Walther and Hildegund
From the Middle High German verse epic Walther and Hildegund only fragments of two manuscripts have survived, the origin of which is unanimously given as the first half of the 13th century. The Styrian region is assumed to be the place of origin. The two manuscripts come from different scribes who are unknown. The epic belongs to the fabric tradition of the stories about the Hun king Attila , who is called 'Etzel' in the Middle High German epic .
The epic was possibly composed as early as 1220. It was written in the so-called "Walther-Hildegund-Strophe", which is a descendant of the Nibelungenstrophe , but differs from this in the anvers of the 4th long line, which has been extended to a sounding six-beat .
swell
There is so much consensus in recent research about the origin of the material that the material supplier was not the epic of the Nibelungs, but rather several legends that were presumably handed down in vernacular, whereby the thesis of an original Walthari song comes into play again and again.
What is certain is that the whale prediction is one of the heroic narratives of the early Middle Ages that was handed down into the early modern era. The best-known representation of the material is the Latin Waltharius epic from the 9th or 10th century, which was handed down in many manuscripts. In addition, an Old English Waldere poem from the 9th century is known as well as the depiction of the material in the Latin Chronicle of Novalese (11th century), in the Thidrek saga , in the Latin Chronicle of Boguphalus (Poland, 14th century) and in further Polish chronicles of the 16th century.
The Graz fragment FG 2
Lore
The fragment FG 2 kept in the Styrian State Archives consists of three fragments, a fourth seems to have been lost. Two of the three pieces of parchment are written on, one only has a stamp. When put together, the two fragments measure 4 × 10 cm, the larger piece measuring 3 × 10 cm, the smaller 1 × 10 cm. The two fragments are written on both sides and consist of a total of 8 stanzas. The verses and stanzas are not set off. On the front and on the back there is a capital letter written in red, which marks the beginning of a stanza. The fragments had served as waste pieces to reinforce the binding of a Willehalm manuscript , which was written by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The pieces were removed from this binding by the Graz Germanist Karl Weinhold .
As already mentioned above, the fragment is attributed to the first quarter of the 13th century by more recent research based on paleographic evidence.
content
The Graz fragment shows excerpts from events that took place at the Hunnenhof. Hagen presumably says goodbye to Etzel and his wife Helche. He distributes gifts such as horses, clothing, silver and gold to those close to him at Etzel's court. This is followed by fragments of a conversation between Hagen, Walther and Hildegund, who fears that Walther will leave her at the Hunnenhof. Hagen then advises taking Hildegund with you, because she is well worth being an empress. He mentions that he was a witness when Walther and Hildegund were betrothed by their fathers. Walther now regrets that he has neglected Hildegund and makes the decision to take her with him on his escape.
Transliteration by Karl Strecker
First page, 1st column
------------------------- [den kunec and sin] He testified to the king and his wife
wip then he declines in vil fliz eagerly showing his respect, which gives them great joy
ichliche und hiez vil saelich sin prepared. He gave those to him in the Huns country
ir lip. The ones that came next were the closest, horses, clothes
bi im von Hiunen lant that gave and silver in addition to gold, which
the snelle Hagene diu ross un daz they were brought into chests.
given that silver to the gold, He said: No one shall do without anything,
swaz mans in the vur druch. He that would be very rude.
said: Nobody can fleece with me:
[a michel would be uneventful.]
First page, 2nd column
han I need and [nde kumber het ich] I never got through you
ie through you. [Whom do you want me to] experience grief. Who do you want me
lazen, trot journeyman [min? woltstu] , my dear companion?
since I leave [part with you] If you want me to go with you,
umb you die [I jamers pin.] I will endure suffering and pain for you.
---------------------------- [do het] That came to the ears of the strong Hagen.
the starche Hagene [daz maere]
well heard di [-------------]
never before -------------------
Second page, 1st column
------------------------------- ie done. Thu spoke Then the strong Hagen said:
[the star Hagene: ze] wev sold you din lip? What is your life used for?
---------------------------------- ponder who lied To whom do you want to leave the woman who
[du daz wip, diu] din with such honors greeted us here with such honors?
[ask here] has? she would be worth wearing the crown of an empress.
[with a crown a keyser] inside, you should woo her, I advise you.
[minnen. Dest] min rat. do
-------- mte Walther n ----------------------------
Second page, 2nd column
[be] staetet and ir father lant. I did (n) t, I can confirm it. I was a witness when one
since one grinds both of them: iz is married to you in your fatherland. Oh dear
I want to know everything. Oh , I'm sorry, said Walther at once, that mine
I suffer from miner, Walther spoke to Frau Hildegund for so long
sa ze stunt. daz miner had to forego my good services.
dienst min vro Hiltegunt is so if I ever do my minne service again
hand out her vil manige tac! neglect it would degrade my honor.
