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107-515: Das Eckenlied or Ecken Ausfahrt (The Song of Ecke or Ecke's Quest) is an anonymous 13th-century Middle High German poem about the legendary hero Dietrich von Bern , the counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in Germanic heroic legend . It is one of the so-called fantastical ( aventiurehaft ) Dietrich poems, so called because it more closely resembles a courtly romance than

214-487: A heroic epic . The Eckenlied tells the story of Dietrich's fight against the giant Ecke, who has been sent out by three queens to fetch Dietrich. Dietrich is forced to kill Ecke, after which he must fight Ecke's family, particularly Ecke's treacherous and vengeful brother Fasold. The poem exists in at least three separate but closely related versions, which offer different endings to the tale. A fragmentary text known as Dietrich und Fasold may represent another version of

321-402: A bad light, except in version E 7 , where Dietrich's innocence is emphasized to a greater degree. Particularly the opening conversation of the poem is frequently seen as a metaliterary discussion about the status of Dietrich as a hero: Ecke, Fasolt, Ebenrot, and Seburg all desire to verify Dietrich's fame, in the same manner as the audience might. The Eckenlied also alludes to themes from

428-542: A caesura, then an additional three or four feet, depending on placement in the stanza. Printed this way, the stanza from the Codex Buranus (cited according to Vollmann's edition) appears thus: Dietrich und Fasold appears to be written either in the same stanza as the Nibelungenlied , or else in the " Hildebrandston "—it is not clear from the fragmentary nature of the text. The Eckenlied , together with Sigenot are

535-441: A common motif in the fantastical Dietrich poems, functions here as a criticism of Ecke's insistence on fighting. Victor Millet sees in this criticism a disavowal of the knightly battles on behalf of women commonly portrayed in courtly romance . On the other hand, version e 1 removes any criticism of love service and thus moves the epic much closer to romance. At the same time, Dietrich's brutal killing of Ecke casts heroic battle in

642-493: A form of the Turkic "Ot-toghar" ("grass-born" or "fire-born"), or the shorter form "Ot-ghar" ("herder"). There is also debate regarding the etymology of Edeco, the apparent name of Odoacer's father. Omeljan Pritsak considered it Turkic, ; others such as Peter Heather considered it Germanic. The name of Odoacer's apparent brother, Hunulf or Onulf, is generally accepted to be Germanic "Hun wolf". Reynolds and Lopez emphasized that

749-588: A group of barbarians on their way to Italy stopped to pay their respects to the holy man. Odoacer, at the time "a young man, of tall figure, clad in poor clothes", learned from Severinus that he would one day become famous. Despite the fact that Odoacer was an Arian Christian and Severinus was Catholic, the latter left a deep impression on him. When Odoacer took his leave, Severinus made one final comment which proved prophetic: "Go to Italy, go, now covered with mean hides; soon you will make rich gifts to many." By 470, Odoacer had become an officer in what remained of

856-439: A long time, and Ecke tries to force Dietrich to surrender, but Dietrich refuses. Finally, Dietrich gains the upper hand, but Ecke also refuses to surrender. Due to Ecke's invincible armor, Dietrich is forced to stab the giant dishonorably through a gap in his armor. He then mourns Ecke at some length. Ecke asks Dietrich to cut off his head and bring it to Seburg, which he does. He then puts on the giant's armor and takes his sword. In

963-463: A new administrative era over Roman lands. Odoacer introduced a few important changes to the administrative system of Italy. According to Jordanes, at the beginning of his reign he "slew Count Bracila at Ravenna that he might inspire a fear of himself among the Romans." He took many military actions to strengthen his control over Italy and its neighbouring areas. He achieved a solid diplomatic coup by inducing

1070-505: A result of this expansion. "Judeo-German", the precursor of the Yiddish language, is attested in the 12th–13th centuries, as a variety of Middle High German written in Hebrew characters. The Middle High German period is generally dated from 1050 to 1350. An older view puts the boundary with (Early) New High German around 1500. There are several phonological criteria which separate MHG from

1177-560: A single stanza in the Codex Buranus , appear to show that the poem existed in a much shorter version, beginning with Ecke's encounter with Dietrich in the forest. It is possible that this is the original beginning of the poem, with everything before this encounter being added later. Although version E 7 is from the fifteenth century, various fragments and depictions in Runkelstein Castle make it likely that similar versions existed in

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1284-508: A three-year siege, Theodoric entered the city on 5 March. Odoacer died ten days later, slain by Theodoric while they shared a meal. Theodoric had plotted to have a group of his followers kill him while the two kings were feasting together in the imperial palace of Honorius "Ad Laurentum" ("At the Laurel Grove"); when this plan went astray, Theodoric drew his sword and struck him on the collarbone. In response to Odoacer's dying question, "Where

1391-459: A trusted man of Attila, and ambassador to Constantinople. He escorted Priscus and other Imperial dignitaries back to Attila's camp. It is not universally accepted that this Edeco is the father of Odoacer. Priscus once calls him a Scythian, and another time a Hun. It has been argued classifications like "Scythian" or "Hun" from this period could refer to social type and lifestyle rather than an exact ethnic origin. Macbain, however, argues that Priscus

1498-429: Is God?" Theodoric cried, "This is what you did to my friends." Theodoric was said to have stood over the body of his dead rival and exclaimed, "The man has no bones in his body." Not only did Theodoric slay Odoacer, he thereafter had the betrayed king's loyal followers hunted down and killed as well, an event which left him as the master of Italy. Odoacer's wife Sunigilda was stoned to death, and his brother Onoulphus

