Northvegr - Waltharius

Almighty Father, Lover of the highest virtue,¹ and Nourishing Spirit, born of both, with equal right,² triple in person, but one in true deity, you who live a life everlasting and who will perpetually hold the highest priesthood—grant salvation for now and forever to glorious Erkambold, worthy of a famous name, so that he may grow within filled with holy inspiration and may be a medicine prepared for many men in time to come. Holy bishop of God, now receive the gifts of your servant, which a feeble and trivial sinner by the name of Geraldus, has decided to produce for you from his generous love—for he is sure of heart and your faithful pupil. May the Father, governing the heavens and earth from on high, grant the thing for which I pray continually to the Lord who thunders through all the heavens,³ namely that you obtain by your action what I produce in speech.

Servant of the highest God, don't look down upon the words of this little book. It does not sing the nourishing works of God but resounds the wondrous deeds of a young man, named Walter, a man maimed⁴ through much fighting. It is intended more for play than for prayer to the Lord. When read through, it shortens the long hours of the day.

May you, holy priest, be happy through further years, and may Geraldus your dear brother be in your mind!

A third part of the Earth is called Europe,⁵ brothers,⁶ and it divides its races, which differ in customs, languages, and names, by culture and separates them also by religion. Among these races, the Pannonians⁷ are known to reside, a race which we generally call the Huns. This nation was once strong and courageous in warfare, not only lording over the surrounding territories but even passing over the lands of the Ocean's shore, granting treaties to suppliant peoples, and subduing all who revolted. It is said that their dominion lasted more than a thousand years. King Attila once ruled that kingdom, a man who was busy to revive their age-old victories in his own time. He roused his forces and commanded that they go against the Franks, whose king, powerful in his high throne, was Gibicho, who had recently rejoiced at the birth of a child, of whom I shall tell later,⁸ for he fathered a son whom he called Gunther.

Rumor flies and soon whips at the fearful king's ears: a hostile host was crossing the Danube, a force outnumbering the stars and the sands of the riverbank. The king, not trusting in warfare or the strength of his people, gathers a council and asks what they should do. Everyone agreed that they ought to ask for a treaty and to join hand in hand, if the Huns would, and to give hostages and pay the tribute that was ordered. They thought this would be better than to lose both their life and land as well as their sons and wives.

Now, noble Hagen at that time was a young man of outstanding bloodline, descending from the race of Troy.⁹Since Gunther had not yet reached the age where he could manage his own tender life without his mother, they decided to send Hagen along with a mass of treasure to the Hunnish king. There was no delay. The ambassadors, taking the tribute and the youth, went and asked for peace and affirmed the treaty.

At this time Burgundy was under mighty kingship. Heriric then held its chief office. He had only a single daughter, Hildegund by name, excellent for her nobility as well as for her beautiful figure. She, as heiress, was supposed to reside at her father's court and, if she had been allowed that, to enjoy the wealth collected there. The Avars, however, after settling a firm peace with the Franks, kept away from their territory; but Attila then quickly turned his reins away to Burgundy, nor were the rest of his vassals slow to follow his footsteps. They marched along well-ordered and in a long line. The Earth groaned as she was pounded by their horses racing along. The air above thundered in fright at the clashing of their shields. An iron forest flashed with ruddy light through all the fields not unlike when the beautiful sun strikes the sea, gleaming in the early morn at the edge of the world.¹⁰

And now their host had crossed the deep rivers, the Arar and the Rhone, and the whole army dispersed to ravage the land. Heriric was at Châlons,¹¹ and suddenly the lookout, lifting his eyes, exclaimed: “What cloud is this that rises up in a dense mass of dust? An enemy force is coming. Close the gates now!” Already then the prince knew what the Franks had done, and he addressed all the elders¹² in this way: If such a strong race has left Pannonia—a race which we cannot match—, then with what courage do you think we will engage this host and defend our sweet country? It is better that we make a pact with them, and they receive a tribute. I have a single daughter whom I do not hesitate to hand over on behalf of our kingdom; only let them be quick to affirm a treaty.”

