be Walther and Hildegunde and expresses his joy at the successful escape of his friend. But Gunther recognizes the opportunity to regain parts of the treasure that Gibicho had to cede to the Huns, and decides, with twelve followers, including the reluctant and dissuasive Hagen, to meet Walther and demand the delivery of the treasure. Several attempts by Hagens to scare off Gunther by pointing to Walther's fighting strength or to seek a negotiated solution fail.
For his part, when Walther realizes that the approaching armed men discovered by Hildegunde during his sleep are not Huns, but Franconians, trusting in his strength and in his favorable position on a narrow mountain pass, he even demonstrated arrogance and confidence in a boast speech Immediately repented and asked forgiveness for this sin. After mutual provocations and a final negotiation offer from Walther, who offers a hundred bracelets from the treasure for free passage, a fight breaks out, as Gunther Hagen's advice to accept the offer is rejected.
After he was ridiculed by Gunther as a coward, Hagen, insulted, retires to an observer post. Walther kills all the attackers one after the other, including the young Patafried, Hagens' nephew, whom Hagens and Walther himself had tried in vain to hold back from the unequal fight. After the death of all of his men, Gunther begs Hagen to end his resentment, confesses his guilt and persuades him to go into battle with him to erase the disgrace. Hagen expressly emphasizes that he is not breaking his vow of loyalty to Walther because of the revenge for Patafried, but because of the king's honor. He develops a plan to lure Walther out of his impregnable position and to put him to fight on the plain.
Nonetheless, Gunther loses a leg in this fight, Hagen loses his right eye, right temple, right lip and six molars in an attempt to stand by Gunther, but Walther himself also loses his right hand. After the battle, accompanied by friendly mockery of the mutilations, there was a reconciliation between Walther and Hagen, and the fighters moved back to their home countries. Hildegunde binds the wounded and accompanies her bridegroom Walther.
interpretation
The epic creates tragic situations in which the heroes find themselves due to conflicting interests (greed, striving for fame, arrogance, arrogance, honor) and conflicting norms (love, friendship, allegiance, Christian norms). Numerous motifs are taken from ancient Troy fabric. The wounds seem to be symbolic punishments, so-called mirror punishments, in the form of the so-called punitio membri (punishment on the part of the body with which the crime was committed) for arrogance (Gunther), breaking the word (Hagen) and manslaughter (Walther).
Heinrich Ludwig Philippi († 1874): "Draft for the illustration of the Walthari song: Walther and Hildegunde"
"The fight in the Wasgenwald" illustration draft by HL Philippi
literature
- Carola L. Gottzmann: Guilt and punishment in Waltharius. In: Martin Ehrenfeuchter u. Thomas Ehlen (ed.): As knowing that the masters want . Contribution to the presentation and communication of knowledge in specialist literature and poetry of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Walter Blank on his 65th birthday. Frankfurt am Main 2000, pp. 29-50.
- Hedwig Eisner: The author's question of Waltharius. Dissertations of the University of Graz Volume 21, Association of Austrian Scientific Societies, Vienna 1973.
- Paul Klopsch: Article Waltharius , in: author Encyclopedia . Vol. 10 (1999), 627-638 Sp.
Web links
Remarks
- ^ Norbert Fickermann: On the author problem of Waltharius . In: Contributions to the history of German language and literature, No. 81 (1959), pp. 267–273.
- ↑ Dieter Schaller, Observations and Findings on the Edge of the Waltharius Problem, in: Michael Borgolte, Herrad Spilling (ed.), Litterae Medii Aevi. Festschrift for Johanne Autenrieth . Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1988, pp. 135-144; another., From St. Gallen to Mainz? On the author problem of Waltharius, in: Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch 24-25, 1990/91, pp. 423–437
- ↑ Gereon Becht-Jördens: Linguistic in the Vitae S. Wiboradae (II). Thereby: A quote from Waltharius in the younger vita . In: Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch 24/25, 1989/1990, pp. 1–9, here pp. 7–9.
- ↑ Cf. Gustav Adolf Beckmann, Gualter del Hum - Gaiferos - Waltharius. De Gruyter, Berlin New York 2010, pp. 151-160; P. 169.
- ↑ v. 1364: crus cum poplite adusque femur decerpserat omne; 1402f .: Illic Guntharii regis pes, palma iacebat / Waltharii nec non tremulus Haganonis ocellus
- ↑ v. 1393f. Nam feriens dextrum Haganoni effodit ocellum / ac timpus resecans pariterque labella revellens / olli to ternos discussit ab ore molares.