1605-436: Is a lie: the hero treacherously slew the giants Hilde and Grim while they were asleep to steal their armor. Fasold intervenes and says that Ebenrot is wrong: Dietrich slew Hilde and Grim because the giants would otherwise have killed him. Ecke decides to agree with Fasold. Meanwhile, three queens are on the mountain of Jochgrimm: one of them, Seburg wishes very much to see Dietrich, and hearing of Ecke's interest, asks him to bring

1712-534: Is frequently mentioned as Dietrich's opponent when authors make allusions to the legends about Dietrich. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the poem even seems to have inspired a saying, "Ecke ist an den Berner geraten" (Ecke has met the Berner [i.e. Dietrich]), meaning that someone has met their match. Middle High German While there is no standard MHG, the prestige of the Hohenstaufen court gave rise in

1819-651: Is highly likely that there were oral tales circulating about Ecke. Heinzle, however, is doubtful that any such oral tradition exists: he suggests rather that the Ekka episode was altered by the compiler of the Thidrekssaga. The Eckenlied was one of the most popular poems about Dietrich, with one or possibly two of Dietrich's giantess opponents from the Dresden version being included to in the frescoes at Runkelstein Castle (c. 1400). Ecke

1926-400: Is often interpreted as an explanation of the name of Dietrich's sword, Ecke sachs . This originally meant "sword with a sharp edge", but when ecke took on the meaning it has in modern German (corner), the name was reinterpreted as meaning "the sword of Ecke". The name Eckesachs never appears in the text however, though the sword is referred to as "Hern Ecken sachs" (Sir Ecke's sword). Eckesachs

2033-897: Is the opening strophe of the Nibelungenlied ( c.  1204 ). Middle High German Uns ist in alten mæren    wunders vil geseit von helden lobebæren,    von grôzer arebeit, von freuden, hôchgezîten,    von weinen und von klagen, von küener recken strîten    muget ir nu wunder hœren sagen. Modern German translation In alten Erzählungen wird uns viel Wunderbares berichtet von ruhmreichen Helden, von hartem Streit, von glücklichen Tagen und Festen, von Schmerz und Klage: vom Kampf tapferer Recken: Davon könnt auch Ihr nun Wunderbares berichten hören. Odoacer Odoacer ( / ˌ oʊ d oʊ ˈ eɪ s ər / OH -doh- AY -sər ; c.  433 – 15 March 493 AD), also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar ,

2140-631: The History of the Franks of Gregory of Tours , using two different spellings and involving two different regions. These involve events which were early enough to be Odoacer before his appearance in Italy. Both were during the lifetime of Childeric I , king of the Franks, who died about 481. Another early recorded event which is more certainly about Odoacer the future king, was shortly before he arrived in Italy. Eugippius , in his Life of Saint Severinus , records how

2247-531: The Wunderer and Virginal . Further evidence for an oral version of the tale might be provided by the Ekka episode Thidrekssaga , which differs in crucial details in both its treatment of Ecke and Fasold. Additionally, the fragmentary Dietrich und Fasold appears to match neither the meter nor the content of the Eckenlied. Particularly because of the version found in the Thidrekssaga, Victor Millet believes that it

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2354-573: The Burgundians seized the opportunity to plunder and devastated Liguria . Many Romans were taken into captivity and did not regain their freedom until Theodoric ransomed them three years later. The following summer, the Visigothic king Alaric II demonstrated what Wolfram calls "one of the rare displays of Gothic solidarity" and sent military aid to help his kinsman, forcing Odoacer to raise his siege. Theodoric emerged from Ticinum, and on 11 August 490,

2461-597: The Consulate and other prestigious offices: " Basilius , Decius , Venantius , and Manlius Boethius held the consulship and were either Prefects of Rome or Praetorian Prefects; Symmachus and Sividius were consuls and Prefects of Rome; another senator of old family, Cassiodorus, was appointed a minister of finance." A. H. M. Jones also notes that under Odoacer the Senate acquired "enhanced prestige and influence" in order to counter any desires for restoration of Imperial rule. As

2568-835: The Danube and defeated the Rugii in their own territory. Zeno eventually appointed the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great , who had been menacing the Eastern Empire within the Balkans. Theodoric invaded Italy in 489 and by August 490 had captured almost the entire peninsula, forcing Odoacer to take refuge in Ravenna . The city surrendered on 5 March 493. Theodoric invited Odoacer to a banquet of reconciliation, where instead of forging an alliance, Theodoric killed Odoacer, and replaced him as king. The origin of

2675-554: The Eckenlied , but differences in meter and content make this uncertain. Fasold and the three queens may have originally been figures of Tyrolean folklore, while Ecke may have been invented to explain the name of Dietrich's sword, Eckesachs (sharp sword). The Eckenlied is the earliest poem about Dietrich attested (c. 1230) after his appearance in the Nibelungenlied . It was one of the most popular narratives about Dietrich throughout

2782-590: The Old English poem Wulf and Eadwacer (where Old English renders the earlier Germanic sound au- as ea- ). However, historians Robert L. Reynolds and Robert S. Lopez explored the possibility that the name Odoacer was not Germanic, making several arguments that his ethnic background might lie elsewhere. One of these is that his name, "Odoacer", for which they claimed an etymology in Germanic languages had not been convincingly found, arguing instead that it could be

2889-580: The Ostrogoths , who were one of the most dominant of the post-Attila groups. It has also been pointed out by Reynolds and Lopez that Attila had an uncle named Rogus and that Jordanes may have been saying Odoacer was his descendant. After the battle of Bolia, the Scirii, Rugii and Heruli made up a large part of the military force Odoacer came to control in Italy, while the Ostrogoths moved into Eastern Roman territory in