The ambassadors go and, relieved of their weapons, enter the enemy camp. They ask what the king had ordered, that the Huns stop their ravaging. Attila the leader receives them, as usual in a charming manner, and says: “I would rather make treaties than conduct indiscriminate wars. The Huns prefer to rule by peace, but they do, unwillingly, strike their opponents in war, if they see that they are in rebellion. Let your king come to us and give and receive a hand in pledge.” The prince of the Burgundians goes out bringing countless treasure, and he strikes a pact and leaves his daughter with Attila.

The most beautiful gem of her parents then went into exile. After completing the pact and establishing tribute, Attila moved his ranks out and into the western regions.

Now, the kingship of the Acquitanians was then in the hands of Alphere who they say had offspring of the male sex, named Walter, who shone with the blossom of youth. Furthermore, Heriric and Alphere had sworn an oath between them to bind together their children as soon as they came to a marriageable age. When Alphere had seen that these two races had been conquered, he then began then to quiver with great fear in his heart, nor did he retain any hope of defense from savage arms. “What should we cede,” he said, “if we cannot raise a war? Burgundy and Frankland have provided us with an example. We are not shamed if we should be compared to such as them. I shall send ambassadors, and I shall tell them to establish a treaty and shall offer my beloved son as a hostage and shall promptly pay the Huns the tribute which they assign.” Why should I linger? He fulfilled his words through deeds.

Then at last the Avars, burdened with much treasure, took the hostages—Hagen, the girl Hildegund, and lastly Walter—and returned with happy hearts. Attila, after he entered Pannonia and was received in the city, showed fatherly care¹³ for the exiled children and bid that they be raised as his own; and he ordered the queen to care for the maiden; but he bid both the youths to be always in his sight. Moreover, he also instructed them in the arts and particularly in making jests in times of war.¹⁴They, growing both in intelligence and age, surpassed the brave in strength and the wise in wit, until soon they boldly excelled all the Huns. Then Attila made them first men in his army and not undeservedly, since, whenever he made a campaign, these two sparkled amidst triumphal decorations. Therefore, the prince loved them both very much. The maiden, although captive, by the grace of the highest God, relaxed the queen's doubting face and increased her love, for the girl abundantly displayed her outstanding character and the industry of her works. At last she was made the steward to watch over all the king's treasure, and she was but little short of ruling herself, for, whatever she wanted, she actually did.

Meanwhile Gebicho died, and Gunther himself succeeded to the kingship, and immediately he dissolved the treaty with the Huns and refused to endure the tribute. As soon as Hagen had heard this in his exile, at night he undertook flight and hastened to his lord. But Walter went to battle at the head of the Huns, and, wherever he went, prosperous outcomes soon followed. Ospirin¹⁵ the royal wife, noticing Hagen was gone, advised her lord in such words: “Let the king's clever mind be aware and careful lest the pillar of your empire totter and fall—that is, lest Walter your friend leave, for a great force of power resides in him. Take care since I fear that he may flee in imitation of Hagen. Therefore, consider now my plan. When first he comes, say these words to him, ‘As our servant, you were accustomed to endure great toils, and so you should know that Our Grace¹⁶ loved you very much, more than all our friends. This I want to affirm for you by my deeds rather than by my words. Choose yourself a bride from my Hunnish vassals, and do not worry about your poverty. I will enrich you greatly with both land and home. Nor will anyone, who gives you his daughter as bride, be sorry about it afterwards.' If you do as I say, you can keep him faithful.” Her speech pleased the king, and he began preparations.

1 That is, Christ, the second member of the Trinity.

2 That is, the Spirit has equal right or power with the Son and the Father.

3 I follow Strecker's manuscripts B, P, and T which read "omnitonantem" ("who thunders through all the heavens"), but Strecker himself suggests "omnitenentem" ("holding all creation").

4 The Latin "resecti" means "trimmed" or "cut off." Therefore, it may be proleptic, looking toward the end of the poem, when he will have his arm cut off. Kratz (1984) seems to take it in a more general sense since he translates: "he was slashed in many battles."

