Waldere

(ninth or 10th century)

   The Waldere is a fragmentary OLD ENGLISH poem preserved on two pages today kept in the Royal Library of Copenhagen (Ny Kgl. s. ms. 167b), comprising 63 verses in which two, perhaps three, speeches are given; the first by Hidgyth (Hildegund), the second by Hagano, the third by Waldere (Walther). The poem reflects upon the Latin Waltharius poem composed by Ekkehard I of St. Gall ca. 825, or it derives from a source common to both.

   In the Latin epic,Waltharius (accompanied by his beloved Hildegund) escapes from the Hunnish king Attila to whom they both had been sent as hostages from their native countries, Aquitaine and Burgundy, respectively.When they arrive in the kingdom of the Burgundians, King Guntharius, out of greed for the treasures that Waltharius had taken with him from the Hunnish court, attacks the two with 12 of his men. However, Waltharius has positioned himself in a mountain pass where only one warrior can approach the hero at a time.Waltharius defends himself valiantly and kills 10 of Guntharius’s men, including Hagano’s nephew.At the end, having lured Waltharius out of his refuge, both the Burgundian king and his liege man Hagano enter the fray, and in this battle Guntharius loses a leg,Waltharius a hand, and Hagano one eye. As soon as they realize this tragic outcome, they strike a friendship, laughing about their disfigurements. This is possible especially because Hagano had also been a hostage at Attila’s court before Waltharius managed to escape, and greatly respects Waltharius as a warrior. Afterward Waltharius and Hildegund return home and are married.Waltharius ascends to the throne of his father Elfhere’s kingdom and reigns for 30 years. In the first speech contained in Waldere, Hidgyth encourages Waldere to fight courageously with his trustworthy sword Mimming. The second fragment seems to begin with a short speech by Hagano, who praises the quality of Mimming, which had been sent by Theoderic the Great as a gift to Widia. The last section consists ofWaldere’s speech in which he taunts Guthhere. The Anglo-Saxon Waldere demonstrates that Germanic heroic poetry was also known in England. Scholars now assume that Waldere and the Latin epic Waltharius developed separately out of a Germanic heroic epic lay. Other versions of the Waltharius are extent in Italian, Old Norse, and Polish.

   Bibliography

   ■ Anderson, Theodore M. “The Speeches in the Waldere Fragments.” In De Gustibus: Essays for Alain Renoir, edited by John Miles Foley, J. Chris Womack, and Whitney A.Womack, 21–29. New York: Garland, 1992.

   ■ Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology. 1982. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

   ■ Langosch, Karl. “Waltharius”: Die Dichtung und die Forschung. Darmstadt, Germany:Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1973.

   ■ Norman, Frederick. “The Old English Waldere and Some Problems in the Story ofWalther and Hildegunde.” In Mélanges pour Jean Fourquet: 37 essais de linguistique germanique et de littérature du Moyen Âge français et allemand, edited by Paul Valentin and Georges Zink, 261–271. Paris: Klincksieck, 1969.

   ■ Waldere. Edited by Arne Zettersten from Royal Library, Copenhagen NY Kgl. S. Ms. 167 b. Manchester, U.K.:Manchester University Press, 1979.

   Albrecht Classen