2996-750: The Thuringii . While in one passage of Getica , Jordanes describes Odoacer as king of the Turcilingi ( Torcilingorum rex ) with Scirian and Heruli followers, in another passage Jordanes mentions Italy being "shaken by the tyranny of the Torcilingi and Rugi" during Odoacer's reign. In his Romana , the same author defines Odoacer as a descendant of the Rugii , or of a person named Rogus ( Odoacer genere Rogus ), with Turcilingi, Scirian and Heruli followers. The Scirii and Heruls were among those known to contemporaries such as

3103-632: The Vandals took their turn to strike while both sides were fully engaged and invaded Sicily. While Theodoric was engaged with them, his ally Fredericus, king of the Rugians, began to oppress the inhabitants of Pavia , whom the latter's forces had been garrisoned to protect. Once Theodoric intervened in person in late August 491, his punitive acts drove Fredericus to desert with his followers to Tufa. By this time, however, Odoacer appeared to have lost all hope of victory. A large-scale sortie he sent out of Ravenna on

3210-457: The Vandals . In A.D. 476 the same principle of disintegration was first applied to Italy. The settlement of Odovacar's East Germans, with Zeno's acquiescence, began the process by which Italian soil was to pass into the hands of Ostrogoths and Lombards , Franks and Normans . And Odovacar's title of king emphasised the significance of the change. In 476, Odoacer was proclaimed rex by his soldiers and dux Italiae by emperor Zeno, initiating

3317-700: The praetorian prefect . The biography of Pope Felix III in the Liber Pontificalis openly states that the pontiff's tenure occurred during Odoacer's reign without any complaints about the king being registered. In 487/488, Odoacer led his army to victory against the Rugians in Noricum , taking their king Feletheus into captivity; when word that Feletheus's son, Fredericus , had returned to his people, Odoacer sent his brother Onoulphus with an army back to Noricum against him. Onoulphus found it necessary to evacuate

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3424-468: The Balkans. The near contemporary Auctorium Havniense also calls Odoacer a king of Heruli. Many historians, such as medieval scholar Michael Frassetto , accept that Odoacer was of Scirian heritage, because of the apparent family links to Edeko and Hunulf. On the other hand, scholars are divided about whether Jordanes can be relied upon concerning the "Turcilingi". It has also been proposed that these are an otherwise unknown Turkic speaking people among

3531-514: The Eastern Empire. Although Odoacer was an Arian Christian , his relations with the Chalcedonian church hierarchy were remarkably good. As G. M. Cook notes in her introduction to Magnus Felix Ennodius 's Life of Saint Epiphanius , he showed great esteem for Bishop Epiphanius : in response to the bishop's petition, Odoacer granted the inhabitants of Liguria a five-year immunity from taxes, and again granted his requests for relief from abuses by

3638-638: The Gothic peoples who came to the Middle Danube during the time of Attila's empire, including the Sciri , Heruli , and Rugii . In several passages, Jordanes also associated Odoacer with the otherwise unknown Turcilingi —who may have been a people or perhaps a dynasty. The Turcilingi are not mentioned in any other historical sources apart from those derived from Jordanes and their ethnic affiliations are unclear, but they may have been Gothic , Hunnic , or even precursors of

3745-529: The Great and his Ostrogoths the Italian peninsula if they were to defeat and remove Odoacer. As both Herwig Wolfram and Peter Heather point out, Theodoric had his own reasons to agree to this offer: "Theodoric had enough experience to know (or at least suspect) that Zeno would not, in the long term, tolerate his independent power. When Theodoric rebelled in 485, we are told, he had in mind Zeno's treatment of Armatus . Armatus defected from Basilicus to Zeno in 476, and

3852-550: The Huns. Whether or not this is accepted, there is also an argument that the Turcilingi mentioned by Jordanes were early Thuringians, who established a kingdom by about this time in what is now central Germany, relatively far to the north of the Danubian kingdoms. In favour of this argument, the 10th century Suda identifies Odoacer's apparent brother Hunulf as a Thuringian on his father's side and Scirian on his mother's side. This fragment

3959-474: The Landsberger version, a nymph named Vrou Babehilt binds his wounds. After recovering some from his wounds, Dietrich encounters a woman running through the forest. She is being hunted by Fasold, who rides up and demands to know why Dietrich is interfering with his hunt. Fasold is described as having two long braided locks that hang down to his waist and which are woven in with iron. The giant decides not to fight

4066-533: The MHG period is characterised by a massive rise in population, terminated by the demographic catastrophe of the Black Death (1348). Along with the rise in population comes a territorial expansion eastwards ( Ostsiedlung ), which saw German-speaking settlers colonise land previously under Slavic control. Linguistically, the transition to Early New High German is marked by four vowel changes which together produce

4173-462: The Middle Ages and into the early modern period. It was first printed in 1490 and continued to be printed until the end of the 1500s. The Eckenlied begins with a conversation between three giants: Ecke, Fasold, and Ebenrot. Ecke proclaims that Dietrich von Bern is praised by everyone, while Ecke, despite having performed heroic deeds, is completely unknown. Ebenrot counters that Dietrich's reputation

4280-597: The Roman Army. Although Jordanes writes of Odoacer as invading Italy "as leader of the Sciri, the Heruli and allies of various races", modern writers describe him as being part of the Roman military establishment, based on John of Antioch 's statement that Odoacer was on the side of Ricimer at the beginning of his battle with the emperor Anthemius in 472. Odoacer is said to have "hastened

