Northvegr - Waltharius

of All Evils! Oh, how I wish, you dreadful creature, that you would swallow only precious metals and all other riches but return men without harm! But now you inflame men blowing through them with your perverse spirit. To no man do their own goods suffice! Look! They do not fear to rush to meet a foul death in their hope for profit. The more they have, the more the thirst to have burns them. They take possession of other men's goods sometimes by force and sometimes by deceit; and, what causes more fresh groans and stirs new tears, they thrust their heaven-born souls into the furnace of Erebus.¹ Look! I cannot call my beloved nephew back, for he is urged on by you, Savage Desire!² Behold how blindly he hastens to taste an unspeakable death and wants to descend to the shades for but cheap glory. Alas, my dear nephew, what, Lost One, are you giving your mother? Who, my dear, shall take care of your newly wedded wife to whom you, stolen from hope, did not give a child to cheer? What madness is this of yours? Where does this insanity come from?" So he spoke and spattered his lap with welling tears. And at last between sobs he proclaimed: "Farewell, my handsome boy!"³

Walter, though far off, noticed his comrade's grim sadness, and his voice too reached his ears. Therefore, he addressed the approaching horseman thus: "Take my advice, most illustrious youth; and save yourself to await a better fate! Stop! Your rash confidence deceives you! Look at all these slaughtered heroes, and abandon battle so that you do not see your last hour and make me more enemies."⁴ "Why do you care if I die, you tyrant?" said the other, "Now you must fight, not talk!" He had spoken and aimed his knotty spear as he talked. But the hero knocked it aside with his own and turned it elsewhere. As it was carried down in an arcing dance and driven by Walter's raging strength,⁵ it entered the camp and fixed itself before the girl's feet. She, stricken with fear, exclaimed a womanly cry. But, after a weak pulse returned to her heart, briefly peeking up from below, she looked to see whether the hero was alive.

At the same time the brave man ordered the Frank to depart from battle, but he bared his sword in rage and ran to attack Walter and brandished his wound by his head.⁶ But Alpharides swung his shield just at the right time and wordlessly gnashed his teeth like a boar foaming at the mouth.

In his desire to strike, Patavrid exposed himself all the more openly to a blow, while Walter ducked and hid under his shield, contracting his body. And look! Cheated of the wound,⁷ the youth fell clumsily. It would have been the end, had not the warrior been lying there with his knees bent to the ground, fending off the fine-steel under the circle of his shield. While he was getting up, the other too lifted himself and quickly in alarm brought the shield before him and vainly began to renew the contest. But Alpharides too swiftly planted his spear in the ground and attacked him with his sword, taking off half of his shield with a massive swing, cutting through his linked hauberk, and laying bare his loins. Unlucky Patavrid, seeing his own guts, collapsed giving his body to the silvan beast and his soul to Orcus.⁸

Gerwit came then promising to avenge this companion. Gerwit, borne on a strong horse flew over all the strewn corpses, which had closed off the narrow pathway. He came and flourished his double-headed axe in Walter's face—for at that time the Franks used this sort of weapon⁹ —just as the powerful warrior had cut off the dead man's head. Walter threw his shield in the way, frustrated the blow, jumped back, snatched up his trusty spear, and tossed his bloody sword in the green rushes. And then you would have seen fearful wars of men! Indeed, there was no talk to interrupt their Martial warfare, so intent were their minds on adverse warre .¹⁰ The other raged to honor his slain comrades with revenge, but Walter tried zealously to protect his life with all his effort and, if chance so granted, to retain his victory palm. This one strikes, the other guards; this one attacks, the other leans away. Luck and courage are eagerly mixed together.¹¹ Still the long spear knocked aside the enemy's shorter weapon, but he circled on his horse, wanting to trick the wearied mann .¹²

Now more and more burdened by a mass of wrath, Walter lifted the bottom of Gerwit's shield and passed his iron through his groin and penetrated his thigh. He fell backward making a gloomy shout, and in the pain of his death he kicked the field with his heels.¹³ And now Walter hacked through the man's neck and left a headless corspe where there had earlier been a count of the lands of Wörms.

