Modern German critics agree in assigning a high literary value to the poem of Gudrun, and compare it not unfavorably with the Nibelungenlied. Bartsch, the critic above named, says: “The general impression which the poem gives is one of greater beauty, though not always of equal grandeur with that of the Nibelungen; it is a worthy companion-piece. The two are justly compared, as are the Iliad and the Odyssey. In the Nibelungen as in the Iliad the fate of a whole people is decided by the sword, and the ruling house, consisting of noble heroes, meets destruction before our eyes; but the conquerors do not fully rejoice in their success. The whole breathes a tragic spirit, even more than the Greek epic. ‘Nach Freude Leid’—‘after joy comes sorrow’—is the earnest tone throughout. Gudrun, like the Odyssey, closes more tenderly and in a spirit of reconciliation. Although pitiless fate has destroyed the happiness of those for whom the poet has awakened our sympathy, and we see a noble being suffer in the most shameful manner, yet we are sustained by hope, and a happy end compensates for woes endured. ‘Aus Leid Freude’—‘sorrows end in joy’—is the final conclusion. … All the characters are worked out in the most minute and careful manner, and are developed consistently. … The best traits of the German nature, fearless bravery, unfaltering fidelity, and unswerving integrity, are presented. The nobility of a feminine soul which, inspired by pure love, in the distress of a hard captivity, preserves its fidelity to its beloved, perhaps in no poem of the German middle ages is so strikingly shown as in the character of Gudrun. … The descriptions both of battle and scenery are masterly, and are painted with a few decisive strokes.”
The metrical form of Gudrun is similar to that of the Nibelungen. In both, the accentuation is determined by the logical sense, as in prose, and not always by the number of syllables, as in most modern verse. In both, the lines are metrically divided, giving three accents to each half-line of the stanza, except in the fourth line, in which Gudrun differs from the Nibelungen in having five accents instead of four on the concluding half-line.
The translator has adhered to the original rhythm, and has endeavored in each stanza to convey strictly the ideas of the author, being careful not to introduce anything, in thought or simile, foreign to the poem, and, as far as the verse would permit, to give a verbal rendering.
The translation has been made from Bartsch’s edition of the original Middle High German (Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1874). He, like the other editors, has supplied some omissions in the manuscript, an instance of which may be seen in the sixth line of the facsimile given. The drawings introduced are copied from medieval German printed books.
I wish to acknowledge my obligation to my brother for careful revision and for many important improvements throughout the translation.
Names of Persons
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Ger—an early king of Ireland, grandfather of Hagen.
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U-te—wife of Ger.
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Sigeband—son of Ger and U-te.
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U-te—a Norwegian princess, wife of Sigeband.
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Hagen—son of Sigeband and the second U-te, and grandfather of Gudrun.
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Hilda—a princess of India, wife of Hagen.
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Hilda—daughter of Hagen, wife of Hettel.
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Hettel—king of the Hegelings, husband of Hilda, and father of Gudrun and Ortwin.
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Gudrun—daughter of Hettel and Hilda.
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Ortwin—prince of Ortland, son of Hettel and Hilda.
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Wâ-te—vassal of Hettel.
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Fru-te—vassal of Hettel.
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Horant—vassal of Hettel.
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Morunc—vassal of Hettel.
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Irold—vassal of Hettel.
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Ludwig—king of Normandy.
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Gerlind—wife of Ludwig.
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Hartmut—son of Ludwig and Gerlind, a suitor for Gudrun.
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Ortrun—daughter of Ludwig and Gerlind.
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Siegfried—king of Moorland, a suitor for Gudrun.
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Herwic—king of Sealand, betrothed to Gudrun.
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Hildeburg—maiden companion of Gudrun.
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Hergart—maiden companion of Gudrun.
Names of Places
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Abakie—an imaginary Eastern land, subject to Siegfried.
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Abalie—an Eastern land, noted for gems and cloths.
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Alzabie—a fabulous Moorland city, the residence of Siegfried.
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Amilé—an imaginary Eastern land, the home of mermaids.
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Araby—a land whence came fine clothes and treasures.
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Ballian—Ballyghan, Hagen’s chief city in Ireland.
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Daneland—not the present Denmark, but, in the ninth century, the seat of the Danes in Friesland, near the mouth of the Scheldt.
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Dietmarsch—a province subject to Hettel.
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Friesland—subject to Hettel, and held in fief by Morunc and Irold.
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Galeis—a land whose people are friendly to Herwic.
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Galicia—Portugal, the home of Hildeburg.
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Garadie—an indeterminate country, near Ireland.
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Givers—a fabulous land, subject to Horant.
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Gulstred—a place in the West.
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Hegeling—the name of a people on the North Sea, in Holland, governed by Hettel.
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Holstein—variously mentioned as subject to Fru-te, to Irolt, and to Ortwin.
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Icaria—a fabulous land whose people are allies of Siegfried of Moorland.
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Ireland—The situation seems sometimes to correspond with the modern Ireland, and sometimes to a part of Holland. There is a place in Texel, at the present day, named Eijerland.
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Iserland—the home of one of Gudrun’s maiden companions.
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Kampalia—a fabulous land noted for rich clothing.
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Kampatille—Hettel’s castle, also called Matelan.
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Karadie—a land belonging to Siegfried of Moorland.
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Kassian—the chief city and castle of Normandy.
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Matelan—see Kampatille.
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Moorland—the kingdom of Siegfried; owing to the love of the marvelous in antiquity, regarded by the poet as the land of the Moors, but probably a low country near the North Sea.
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Nifland—“the land of fogs,” on the lower Rhine, the home of the Nibelungen.
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Normandy or Ormanie—may be the country now known as Normandy, or is perhaps a region near the mouth of the Scheldt, where the name Ormans-kapelle occurs in an ancient map.
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Ortland—probably Jutland, under the rule of Ortwin.
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Salmé—a fabulous country.
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Sealand—Herwic’s kingdom, not the Danish Zealand, but probably the sea-lands of Friesland.
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Scotland—spoken of as belonging to Norway.
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Sturmland—subject to Wâ-te, adjoining Herwic’s kingdom.
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Waleis—the western limit of Hettel’s kingdom, by some supposed to be Wales, but generally thought