4387-513: The Skirians may have been [...] no one doubts that the Thuringians were Germans", and that while the "ancient sources exhibit considerable confusion over Odovacer's tribal affiliation" none of them calls Odoacer a Hun. Historian Patrick Amory explains that "Odoacer is called a Scirian, a Rugian, a Goth or a Thuringian in sources; his father is called a Hun, his mother a Scirian. Odoacer's father Edeco

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4494-581: The Vandal king Gaiseric to cede Sicily to him. Noting that "Odovacar seized power in August of 476, Gaiseric died in January 477, and the sea usually became closed to navigation around the beginning of November", F. M. Clover dates this cession to September or October 476. When Julius Nepos was murdered by two of his retainers in his country house near Salona (9 May 480), Odoacer assumed the duty of pursuing and executing

4601-517: The West, "if he truly wished to act with justice." Although he accepted the title of Patrician and Dux from Zeno, Odoacer did not invite Julius Nepos to return to Rome, and the latter remained in Dalmatia until his death. Odoacer was careful to observe form, however, and made a pretence of acting on Nepos's authority, even issuing coins with both his image and that of Zeno. Following Nepos's murder in 480, who

4708-435: The approximate values of /ei/ , /iə/ , /ou/ , /øy/ , /eu/ , /yə/ , /uə/ , respectively. Middle High German pronouns of the first person refer to the speaker; those of the second person refer to an addressed person; and those of the third person refer to a person or thing of which one speaks. The pronouns of the third person may be used to replace nominal phrases . These have the same genders , numbers and cases as

4815-633: The armies of the two kings clashed on the Adda River . Odoacer again was defeated and forced back into Ravenna, where Theodoric besieged him. Ravenna proved to be invulnerable, surrounded by marshes and estuaries and easily supplied by small boats from its hinterlands, as Procopius later pointed out in his History . Further, Tufa remained at large in the strategic valley of the Adige near Trent , and received unexpected reinforcements when dissent amongst Theodoric's ranks led to sizable desertions. That same year,

4922-512: The assassins, and at the same time established his own rule in Dalmatia. As Bury points out, "It is highly important to observe that Odovacar established his political power with the co-operation of the Roman Senate, and this body seems to have given him their loyal support throughout his reign, so far as our meagre sources permit us to draw inferences." He regularly nominated members of the Senate to

5029-535: The command of Orestes were significant contingents of Germanic peoples made up mostly of Rugii and Heruli tribesmen. Before the end of that year Orestes had rebelled and driven Nepos from Italy. Orestes then proclaimed his young son Romulus the new emperor as Romulus Augustus, called "Augustulus" (31 October). At this time, Odoacer was a soldier rising through the ranks. However, Nepos reorganized his court in Salona in Dalmatia, and received homage and affirmation from

5136-400: The conspirators, conquered the region and incorporated it into his domain within two years. When Illus , master of soldiers of the Eastern Empire, asked for Odoacer's help in 484 in his struggle to depose Zeno, Odoacer invaded Zeno's westernmost provinces. The emperor responded first by inciting the Rugii of present-day Austria to attack Italy. During the winter of 487–488, Odoacer crossed

5243-467: The content of that plate is considered nothing more than a legend. In spite of that, the plate has become a popular "source" for several theorists that try to connect Odoacer with ancient Celtic Ruthenes , and also with later Slavic Ruthenians . Historian Paul R. Magocsi argues such theories should be regarded as "inventive tales" of "creative" writers and nothing more. Finally, a passage from Eugippius's Life of Saint Severinus indicated that Odoacer

5350-674: The dragons, but himself had to go to a monastery to repent for his sins, being tortured by demons. From there Seburg got the armor. She tries to convince Ecke to take a horse, but he refuses. Ecke travels to Verona, but is directed to Tyrol. After coming upon a man mortally wounded by Dietrich, Hilferich von Lunders (possibly Londres, i.e. London ; in other versions he is described as von Lune and von Lütringen, i.e. Lotharingia ), he finally encounters Dietrich himself, and challenges him to combat. Dietrich refuses, saying Ecke has done him no wrong, and Ecke accuses him of cowardice ( zagheit ). At this Dietrich agrees to fight. Ecke and Dietrich fight for

5457-527: The emperor's downfall", since he switched sides to join with Ricimer. Procopius describes him as one of the Emperor's bodyguards, only agreeing to this position if placed in charge of them. When Orestes was in 475 appointed Magister militum and patrician by the Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos , Odoacer became head of the barbarian foederati military forces of Italy. Under

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5564-418: The etymology of Odoacer's name can be used to determine his ancestry or language has been criticized by historians and philologists such as Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen and Walter Pohl , who have pointed out that Germanic-speakers used Hunnic names in this period and region, and vice versa. As emphasized by Pohl, the same person could be considered Hunnic or Germanic under different circumstances, especially during

5671-688: The example of Good King Arthur who with knightly spirit knew how to strive for praise. In his day He lived so well That he wore the crown of honour And his name still does so. The truth of this is known To his countrymen: They affirm that he still lives today: He won such fame that Although his body died His name lives on. Of sinful shame He will forever be free Who follows his example. Commentary: This text shows many typical features of Middle High German poetic language. Most Middle High German words survive into modern German in some form or other: this passage contains only one word ( jehen 'say' 14) which has since disappeared from

