Names of Places
Holstein—variously mentioned as subject to Fru-te, to Irolt, and to Ortwin.
Icaria—a fabulous land whose people are allies of Siegfried of Moorland.
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.
Iserland—the home of one of Gudrun’s maiden companions.
Kampalia—a fabulous land noted for rich clothing.
Kampatille—Hettel’s castle, also called Matelan.
Karadie—a land belonging to Siegfried of Moorland.
Kassian—the chief city and castle of Normandy.
Matelan—see Kampatille.
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.
Nifland—“the land of fogs,” on the lower Rhine, the home of the Nibelungen.
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.
Ortland—probably Jutland, under the rule of Ortwin.
Salmé—a fabulous country.
Sealand—Herwic’s kingdom, not the Danish Zealand, but probably the sea-lands of Friesland.
Scotland—spoken of as belonging to Norway.
Sturmland—subject to Wâ-te, adjoining Herwic’s kingdom.
Waleis—the western limit of Hettel’s kingdom, by some supposed to be Wales, but generally thought to be the country near the mouth of the river Waal in Holland.
Wulpensand—an island at the mouth of the Scheldt.
Gudrun
Gudrun
Tale I: How Hagen Was Carried Off by the Griffin
Tale I
How Hagen Was Carried Off by the Griffin
Sigeband, king of Ireland, after the death of his father, marries a princess of Norway, who bears him a son, Hagen. During the celebration of a court festival, Hagen, now seven years old, while outside the castle in the care of his attendants, is caught up by a griffin, and borne to his nest in a distant land.
In olden days in Ireland
a king to greatness came
Who bore the name of Sigeband;
Ger was his father’s name.
Queen U-te was his mother;
she of a king was daughter;
High was her worth and goodness,
and well her love beseemed the lord who sought her.
The sway of Ger was mighty,
as unto all is known;
He many lands and castles
and lordships seven did own:
Four thousand knights or over
he thence was often leading,
And wealth, and name yet greater,
he daily won, with those who did his bidding.
Now the youthful Sigeband
to his father’s court must go,
That he might there be learning
all he had need to know—
To bear the spear in riding,
to thrust it, and to shield him,
That when he met the foeman,
the better fame thereby the fight would yield him.
That age he now was reaching
when he the sword might bear;
Of all that a knight befitteth
he learned a goodly share.
This from kin and vassals
praise unmeasured brought him;
For this he still was striving,
and of the toil it cost he ne’er bethought him.
A few short days thereafter
death came among them all,
As even to men the greatest
sadly doth befall.
In every land and kingdom
the truth of this we’re meeting,
And we, with heavy sorrow,
such news ourselves must every day be waiting.
Sigeband’s mother, U-te,
the widow’s seat must take;
Her son, so high and worthy,
left all things for her sake.
No whit he cared for wedlock,
and had no heart for wooing;
Many a queenly lady
at this was sad, young Sigeband’s sorrow ruing.
A worthy wife to find him
his mother him besought;
So might he and his kingdom
to greater name be brought;
And he with all his kindred,
after their bitter sorrow
For the death of the king, his father,
might for themselves no little gladness borrow.
The teaching of his mother
he heard in kindly mood,
And began at once to follow,
as that of a friend one should.
The best of high-born maidens,
’mong those in Norway dwelling,
He bade his men to sue for:
to help in this he found his kinsmen willing.
She soon to him was wedded,
as hath of old been said.
With her, among her followers,
came many a lovely maid,
And, from over Scotland’s border,
seven hundred warriors fully;
They came with her right gladly,
when the worth of the king was known to them more truly.
Proudly their way they wended,
as beseemed the maiden’s birth;
With all the care they led her
befitting his kingly worth;
Hidden were the roadways
by gazers without number,
Who hasted to behold her;
for three miles and a half the throngs the ways did cumber.
Where’er along the roadside
the path with green was spread,
Flowers and grass were trampled,
by crowds, with heavy tread.
It fell upon that season
when the leaves are springing,
And in every copse and thicket
all the birds their best of songs are singing.
Of simple folk and merry
there rode with her enough;
While many loaded horses
bore much costly stuff,
Brought there from her birthland
by followers of the maiden;
They came with her by thousands,
with gold as well as clothing heavy-laden.
On the shore of two wide marches,
the dwellers by the sea,
As they saw the west wind waft her,
gave her welcome free;
They found a seemly lodging
for the lovely, well-born lady,
And brought her all things needful,
by the youthful king, before, for her made ready.
The fair young maid they welcomed
with knightly tournament;
Not soon their games they ended,
when on the spear-fight bent.
To the land of Ger his father
they bore her to be wedded;
She there was loved and mighty,
and men to sound her name she never needed.
All, as they were able,
waited on the maid;
The gaudy cloth for her saddle
down to the grass was spread;
The horses’ hoofs were hidden
by the housing, heavy drooping.
Aha! In mood how gleeful
was Ireland’s lord, once more a blessing hoping!
When now the time was fitting
that he the maid should kiss,
All crowded thick about him,
in haste to see their bliss.
The bosses of their bucklers
were now heard loudly clashing,
Struck with blows together;
each strove to shun the throngs, in uproar crashing.
Now with the dawn of morning,
they sent out, far and wide,
To give to all the tidings
of the coming of the bride,
And that, with their master,
they erelong would crown her.
His queen she was thereafter,
and well she earned from him the honor shown her.
It was not deemed becoming
that he his love should plight,
Since she by birth was queenly,
and he not yet a knight:
He first, before his lieges,
must the crown be wearing;
To this his kinsmen helped him,
and later of his worth were all men hearing.