#widsith

Another bit of weird trivia, but what do you think is going on with Widsith's age in his titular poem? When he gives his performance before his queen Ealhilde, he cites the kings Ermanaric, Atilla, Sigar, Gebicca and his son Gundahar, who are all held in legendary history, at least, to have ruled around the mid-400s AD and interacted with one another. He then also cites kings Hrothgar and his nephew Hrolf Kraki, Offa, Brecca, Angantyr/Egil Vendelcrow, Finn, and Hnaef, known to have operated around early to mid 500s. Finally he cites the Lombardic Alboin, who ruled during the late 500s. (He also cites Wade and Kaleva, but these dudes are semi-divine giants who know magic, so trying to date them as anything other than very ancient is moot.) In addition, he claims to have personally met Ermanaric, Gundahar, and Alboin, and even flaunts the gifts the latter two gave him. Taking him at his word, he would be at least 130 or so years of age. So in-universe, are we meant to read him as exaggerating? Or does he just have a lengthened lifespan like mythological people tend to have? As just from Norse mythology we also have Orvar-Odd, Starkad, Norna-Gest, and even Ermanaric himself. Or is it just people writing mythology without a sense of time?

Widsith

Also I flubbed a little bit on the Widsith trivia. Wyrmhere/Orm wasn't the one who asked Dietrich to help avenge his father. That was Wulfhere, known as Ulf van Jern (Wolf von Jern). In the Danish and Faroese ballads, King Dietrich sends his knights Wudga, Heime, and in Danish another Dietrich, theorized to be Dietrich the Greek from the Rosengarten zu Worms, to aid young Wulf in killing King Blikiman in revenge. Orm in contrast fights either a giant from Bjarmaland, or Dietrich himself imagined as a pagan giant, to defend the Danish king's daughter (the giant is called Bermrisi, which seems to be a mix of "giant from Bern" and "giant from Bjamaland"). He wins his duel against the giant by striking at his enemy's leg, and when he's accused of hitting below the bet, replies that this is the only way he can fight, because he's so short and the giant is so tall. He then goes to Iceland, kills the giants who killed his father, and then comes home to marry the Danish princess.

Of the Gothic heroes mentioned in Widsith, Hethca and Beadeca are called Herelings, the German counterparts of the Harlungs. It seems the name of the boys' retainers got applied to them by accident. Their progenitor is a man named Hache, who is also the father of Eckehart. One line later, Emerca and Fridla are Ermanaric's nephews known as the Harlungs in Dietrich cycle. Beadeca's name is attached to places like Bakewell in England, and a Bedca is included in Essex royal geneaologies as an ancestor, but due to confusion with the Saxon name Boudicca, there's some confusion to Beadeca's actual gender in England (Gothic shieldmaiden? Why not.) Seafola is either the son of the treacherous Sibeche or one of Dietrich's knights in Ravenna. Theodoric, in the same line, is the only mention Widsith makes of Dietrich. Sifeca is Sibeche himself. Hlithe might be a reference to early Lombard king Luth. Ingentheow in the same line might be Angantyr, either one of Arngrim's 12 sons wielding Tyrfing, or his descendant. Eadwine is likely to be Ealhild's father, king of the Myrgings, and Elsa is obviously the monk Ilsan. Hungar is speculated to be Onegesius, a Goth serving as Attila's advisor (implying in legendary history he was brought over by Dietrich). Wyrmhere is speculated to be Orm, a young knight who, in a story preserved in a ballad, asks Dietrich and Wudga to help avenge his father. Rondhere and Freotheric are Ermanaric's sons Randver and Frederick. Withergeld might be a Heathobard warrior who dies fighting the Danish king Hrothgar. And to wrap things up, we have the famous duo of Wudga and Heime. Widsith really draws a picture of Ermanaric as a heroic king surrounded by some of the greatest "knights" of his period, but most of the characters and no doubt associated stories mentioned were eventually discarded and forgotten when Ermanaric went from having stories of his own into settling in the position of the villain of Dietrich's story. By now most of these figures are just cameoing in the Dietrich cycle.

On the subject of Widsith, I'm not sure if this is the author's opinions, or if he was considering the situation of the narrator, but Widsith describes Emanaric as an ideal king, alongside the glories of the historical Alboin and the quasi-legendary Nibelungs. He also mentions Theuderic the Frankish king, but not Theodoric/Dietrich the Maering/Ostrogothic king. Unless he was equating the Frankish king with Dietrich, it almost feels like he subtly resents Dietrich for overthrowing Ermanaric.

Mid Scottum ic wæs ond mid Peohtum ond mid Scridefinnum I was with the Scots and the Irish, and with the Ski-Finns.

Ane sweorde merce gemærde wið Myrgingum bi Fifeldore; heoldon forð siþþan Engle ond Swæfe, swa hit Offa geslog.