5778-651: The exception of Thuringian, the East Central German dialects are new dialects resulting from the Ostsiedlung and arise towards the end of the period. Middle High German texts are written in the Latin alphabet . There was no standardised spelling, but modern editions generally standardise according to a set of conventions established by Karl Lachmann in the 19th century. There are several important features in this standardised orthography which are not characteristics of

5885-531: The first half of the fourteenth century. Similarly, parts of a version similar to the incomplete E 2 were copied into a printed text of the Eckenlied by fifteenth century scribe Konrad Bollstatter. All versions thus existed at the same time and should be treated equally. Each manuscript or print is listed below according to the version of the Eckenlied it contains as named by Joachim Heinzle. Manuscripts: The first printing represents an independent version: There follow more than eleven further printings into

5992-466: The first part, "hun", although the meaning is uncertain, may refer to the Huns. Odoacer's son is given two different names in ancient sources, Thelan and Oklan. Reynolds and Lopez compare these to Turkic names: "Thelan resembles the name borne by the khagan of the eastern Turks, Tulan, who reigned from 587 to 600 A.D. Oklan resembles closely the Turkish-Tatar word oghlan, 'youth' ". The assumption that

6099-456: The following consonant spellings: The charts show the vowel and consonant systems of classical MHG. The spellings indicated are the standard spellings used in modern editions; there is much more variation in the manuscripts. Notes: MHG diphthongs are indicated by the spellings ⟨ei⟩ , ⟨ie⟩ , ⟨ou⟩ , ⟨öu⟩ and ⟨eu⟩ , ⟨üe⟩ , ⟨uo⟩ , and they have

6206-458: The following vowel spellings: Grammars (as opposed to textual editions) often distinguish between ⟨ë⟩ and ⟨e⟩ , the former indicating the mid-open /ɛ/ which derived from Germanic /e/ , the latter (often with a dot beneath it) indicating the mid-close /e/ which results from primary umlaut of short /a/ . No such orthographic distinction is made in MHG manuscripts. The standardised orthography of MHG editions uses

6313-439: The giant Eckenot (whose name may be a corruption of Ebenrot or vice versa) and then to two or three giantesses, variously Ecke's mother, aunt, or sisters. The oldest nearly complete version, E 2 breaks off at this point. In the remaining two complete versions E 7 and e 1 , Dietrich finally kills Fasold for his treacherous behavior In version E 7 , which is probably the original ending, he then rides into Jochgrimm and throws

6420-588: The giants, who can be seen as personifying injustice, helps prove his qualities as an ideal ruler, something which e 1 explicitly connects to the historical Theoderic's defeat of Odoacer and rule in Italy. Older scholarship believed that the Eckenlied had been heavily influenced by an Old French Arthurian romance "Le Chevalier du Papagau," in which Arthur fights against a similar giant antagonist. An earlier "native" poem about Ecke would thus have been rewritten to incorporate plot elements from this romance. More recent scholarship has abandoned this connection, viewing

6527-464: The head of Ecke at the feet of Seburg, saying that she is the cause of Ecke's pointless death. In version e 1 , Seburg reveals that she sent Ecke to his death deliberately, since he and his brothers were going to force them into marriage. It also mentions that, with Ecke's sword Dietrich later slew Odoacer when called upon to do so by Emperor Zeno . The Eckenlied is transmitted in numerous manuscripts and printed versions, beginning in 1230. The poem

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6634-403: The hero to her. To encourage Ecke not to kill Dietrich, Seburg gives Ecke a sword and armor hardened in dragon blood . It is the same armor that Emperor Ortnit wore when he rode out to fight dragons: Ortnit fell into a magic sleep, however, and was dragged away by a dragoness to her brood, which sucked his flesh out through the invincible armor. It was then recovered by Wolfdietrich , who killed

6741-506: The historian Procopius as "Gothic peoples". They both appear to have come to the Danubian area from the direction of what is now Ukraine , as do the Goths, Huns, and Alans . The Rugii, who apparently originated on the south Baltic coast, are known from other sources for their post-Attila kingdom on the Danube. These groups fought on the same side as the Scirii in the battle of Bolia in 468, defeating

6848-564: The historical Dietrich poems, particularly events recounted in the Rabenschlacht : when Dietrich fights Fasold, Fasold taunts Dietrich with the death of Dietrich's brother Diether and Etzel's sons at the hands of Witege . Fasold implicitly compares Dietrich to Witege, as Fasold seeks to avenge his own brother's death. Meanwhile, Dietrich's successful defeat of Fasold avenges his failure to avenge his own brother and also allows him to get past his problematic victory over Ecke. Dietrich's defeat of

6955-1113: The impetus for this set of social changes came largely from France, many of the new words were either loans from French or influenced by French terms. The French loans mainly cover the areas of chivalry, warfare and equipment, entertainment, and luxury goods: Two highly productive suffixes were borrowed from French in this period: The text is the opening of Hartmann von Aue 's Iwein ( c.  1200 ) Swer an rehte güete wendet sîn gemüete, dem volget sælde und êre. des gît gewisse lêre künec Artûs der guote, der mit rîters muote nâch lobe kunde strîten. er hât bî sînen zîten gelebet alsô schône daz er der êren krône dô truoc und noch sîn name treit. des habent die wârheit sîne lantliute: sî jehent er lebe noch hiute: er hât den lop erworben, ist im der lîp erstorben, sô lebet doch iemer sîn name. er ist lasterlîcher schame iemer vil gar erwert, der noch nâch sînem site vert. [1] [5] [10] [15] [20] Whoever to true goodness Turns his mind He will meet with fortune and honour. We are taught this by

