The Germanic Hero

Politics and Pragmatism in Early Medieval Poetry

Brian Murdoch

• Publisher: Hambledon Continuum
• Year: 1996
• Print ISBN: 9781852851439
• eBook ISBN: 9781441174659
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

In this study, the author looks at the role the warrior-hero plays within a set of predetermined political and social constraints. The hero if not a sword-wielding barbarian, bent only upon establishing his own fame; such fame-seekers (including some famous medieval literary figures) might even fall outside the definition of the Germanic hero, the real value of whose deeds are given meaning only within the political construct. Individual prowess is not enough. The hero must conquer the blows of fate because he is committed to the conquest of chaos, and over all to the need for social stability. Even the warrior-hero's concern with his reputation is usually expressed negatively: that the wrong songs are not sung about him. The author discusses works in Old English, Old and Middle High German, Old Norse, Latin and Old French, deliberately going beyond what is normally thought of as "heroic poetry" to include the German so-called "minstrel epic" and a work by a writer who is normally classified as a late medieval chivalric poet, Konrad von Wurzburg, the comparison of which with "Beowulf" allows us to span half a millennium.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 About Heroes: Otto, Sigurðr, Hamðir and Byrhtnoð
• 2 Coping with Necessity: Hildebrand, Gunnarr and Völundr
• 3 Youth, Education and Age: Beowulf, Ernst of Bavaria and Heinrich of Kempten
• 4 In the Hands of the Church: Waltharius the Visigoth and Louis of the West Franks
• 5 Shifting Perspectives: Roland
• 6 Damage and Damage Limitation: The Nibelungs, Hilde and Kudrun
• Bibliography of Primary Texts
• Index to Secondary Literature
• Index