Swen iemer with minne wolde
[ir swichen that the eren would be min a slac.]
The Wiener Doppelblatt Codex 13383
Lore
The second fragment is in the Austrian National Library in Vienna. It consists of two sheets of parchment measuring 220 × 160 mm and 172 × 115 mm. It has 36 stanzas, the verses are not separated. The first half of the 13th century is also assumed to be the time of origin of this fragment.
content
The two Viennese sheets deal with events that are presumably set towards the end of the epic.
On the first sheet, Walther and Hildegund's flight through Burgundian territory to Lengers, where Walther's father Alker is, is described. He is accompanied by Volker and sixty of his warriors, as Ortwin, who resides in Metz, poses danger. Messengers are sent ahead to announce the arrival of his son to Alker. Alker and his wife were very worried about their son. When Alker learns that Walther's escape had led to serious disputes with the Huns, he wants to hand over the rule of the king to his son, as he has proven himself in the fight against the Huns.
The second sheet reports on the preparations for Walther and Hildegund's wedding. It is described how messengers with invitations are sent to Hildegund's parents in Arragon as well as to England, Navarre and Kärlingen. Yes, even Etzel and his wife Helche should be invited after some hesitation. Gunther - referred to here as "Vogt of the Rhine" - also wants to come after he has sought Hagen's advice.
Formal
What is remarkable about this fragment is the conciliatory ending of the epic. The fact that King Etzel and his wife are to be invited to the wedding celebration, although Walther and Hildegund, who originally came to Etzel's court as hostages, fled after bitter battles with the Huns, is a specialty.
Handwriting reception
In the past it was assumed that the poem was unsuccessful and that it has only been handed down in fragments because the recipients would not have appreciated this conciliatory conclusion. More recent research, on the other hand, describes this hero's willingness to reconcile as a characteristic of the aventiuric heroic epic of the 13th century and also of the epic that followed. This genre draws its material from oral tradition, i.e. from traditional legends.
In addition to the motif of the Etzelhof, the motif of returning home from abroad can also be seen here. The Spanish motif, which appeared more often in the literature of that time, also appears here, where Walther is referred to as the “King of Spain”.
literature
- Christoph Fasbender: Walther and Hildegund. In: German Literature Lexicon. The middle age. Edited by Wolfgang Achnitz. Volume 5 Epic (verse-stanza-prose) and small forms. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, column 484f. ISBN 9783598249952
- Walter Haug : Walther and Hildegund. In: The German literature of the Middle Ages. Author Lexicon. Founded by Wolfgang Stammler , continued by Karl Langosch , 2nd completely revised edition. (= Publications of the Commission for German Literature of the Middle Ages of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. Ed. By Burghart Wachinger [et al.] Volume 10. Ulrich von Lillienfeld - The twelve-year-old monk.) Berlin, New York: De Gruyter 1999, column 644 - 646. ISBN 3110156067
- Werner Hoffman: Middle High German hero poetry. (= Basics of German Studies. Ed. By Hugo Moser, co-founded by Wolfgang Stammler. Volume 14.) Schmidt: Berlin 1974. ISBN 3503007725
- Victor Millet: On the genre constitution of German 'heroic epics' in the European context. In: Christa Bertelsmeier-Kierst and Christopher Young (eds.) With the collaboration of Bettina Sculptor: An Epoch in Transition. Vernacular literacy 1200–1300. Cambridge Syposium 2001. Niemeyer: Tübingen 2003, p. 146 ff. ISBN 3110950138
- Karl Strecker: Ekkehards Waltharius. Berlin 1907, pp. 100-109.
- Karl Weinhold : Styrian fragments of old German language monuments. In: Communications from the historical association for Styria. Volume 9, August Hesse's bookstore: Graz 1859, pp. 51–53.
Web links
The descriptions of the fragments of the epic Walther and Hildegund can be found in the manuscript census under the following web links:
Individual evidence
- ^ Manfred Günter Scholz: Walther-Hildegund-Strophe. In: Günther and Irmgard Schweikle (eds.) [Mitarb. Irmgard Ackermann…]: Metzler Literature Lexicon. Terms and definitions. 2. revised Edition. Metzler, Stuttgart 1990, p. 496. ISBN 3476006689
- ^ Fritz Peter Knapp: The literature of the early and high Middle Ages in the dioceses of Passau, Salzburg, Brixen and Trient from the beginning to the year 1273. (History of literature in Austria from the beginning to the present. Ed. By Herbert Zeman. Volume 1). Adeva, Graz 1994, p. 525. ISBN 320101611X
- ↑ a b Walter Haug: The truth of fiction. Studies on secular and spiritual literature of the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Niemeyer, Tübingen 2003, p. 320. ISBN 3484108533