7062-401: The language. But many words have changed their meaning substantially. Muot (6) means 'state of mind' (cognates with mood ), where modern German Mut means courage. Êre (3) can be translated with 'honour', but is quite a different concept of honour from modern German Ehre ; the medieval term focuses on reputation and the respect accorded to status in society. The text

7169-402: The late 12th century to a supra-regional literary language ( mittelhochdeutsche Dichtersprache ) based on Swabian , an Alemannic dialect. This historical interpretation is complicated by the tendency of modern editions of MHG texts to use normalised spellings based on this variety (usually called "Classical MHG"), which make the written language appear more consistent than it actually is in

7276-551: The later period of his reign. Although Odoacer was an Arian Christian , he rarely intervened in the affairs of the Trinitarian state church of the Roman Empire . Before becoming king, Odoacer was a military leader in Italy who led the revolt of Herulian , Rugian , and Scirian soldiers that deposed Romulus Augustulus on 4 September AD 476. Eleven-year-old Augustulus had been declared Western Roman Emperor by his father Orestes ,

7383-657: The majority of Odoacer's army, including his chief general Tufa , surrendered to the Ostrogothic king. Theodoric had no reason to doubt Tufa's loyalty and dispatched his new general to Ravenna with a band of elite soldiers. Herwig Wolfram observes, "[b]ut Tufa changed sides, the Gothic elite force entrusted to his command was destroyed, and Theodoric suffered his first serious defeat on Italian soil." Theodoric recoiled by seeking safety in Ticinum . Odoacer emerged from Ravenna and started to besiege his rival. While both were fully engaged,

7490-573: The manuscripts. Scholars are uncertain as to whether the literary language reflected a supra-regional spoken language of the courts. An important development in this period was the Ostsiedlung , the eastward expansion of German settlement beyond the Elbe - Saale line which marked the limit of Old High German . This process started in the 11th century, and all the East Central German dialects are

7597-462: The military forces that he is most famous for leading throughout his later life. On that basis, he is likely at least partly of Germanic descent. Early medieval sources such as Theophanes called him a Goth . Likewise, the 6th century chronicler Marcellinus Comes called him a "king of the Goths" ( Odoacer rex Gothorum ). One of the most important sources for this topic has been the 6th-century writer Jordanes , who associated him with several of

7704-529: The most tangible example of this renewed prestige, for the first time since the mid-3rd century copper coins were issued with the legend S(enatus) C(onsulto) . Jones describes these coins as "fine big copper pieces", which were "a great improvement on the miserable little nummi hitherto current", and not only were they copied by the Vandals in Africa, but they formed the basis of the currency reform by Anastasius in

7811-419: The name Odoacer, which may give indications as to his tribal affiliation, is debated. It is however traditionally derived from the Germanic components * auda (luck, possession, wealth) and * wakra (awake, vigilant, lively). It is not clear from which branch of the Germanic language family it is derived. In favour of this etymology, this form has a cognate in another Germanic language, the titular Eadwacer of

7918-726: The neuter singular, is used only with prepositions : von diu , ze diu , etc. In all the other genders and in the plural it is substituted with the dative: von dëm , von dër , von dën . Middle High German nouns were declined according to four cases ( nominative , genitive , dative , accusative ), two numbers (singular and plural ) and three genders (masculine, feminine and neuter), much like Modern High German, though there are several important differences. Verbs were conjugated according to three moods ( indicative , subjunctive (conjunctive) and imperative ), three persons, two numbers (singular and plural ) and two tenses ( present tense and preterite ) There

8025-488: The night of 9/10 July 491 ended in failure, during which his commander-in-chief, Livilia, along with the best of his Herulian soldiers, was killed. On 29 August 492, the Goths were about to assemble enough ships at Rimini to set up an effective blockade of Ravenna. Despite these decisive losses, the war dragged on until 25 February 493 when John, bishop of Ravenna, was able to negotiate a treaty between Theodoric and Odoacer to occupy Ravenna together and share joint rule. After

8132-505: The only attestations of a story-possibly a lost poem-about the giants Hilde and Grim, from whom Dietrich won his helmet, named "Hildegrim." The tale is told in its entirely only in the Old Norse Thidrekssaga , which used German sources. It is also possible that there may never have been a written poem about Hilde and Grim; the tale may have been a purely oral one and well known to the Eckenlied's and Sigenot's audience. The poem

8239-485: The original manuscripts : A particular problem is that many manuscripts are of much later date than the works they contain; as a result, they bear the signs of later scribes having modified the spellings, with greater or lesser consistency, in accord with conventions of their time. In addition, there is considerable regional variation in the spellings that appear in the original texts, which modern editions largely conceal. The standardised orthography of MHG editions uses

8346-435: The original nominal phrase. The possessive pronouns mîn, dîn, sîn, ir, unser, iuwer are used like adjectives and hence take on adjective endings following the normal rules. The inflected forms of the article depend on the number, the case and the gender of the corresponding noun. The definite article has the same plural forms for all three genders. Definite article (strong) The instrumental case , only existing in

8453-584: The phonemic system of modern German, though not all dialects participated equally in these changes: The centres of culture in the ENHG period are no longer the courts but the towns. The dialect map of Germany by the end of the Middle High German period was much the same as that at the start of the 20th century, though the boundary with Low German was further south than it now is: Central German ( Mitteldeutsch ) Upper German ( Oberdeutsch ) With

8560-550: The preceding Old High German period: Culturally, the two periods are distinguished by the transition from a predominantly clerical written culture, in which the dominant language was Latin , to one centred on the courts of the great nobles, with German gradually expanding its range of use. The rise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in Swabia makes the South West the dominant region in both political and cultural terms. Demographically,