Then it happened that the Franks began first to delay and to beseech their lord with great prayers that he depart from battle. He, miserable fellow, grew enraged and blindly spoke: "I ask, brave men and hearts so often tested, that this fortune not bring each man fear but anger instead. What shall I do, if I leave the Vosges as ingloriously as this? Let each adopt my sentiment for himself. Behold! I am ready to die before I enter Wörms under such circumstances. Should this fellow seek his homeland victoriously with no blood fine? Till now you burned to despoil the man of his treasures.¹⁴ Burn again, men, burn to honor the blood that has been spilt so that death may wipe away the stain of death, and blood that of blood. Let your murderous blow console your murdered comrades!"

Saying this, he fired spirits up and made them all forgetful of both their life and safety. And, like in some game, each was eager to outrun the other in the race for death.¹⁵ But the path, as I said before, forced only two men to contend in war. Yet the illustrious man, as he saw them delaying, removed his helm and hung it in the tree and, catching his breath, wiped away the sweat as he panted.

Look! The athlete Randolf on his quick horse passed the rest and menacingly raced toward Walter and then aimed under his chest with his iron-tipped pike.¹⁶ And if the Work of Weland¹⁷ with its hardened rings were not in the way, he would have pierced his loins with the thick wood. Still Walter, though stunned in his heart with sudden fear, threw his protecting shield in the way and recovered his wits. Not yet had there been a chance to grab his helm.

But the Frank tossed his spear, stripped his sword, and struck, shaving two locks of hair off the Aquitanian's head. Still he could not—it chanced—scrape the surface of the skin, so he drew back again and struck another blow, but in haste he planted his fine-steel directly in the obstructing shield, nor could he withdraw it, no matter how hard he tried. Alpharides in turn, shaking himself free as quick as lightning, threw the Frank to the ground with his powerful strength. Standing over him, he stepped on his chest and said: "Behold! For shaving my head, I shall cheat¹⁸ you of yours, lest this be your boast over me to your bride." Scarcely had he said this, when he chopped the man's neck, even as he prayed.¹⁹

Well, the ninth, Helmnod, succeeded to the fight, and he wielded a trident tied to a three-strand rope, which his comrades standing behind him held. The plan was, when he threw the weapon, and it stuck in the shield, they would all eagerly pull together so that they might cast down even so raging a man. Because of this hope they considered their triumph certain. There was no delay; the duke, pouring all his strength into his arms, threw the trident at his adversary, calling out loudly: "Under this iron, bald man,²⁰ you will find your end!" It pierced the wind, flashing like Javelins,²¹ those kind of snakes that shoot down from high trees with such force that they pierce all obstacles.

Why do I linger? It split the shield-boss and settled in the shield; the Franks sent up a shout and leapt backwards. Striving altogether and in turn they pulled the rope, nor did the prince hesitate to apply himself to such work. Rivers of sweat seeped down all their limbs, but still the hero stood in this contest, like an ash tree, which seeks the stars with its leafage no more, than it seeks Tartarus with its roots—unmoved and holding all the roaring winds in contempt. The enemies contended with him and encouraged each other, saying that, if they could not drag him out into the open field, they should at least be eager to wrench away his protecting shield so that, with this removed, they might easily take him alive. I shall tell the names of those pulling, those who remained.

Ninth was Eleuthir, called also by the name Helmnod; the Argentine town²² provided the tenth, Trogus; the powerful city Speyer produced the eleventh, Tanastus; the king filled the twelfth place, leaving out Hagen. Together these four contended with the utmost effort against one in a great and indecisive struggle. Meanwhile the vain toil goaded Alpharides to anger; and, just as he had long now had his head bare of helm, so, relying on his lance²³ and bronze²⁴ shirt, he cast aside his shield and first attacked Eleuthir. Rending his helm, he split the man's brain in two and, cutting through the neck itself, opened up his chest. The heart beating sickly soon gave up its warm breath.

Then he attacked Trogus, while he was still hanging onto the damnable rope. Trogus, astonished by the sudden death of his falling comrade, at the horrific sight of his enemy began in vain to attempt bitter flight and wanted to recover the weapons he had

2 For "saeva cupido" ("Savage Desire"), compare Statius Silvae 2.1.214 and Juvenal 14.175 (similar moralizing passages about the ills of mankind). The phrase is not Vergilian; he prefers "dira cupido" ( Georgics 1.37; Aeneid 6.373, 721, 9.185).