5 This has the ring of a medieval geography lesson. For the division of the earth into three parts see Sallust Jugurtha 17.3, Pliny the Elder Natural History 3.3, Hyginus Astronomica 1.8.1, Servius Aeneid 1.385, and Velleius Paterculus 2.40.4. The great early medieval scholar Isidore of Seville records this idea at Etymologiae 14.2: "[orbis] divisus est autem trifarie: e quibus una pars Asia, altera Europa, tertia Africa nuncupatur." Furthermore, late antique and early medieval maps, which our author would have seen, show the world clearly divided into three. These are sometimes called TO maps because they look like a T inside an O. See the pictures of TO maps from a 9 th century edition of Isidore and an edition of Sallust's Jugurthine War at: http://www.nmsu.edu/~honors/TOmaps.html. Other images of early TO maps can fe found at: http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/EMwebpages/205JJ.html and http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/EMwebpages/205I.html.

6 This appears to be an address to fellow ecclesiastics, either monks or, perhaps, canons (clerics usually attached to a church). Kratz (1984: xiii) says that this is the only sure indication of the author's identity, since the dedicatory prologue may have been written by someone other than the poet.

7 These people are called Pannonians, Huns, and Avars by the poet. Compare Isidore Etymologiae 9.2.66 for the identification of Huns and Avars.

8 The poet notes that this son, Gunther, will be more than a name, since his greed will motivate the plot for much of the poem, beginning at line 470.

9 This detail seems most likely to be new to the Latin, since it is harder to see how this detail would make its way into a (probably) oral Germanic epic. Our author might have invented the detail to tie his work, a Germanic and Christian poem, to the pagan classical tradition of Greek and Latin epic, represented by Vergil's Aeneid , to which our author often alludes, and Statius' Thebaid , which he may also have known.

10 This is one of the epic similes of the Waltharius ; see the note 178 on the longest of these.

11 Kratz (1984): "Von den Steinen (1952, pp. 40-44) cites this passage, which places Chalo-sur-Sâone in Burgundy, as historical evidence for dating the composition of the Waltharius in the ninth century. He cites also the identification of Acquitaine as a regnum (line 77) and the reference to Metz as a metropolis (line 644) to support his belief that the Waltharius was written during the Carolingian period."

12 The valence of the Latin word seniores ("elders") in the Middle Ages is far ranging—old men, elders (as persons of authority), or lords.

13 The Latin pietas ("fatherly care") is hard to translate, but our poet would have known its manifestation in the Aeneid as a key trait of Aeneas, who displayed pietas in, among other things, his care and devotion to father and son.

14 The taunts and jokes of warfare are an important characteristic of the warrior in the Waltharius . For example, compare Walter's jibe at Hagen (1351) and the jesting exchange between Ekivrid and Walter (761-69). These comments are a species of flyting, a mocking method of exchange sometimes for fun ("ludic flyting") among members of the same social group and sometimes to set the terms of battle ("heroic flyting")--see Alta Cools Halama (1996) "Flytes of Fancy: Boasting and Boasters from Beowulf to Gangsta Rap" Proceedings of the Illinois Medieval Association 13: 81-96 (http://www.luc.edu/publications/medieval/vol13/halama.html) for more on flyting. This type of exchanges is common in confrontations between Homeric warriors in the Iliad , and in Vergil's Aeneid a more refined, literary form of flyting occurs (for example: 10.440-81 Turnus and Pallas, 12.887-995 Turnus and Aeneas), but the flyting of the Waltharius seems to have more in common with that seen in Germanic poetry. Compare the exchange between Unferth and Beowulf in Beowulf and the mocking language of the Waldere , the Anglo-Saxon version of the story of Walter (fragment 2, lines 16b-17): "Snatch, if you dare, the hoary hauberk from [me though] so battle-worn!" ("Feta, gyf ðu dyrre , æt ðus heaðuwerigan hare byrnan"). For more on such flyting in Anglo-Saxon, see Earl R. Anderson (1970) "Flyting in The Battle of Maldon" Neuphilologische Mitteilungen 71.2: 197-202.

15 Kratz (1984) here notes: "The poet seems to have invented this name for Attila's wife." We might also ask which poet—that of the Latin or Gemanic poem?

16 This is a title like "Your Majesty."

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