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(Flight of Walther and Hildegund to the area of Worms (419–435))
(Flight of Walther and Hildegund to the area of Worms (419–435))
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Revision as of 21:38, 7 December 2009

Flight of Walther and Hildegund to the area of Worms (419–435)

Waltharius fugiens, ut dixi, noctibus ivit,  DDSSDS 
Atque die saltus arbustaque densa requirens 420  DSSDDS 
Arte accersitas pariter capit arte volucres,  SSDDDS
Elision: arte accersitas
 
Nunc fallens visco, nunc fisso denique ligno.  Fisso…ligno: a kind of trap for birds, consisting of a piece of green wood split down the middle with the two halves held apart at one end, such that when a bird arrives, attracted by bait scattered in the middle, the two halves will snap together and break its legs.

 

 Georgics 1.139-140.: tum laqueis captare feras et fallere visco/ inventum. ‘Then was discovered how to catch game with traps and to snare birds with lime.’ Aeineid 9.413-414.: hasta. . .fisso transit praecordia ligno. ‘The spear pierces the midriff with the broken wood.’

 

 SSSSDS 
Ast ubi pervenit, qua flumina curva fluebant,  Georgics 2.11-12.: camposque et flumina late/ curva tenent. ‘Far and wide they claim the plains and winding rivers.’

 

 DSSDDS   "flumina...curva": most likely, tributaries of the Rhine and Danube, though at times the geography of the poem seems less literal than topical. In the course of the poem, we see mountains, battle-fields, river-areas, and even a brief glimpse of the ocean, where the Huns empire supposedly reaches, though in reality, Hunnish hordes never reached the Atlantic. The poem's journeys throughout Europe render it a form of "world tour," so the diverse settings are appropriate. MCD 
Immittens hamum rapuit sub gurgite praedam.  Georgics 4.395: sub gurgite. . . ‘Beneath the wave. . .’

 

 SSDSDS 
Atque famis pestem pepulit tolerando laborem. 425  DSDDDS   "famis pestem": an usual use of "pestem" (pestis, pestis, feminine) which usually refers to a literal plague or disease. In classical Latin, "pestis" can be used metonymically to signify "death," which is probably what the Waltharius-poet intends here, as in "death by hunger." However, the specific phrase is without precedent. MCD 
Namque fugae toto se tempore virginis usu  Virginis usu: The poet praises Waltharius for abstaining from sexual intercourse.

 

 DSSDDS   Walther refrains from "use" of Hildegund, which suggests that she carries a different status from the rest of the treasure. As earlier, the poet takes pains to depict a companionate relationship between the two exiles, emphasizing Hildegund's personal, feminine value above mere chattel. See John O. Ward, "After Rome: Medieval Epic," in Roman Epic, ed. A.J. Boyle (Routledge, 1993). MCD 
Continuit vir Waltharius laudabilis heros.  DSDSDS   Ward makes much of Walther’s absention from sex with Hildegund in the wilderness, contrasting it with other versions of the story (TK: which versions). He also suggests that in other versions, Walther does consider leaving Hildegund among the Huns. Though the term “chivalry” is anachronistic in this context, Walther’s careful respect for Hildegund as a marriageable woman and his avoidance of the sin of lust make him a prototype for the later “domesticated” heroes of romance. For Ward, the poem represents the efforts of the Carolingian church to craft just such religious and domestic values. MCD 
Ecce quater denos sol circumflexerat orbes,  Quater denos: the length of time is perhaps of biblical inspiration.

 

 Aeineid 5.131: circumflectere cursus. . . ‘To double round the courses. . .’

 

 DSSSDS   Walther and Hildegund wander in the wilderness between the land of the Huns and the territory of Worms for forty days, a period which echoes the wandering of the Jews prior to their entrance into the Promised Land (cf. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), the period of Christ’s temptation in the desert (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:13-14; Luke 4:1-15), and the length of Lent. The specification of forty days is no accident, but as usual in the poem, the function of such a religious reference is unclear.

It may imply a spiritual significance to Walter’s ordeal, fulfilled in the “justice” meted out by the poem’s peculiar ending. Similarly, if Walter and Hildegund’s journey functions as a kind of Lent, then Walther’s bloody battle might constitute an analogue to Good Friday or other older and more indigenous tales of human sacrifice and rebirth. Indeed, after passing through the carnage and loss of Walther’s single combat, order, friendship, and loyalty are reborn and restored in a kind of resurrection. The time specification may also emphasize that the Waltharius is a tale preliminary to Walter’s illustrious rule, much as the wanderings of Christ or the Israelites in the desert forms a prelude to a well-known, public career. Alternatively, the specification of forty days may simply function as yet another religious “ghost” in the poem, like the references to fauns (ll. 761-763) or Wieland (ll. 965-966) MCD 

Ex quo Pannonica fuerat digressus ab urbe.  
Europe500.png
 
 SDDSDS 
Ipso quippe die, numerum qui clauserat istum, 430  SDDSDS 
Venerat ad fluvium iam vespere tum mediante,  Vespere…mediante equiv. to medio vespere

 

 Secundum Iohannem 7.14: iam autem die festo mediante. . . ‘Now about the midst of the feast. . .’

 

 DDSDDS 
Scilicet ad Rhenum, qua cursus tendit ad urbem  Rhenum: the Rhine River.

 

 Aeineid 5.834: cursum contendere iussi. ‘They are bidden to shape their course.’ 12.909: nequiquam avidos extendere cursus/ velle videmur. ‘We seem to strive in vain to press on our eager course.’

 

 
Rhine River
 
 DSSSDS 
Nomine Wormatiam regali sede nitentem.  Wormatiam: Worms, a city on the Rhine in present-day Germany, here the capital (regali sede) of the Franks, now ruled by Gunther. The route that Waltharius is taking home is a very circuitous one.

 

    DDSSDS   TK: More info re: medieval Worms 
Illic pro naulo pisces dedit antea captos  Naulo: “fare” for being ferried across the river.

 

 Iona Propheta 1.3: et invenit navem euntem in Tharsis et dedit naulum eius. ‘And he found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof.’

 

 SSSDDS 
Et mox transpositus graditur properanter anhelus. 435  SDDDDS   The heavily dactylic line imitates the swift movement of Walther and Hildegund's journey. MCD 

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