3 This is a touching echo of Vergil Eclogues 3.79, where it is an address of a woman to her departing lover.

4 This passage shows the more Christian side of Walter, who wants to spare the young man, though one might also find a literary model in Aeneas' desire to spare Lausus whom he kills, arousing the wrath of Mezentius, Vergil Aeneid 10.809-12; and the scene also illustrates Walter's loyalty to Hagen, whom he does not want to grieve.

5 Kratz (1984) translates: "Propelled by breezes and the raging warrior's strength..." (my emphasis). The key word of the Latin "choris" ("in an arcing dance") is obscure; a chorus is usually an dance ring or chorus. I have taken it as refering to the arcing "dance" of the spear through the air. Kratz no doubt connects "choris" with "Cauris," the ablative plural of "Caurus" ("north-west wind"). The poetic plural as well as the double corruption of diphthong au to simple vowel o (and even then the long o must be shortened to fit the meter) and of unaspirated c to aspirated ch , is possible but seems improbable.

6 At Aeneid 2.529, Vergil uses vulnus ("wound") apparently to refer to a sword. Servius comments on this line: "'vulnus' pro telo" (“‘wound' in place of weapon”). Our poet often uses “vulnus” (“wound”) in place of a word meaning “blow” or “weapon”.

7 That is, the wound which he hoped to inflict. Kratz (1984) translates "tricked into a wild blow" but the ablative case of "vulnere" ("wound" or "blow") does not fit this interpretation.

8 That is, to "Hell."

9 Note the narrator's earlier remark about the Hunnish custom of wearing two blades (337) and Hagen's later remark that Walter would be breaking his people's custom by wearing his sword on the right (1429). These comments display an anthropological or antiquarian interest. Compare Statius Thebaid 5.525-6 and Silius 8.549-50 for this kind of comment in Roman epic.

10 The poet uses the archaic form duellum , rather than the usual bellum , for "war." Duellum is not found in Vergil. Where did the poet find it? Statius ( Thebaid 8.684, 11.282) provides examples, as do Ovid ( Fast i 6.201), Juvenal (1.169), Horace ( Odes 3.5.38, 3.14.18, 4.15.8; Epistulae 1.2.7, 2.1.254, 2.2.298), and Ennius (in a fragment quoted by Priscian GL 2.470K.).

11 Compare Vergil Aeneid 12.714 and Servius' note on the line which implies that fors ("luck") is Turnus and virtus ("courage" or "virtue") is Aeneas. This may be the correct way to take the passage here.

12 This translates an archaic Latin form. See the note on line 578.

13 Compare Vergil Aeneid 10.404.

14 This is an instance of the thievery topos that runs throughout the latter half of the poem.

15 This athletic metaphor is extended below.

16 Compare Prudentius Psychomachia 116.

17 Kratz (1984) notes: "Wayland or Wieland in Norse mythology is the god of smiths." In the Anglo-Saxon poem Waldere , Walter's hauberk or byrnie may have played a greater role than here, since fragment B 16-24 contains a scene where Walter taunts Gunther who seems to have particularly wanted this heirloom of Walter's father. In the Waltharius , it is his shield which receives the most attention as a desired prize—compare Hadawart's request to have the shield above (781 ff.) and Helmnod's plan to wrench it away (982 ff.).

18 The Latin "fraudo" ("cheat") is another instance of the thievery topos. Walter keeps stealing their life just as they try to steal the treasure, which he stole to begin with.

19 One could also translate "precantis" "as he pled." Compare the similar scene at 751 ff. above, and see the note there.

20 Helmnod is, of course, taunting Walter for the two lost locks of hair.

21 Compare Isidore Etymologiae 12.4.29 and Lucan 9.720.

22 That is, "Strassburg."

23 The Latin "framea" is a rare word meaning "spear" in classical authors, though it may mean "sword" here—compare below at line 1376. Interestingly Tacitus uses it often in the Germania for the weapons of the Germans (see especially 6.1 where he claims it is a Germanic word).

24 The use of “bronze” instead of “iron” or “steel” is anachronistic and is owed to the poet's literary models such as Vergil, who adapted these “bronze” weapons and armor from archaic Greek poets such as Homer, whose poetry preserved memories of the late bronze age.