Waltharius1396English

Having wounded each other, the warriors end the battle, drink together, and engage in a friendly exchange of humorous taunt (1396–1442)

And with such business done, the fights are broken off.
His wound and grave exhaustion prompted each to lay
His weapons down. Who might have left that place unscathed,
Where two great-hearted heroes, equal in both strength
And passion, stood among the lightning-bolts of battle?	1400
The fight is ended; marks of honor branded each.
King Gunther’s foot was lying there, and Walter’s hand
Was lying there, and also Hagen’s twitching eye.
Thus, thus the men have shared the treasure of the Avars!
Two sat, because the third of them was lying down,	1405
While wiping up with herbs the surging flow of blood.
Meanwhile the son of Alphere summoned with a cry
The timid girl, who came and bandaged each man’s wounds.
When this was finished, her betrothed commanded her,
“Now mix some wine and offer it to Hagen first,	1410
A worthy champion, if he keeps the laws of faith.
And then serve me: I suffered more than both of them.
And I want Gunther to drink last of all, since he
Was sluggish in a battle of great-hearted men;
Lukewarm and nerveless he performed the work of Mars.”	1415
Hereric’s daughter follows all of his commands.
When offered wine, the Frank, though parched with thirst, instructs,
“First serve the son of Alphere, your betrothed and master;
For I say, girl, he is a stronger man than I,
Surpassing not just me but every man in arms.”	1420
Here thorny Hagen and the man from Aquitaine,
Fatigued throughout their bodies but in minds undaunted,
After the crashing tide and awesome blows of battle,
Amid their drinking play a game of taunting jokes.
The Frank: “From now on, friend, you will go hunting stags	1425
To make gloves without number fashioned from their hides.
But my advice is, stuff the right glove with soft down,
And use this phantom hand to fool the ignorant.
Ah! How will you explain your breach of social custom
When you are seen to gird your sword on your right thigh.	1430
Or when the wish comes over you, will you then hug
Your wife—good Lord!—with a perverse embrace, left-handed?
But why go on? Henceforth, whatever you must do,
Your left hand will perform!” Walter gives him this answer:
“And why do you poke so much fun, I wonder, one-eye?	1435
If I go hunting stags, you will avoid boar meat,
And you will squint when giving orders to your servants,
While welcoming the throngs of heroes, looking sideways.
But, mindful of old loyalty, I’ll give you this
Advice: when you come home now and approach your hearth,	1440
Prepare a gruel of milk and grain, and cooked in grease.
This will give you both nourishment and medicine.”

---

« previous

Prologue Introduction: the Huns (1–12) The Huns (13–418) The Franks under Gibich surrender to Attila, giving Hagen as a hostage (13–33) The Burgundians under Hereric surrender to Attila, giving Hildegund as a hostage (34–74) The Aquitainians under Alphere surrender to Attila, giving Walther as a hostage (75–92) Experience of the hostages at Attila’s court (93–115) Death of Gibich, flight of Hagen (116–122) Attila’s queen Ospirin advises her husband to ensure Walther’s loyalty by arranging a marriage (123–141) Walther rejects Attila’s offer of a bride (142–169) Walther leads the army of the Huns to victory in battle (170–214) The Escape (215–418) Walther returns from battle and encounters Hildegund (215–255) Walther reveals to Hildegund his plans for escaping with Attila’s treasure (256–286) Walther hosts a luxurious banquet for Attila’s court; eventually all his intoxicated guests fall asleep (287–323) Flight of Walther and Hildegund from Attila’s court (324–357) The following day, the escape of Walther and Hildegund is discovered by Ospirin (358–379) Attila is infuriated and vows revenge on Walther, but can find no one willing to dare to pursue him, even for a large reward (380–418) The Single Combats (419–1061) Diplomacy (419–639) Flight of Walther and Hildegund to the area of Worms (419–435) Gunther, King of the Franks, learns of Walther’s presence on his territory and, despite Hagen’s warnings, decides to pursue him for his treasure (436–488) Walther makes his camp in a mountainous area and goes to sleep (489–512) Gunther and his companions approach Walther’s camp; Hagen unsuccessfully tries to dissuade the king from attacking it (513–531) Hildegund sees the Franks approaching and wakes Walther, who calms her fears and prepares for battle; he recognizes Hagen from a distance (532–571) Hagen persuades Gunther to try diplomacy before using force (571–580) Camalo is sent as a messenger to Walther, who offers to make Gunther a gift in return for allowing his passage (581–616) Hagen counsels Gunther to accept the offer, but Gunther rejects this advice, calling him a coward. Insulted, Hagen goes off to a nearby hill (617–639) Combat (640–1061) 1st single combat: Camalo is sent back to Walther, who slays him (640–685) 2nd single combat: Walther slays Kimo/Scaramund, Camalo’s nephew (686–719) Gunther encourages his men (720–724) 3rd single combat: Walther slays Werinhard, a descendant of the Trojan Pandarus (725–753) 4th single combat: Walther slays the Saxon Ekivrid, after an exchange of insults (754–780) 5th single combat: Walther slays Hadawart, after an exchange of insults (781–845) Hagen sees his nephew Patavrid going off to fight Walther and laments the evil wreaked on mankind by greed (846–877) 6th single combat: after trying to dissuade him from fighting, Walther slays Patavrid (878–913) 7th single combat: Walther slays Gerwitus (914–940) Gunther again encourages his men, giving Walther some time to rest (941–961) 8th single combat: Walther is shorn of his hair by Randolf, whom he then slays (962–981) Walther is attacked by Eleuthir/Helmnot, assisted by Trogus, Tanastus, and Gunther; he slays all but Gunther (981–1061) The Final Combat (1062–1452) Gunther tries to persuade Hagen to help him to defeat Waltharius; remembering his wounded honor, Hagen refuses (1062–1088) Hagen changes his mind and agrees to help Gunther, but advises that they must lie low wait until Walther comes down from the mountains into open ground (1089–1129) Walther decides to spend the night in the mountains. He rematches the severed heads with the bodies of his victims, prays for their souls, then sleeps (1130–1187) The following day, Walther and Hildegund set out from the mountains, taking the horses and arms of the defeated warriors (1188–1207) Hildegund perceives Gunther and Hagen approaching to attack; the king addresses Walther (1208–1236) Walther ignores Gunther and pleads with Hagen to remember the bond of their childhood friendship; Hagen counters that Walther has already broken their faith by slaying Patavrid (1237–1279) The fight begins and continues for seven hours; Gunther foolishly tries to retrieve a thrown spear from the ground near Walther and is only saved from death by Hagen’s brave intervention (1280–1345) Walther challenges Hagen; he severs Gunther’s leg, but Hagen again saves the king’s life (1346–1375) Hagen cuts off Walther’s right hand; Walther gouges out one of Hagen’s eyes and, cutting open his cheek, knocks out four teeth (1376–1395) Having wounded each other, the warriors end the battle, drink together, and engage in a friendly exchange of humorous taunt (1396–1442) The warriors return to their respective homes; Walther marries Hildegund and eventually becomes king of the Aquitainians (1443–1452) Epilogue (1453–1456)

next »

Latin

Note: this English text is identical to that found in Waltharius and Ruodlieb, edited and translated by Dennis M. Kratz. The Garland library of medieval literature, Series A, vol. 14. New York: Garland Pub., 1984.