8667-417: The rebellious general of the army in Italy, less than a year before, but had been unable to gain allegiance or recognition beyond central Italy. With the backing of the Roman Senate, Odoacer thenceforth ruled Italy autonomously, paying lip service to the authority of Julius Nepos , the previous Western emperor, and Zeno. Upon Nepos's murder in 480, Odoacer invaded Dalmatia , to punish the murderers. He executed

8774-571: The remaining Romans and resettled them in Italy. The remaining Rugians fled and took refuge with the Ostrogoths; the abandoned province was settled by the Lombards by 493. As Odoacer's position improved, Zeno , the Eastern Emperor, increasingly saw him as a rival. Odoacer exchanged messages with Illus , who had been in open revolt against Zeno since 484. Switching allegiances, Zeno subsequently sought to destroy Odoacer and then promised Theodoric

8881-705: The remaining fragments of the Western Empire beyond Italy and, most importantly, from Constantinople, which refused to accept Augustulus, Zeno having branded him and his father as traitors and usurpers. About this time the foederati , who had been quartered in Italy all of these years, had grown weary of this arrangement. In the words of J. B. Bury , "They desired to have roof-trees and lands of their own, and they petitioned Orestes to reward them for their services, by granting them lands and settling them permanently in Italy". Orestes refused their petition, and they turned to Odoacer to lead their revolt against Orestes. Orestes

8988-424: The similarities as superficial. Like the majority of German heroic epics , the Eckenlied is written in stanzas. The poem is composed in a stanza form known as the "Berner Ton," which consists of 13 lines in the following rhyme scheme: aabccbdedefxf . It shares this metrical form with the poems Goldemar , Sigenot , and Virginal . Early modern melodies for the "Berner Ton" have survived, indicating that it

9095-543: The sixteenth century and beyond. The fragmentary Dietrich und Fasold is transmitted on three small strips of a manuscript from around 1300 that were used as bookbinding in Niedersächsische Landesbibliothek Hanover MS VII 626. The Eckenlied is often interpreted as a critique of courtly love service : Ecke foolishly rides out on behalf of Seburg, which results in his death and extreme hardship for Dietrich. Dietrich's zagheit (cowardice),

9202-496: The still gravely wounded Dietrich, apparently not recognizing his brother's armor or seeing Ecke's head. Dietrich falls asleep while the maiden watches. However, Fasold changes his mind and returns in the night – the maiden is barely able to rouse Dietrich before Fasold appears with his hounds. The two fight, and Dietrich overcomes Fasold by cutting off his braided locks, and the giant surrenders. However, he then recognizes his brother's armor and Dietrich admits to having killed Ecke, and

9309-417: The three queens in the Eckenlied into witches with power over the weather, while Fasolt would be a storm demon. Fasolt's long hair is also taken as evidence of his demonic origins: The name Fasolt likely derives from a root similar to Old High German faso , thread, and most likely refers to his long braided hair. If this interpretation is correct, than Fasolt and Ecke were not originally brothers, but Ecke

9416-522: The two fight once more. Dietrich accuses Fasold of fighting with the strength of two men, saying Ecke's spirit has entered the giant, at which Fasold counters that Diether's spirit must have entered Dietrich, he is so strong. At the memory of Witige's treachery, Dietrich is enraged and finally overcomes Fasold, sparing him only at the insistence of the maiden. At this point the three texts diverge – in all, Fasold treacherously leads Dietrich to members of his family in hopes that they will kill him, taking him to

9523-443: The upheavals after Attila's death, and "the ruling class of Attila's empire continued to influence tribal politics even after its collapse". In a fragment from a history of Priscus , reproduced in the 7th century by John of Antioch , Odoacer is described as a man of the Sciri, the son of Edeco ("Idiko"), and brother of Hunulf who killed Armatus in the eastern Roman empire. The Anonymus Valesianus agrees that his father's name

9630-407: The vowels in brackets were dropped in rapid speech. The preterite conjugation went as follows: The present tense conjugation went as follows: The vowels in brackets were dropped in rapid speech. The preterite conjugation went as follows: In the Middle High German period, the rise of a courtly culture and the changing nature of knighthood was reflected in changes to the vocabulary. Since

9737-570: Was Edeko ("Aediko"), and refers to him leading Sciri and Heruli. Another record of an Edica—apparently the same person—is found in Jordanes , who identified him as a leader of the Sciri along with a person named Hunuulf (presumably his son), after the fall of Attila. They were defeated by the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Bolia in Pannonia about 469. An earlier Edeco ("Edekon") was described by Priscus as

9844-678: Was a barbarian soldier and statesman from the Middle Danube who deposed the Western Roman child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became the ruler of Italy (476–493). Odoacer's overthrow of Romulus Augustulus is traditionally understood as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire . Although he held power over Italy , he also represented himself as the client of the Eastern Roman Emperor in Constantinople , Zeno . He

9951-427: Was a present participle, a past participle and a verbal noun that somewhat resembles the Latin gerund , but that only existed in the genitive and dative cases. An important distinction is made between strong verbs (that exhibited ablaut ) and weak verbs (that didn't). Furthermore, there were also some irregular verbs. The present tense conjugation went as follows: The bold vowels demonstrate umlaut ;

10058-599: Was apparently famous enough to be referenced in Heinrich von Veldeke 's Eneis (c. 1186), which predates the Eckenlied. Heinzle does not believe that this early mention is any proof of an oral story about Ecke. Whether or not Ecke has a long existence in oral tradition, Fasolt and Seburg are more commonly supposed to have. They are commonly connected to a 17th-century prayer to witches at the mountain Jochgrimm outside of Bozen to cause "ffasolt" to send storms far away. This would make

