Page:The Nibelungenlied - tr. Shumway - 1909.pdf/383

Rh our poem he is called Dancwart der snelle, a word that has proved a stumbling-block to translators, because in modern German it means ‘speedy,’ ‘swift.’ Its original meaning was, however, ‘brave,’ ‘warlike,’ although the later meaning is already found in M. H. G. In all such doubtful cases the older meaning has been preferred, unless the context forbids, and the word ‘doughty’ has been chosen to translate it.

Ortwin of Metz appears also in the Eckenlied, Waltharius, and in Biterolf. He is most likely a late introduction (but see Piper, I, 44). Rieger thinks that he belonged to a wealthy family De Metis. Though the i is long in the original, and Simrock uses the form Ortewein in his translation, the spelling with short i has been chosen, as the lack of accent tends to shorten the vowel in such names.

Gere is likewise a late introduction. He is perhaps the historical Margrave Gero († 965) of East Saxony, whom Otto the Great appointed as a leader against the Slavs. See O. von Heinemann, Markgraf Gero, Braunschweig, 1860, and Piper, I, 43.

Eckewart is also a late accession. He is perhaps the historical margrave of Meissen (1002), the first of the name. He, too, won fame in battle against the Slavs.

Folker of Alzei (M. H. G. Volkêr von Alzeije), the knightly minstrel, is hardly an historical personage, in spite of the fact that Alzey is a well-known town in Rhine Hesse on the Selz, eighteen miles southwest of Mainz. The town has, to be sure, a violin in its coat of arms, as also the noble family of the same name. It is most likely, however, that this fact caused Folker to be connected with Alzei. In the Thidreksaga Folker did not play the rôle of minstrel, and it is probable that some minstrel reviser of our poem developed the character and made it the personification of himself.

Rumolt, Sindolt, and Hunolt have no historical basis and merely help to swell the retinue of the Burgundians.

worship. This word has been frequently used here in its older meaning of ‘worth,’ ‘reverence,’ ‘respect,’ to translate the M. H. G. êren, ‘honors.’

Siegmund (M. H. G. Sigemunt) was originally the hero of an independent saga. See Völsungasaga, chaps. 3-8.