10165-419: Was associated first with the Huns under Attila, and then with a group called Sciri, an ethnographic name that appears intermittently in fifth-century sources." This line of reasoning is also picked up on by historian Erik Jensen, who avows that Odoacer was born to a Gothic mother and that his father Edeco was a Hun . There are two recorded incidents involving military leaders with the name Odoacer preserved in

10272-472: Was careful with such terms, and sees this as evidence that Edeco cannot be the Scirian father of Odoacer. Except for the fact that he was not considered Roman , Odoacer's precise ethnic origins are not known. His origins probably lie in the multi-ethnic empire of Attila , a generation earlier, which included several groups referred to in this period as "Gothic peoples"—the same polyethnic complex which dominated

10379-492: Was clear: the West no longer required a separate Emperor, for "one monarch sufficed [to rule] the world". In response, Zeno accepted their gifts and this essentially brought to an end any puppet emperors in the West, with Nepos banished and Anthemius dead. The Eastern Emperor then conferred upon Odoacer the title of Patrician and granted him legal authority to govern Italy in the name of Rome, as dux Italiae . Zeno also suggested that Odoacer should receive Nepos back as Emperor in

10486-593: Was inserted into a much older story. Heinzle, however, dismisses the weather prayer: its source is unclear and neither is it clear that "ffasolt" is the same as the Fasolt found in the Eckenlied Fasolt may also be a sort of reversal of versions of a legend in which Dietrich von Bern is leader of the Wild Hunt and hunts women in the forest: Dietrich instead fights against an opponent with this characteristic, as he also does in

10593-626: Was killed at Placentia along with his brother Paulus outside Ravenna . The Germanic foederati, the Scirians and the Heruli, as well as a large segment of the Italic Roman army, then proclaimed Odoacer rex ("king") on 23 August 476. Odoacer then advanced to Ravenna and captured the city, compelling the young emperor Romulus to abdicate on 4 September. According to the Anonymus Valesianus , Odoacer

10700-625: Was killed while waiting in Dalmatia, Zeno became sole Emperor. Bury, however, disagrees that Odoacer's assumption of power marked the fall of the Western Roman Empire: It stands out prominently as an important stage in the process of the dismemberment of the Empire. It belongs to the same catalogue of chronological dates which includes A.D. 418, when Honorius settled the Goths in Aquitaine , and A.D. 435, when Valentinian ceded African lands to

10807-591: Was likely composed shortly before that time, possibly in Tyrol . As with almost all German heroic epic , it is anonymous. It was one of the most popular poems about Dietrich. In common with all fantastical Dietrich poems, the Eckenlied is characterized by a great deal of variation in its transmission, so that each manuscript essentially represents an parallel and equally valid version of the poem. The three principle versions are E 2 (c. 1300, incomplete), E 7 (1472), and e 1 (printed 1491). The oldest attestation, E 1 ,

10914-614: Was made senior imperial general for life. Within a year, Zeno had him assassinated." In 489, Theodoric led the Ostrogoths across the Julian Alps and into Italy. On 28 August, Odoacer met him at the Isonzo , only to be defeated. He withdrew to Verona , reaching its outskirts on 27 September, where he immediately set up a fortified camp. Theodoric followed him and three days later defeated him again. While Odoacer took refuge in Ravenna , Theodoric continued across Italy to Mediolanum , where

11021-450: Was meant to be sung. Heinzle gives the first stanza of the Eckenlied as a typical example: In the earliest version, E 1 , there is a slight variation in how the stanza is put together, with the lines pattern instead as: aabccbxexefxf . Heinzle interprets this to mean that the lines without rhymes were originally the first half of a caesura in a "Langzeile," the same line unit used in the Nibelungenlied . This features three or four feet,

11128-587: Was most likely written by the contemporary historian Malchus , who was a near contemporary and likely to be well-informed. Much later, a memorial plate from 1521 found in the catacombe Chapel of St Maximus in Petersfriedhof —the burial site of St Peter's Abbey in Salzburg (Austria)—mentions Odoacer as King of "Rhutenes" or "Rhutenians" ( Latin : Rex Rhvtenorvm ), who invaded Noricum in 477. Due to its very late date of 1521 and several anachronistic elements,

11235-524: Was moved by Romulus's youth and his beauty to not only spare his life but give him a pension of 6,000 solidi and sent him to Campania to live with his relatives. Following Romulus Augustus's deposition, according to the historian Malchus, upon hearing of the accession of Zeno to the throne, the Senate in Rome sent an embassy to the Eastern Emperor and bestowed upon him the Western imperial insignia. The message

11342-573: Was referred to not only as a king ( Latin : rex ), but also as duke (Latin: dux ), or using the Roman honorific patrician , granted by Zeno. Odoacer himself used the title of king in the only surviving official document that emanated from his chancery, and it was also used by the consul Basilius . He had the support of the Roman Senate and was able to distribute land to his followers without much opposition. Unrest among his warriors led to violence in 477–478, but no such disturbances occurred during

11449-431: Was so tall that he had to bend down to pass through the doorway, which historian Bruce Macbain considers another strong argument that he was unlikely to have been a Hun, as ancient sources describe the Huns as shorter than Romans. Historians such as Penny MacGeorge and Macbain avow that Odoacer was likely half-Scirian and half-Thuringian. Macbain's sees this as evidence of Odoacer's Germanic heritage arguing that "whatever

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