Hildebrand
Encyclopedia
Hildebrand is a character from Germanic legend
. Hildebrand is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German
it is Hiltibrant and in Old Norse
Hildibrandr. The word hild means "battle" and brand means "sword". The name itself is very likely of Langobard origin.
He is associated with the cycle of legends about Theodoric the Great
, called Dietrich in German, to whom he is a companion.
Hildebrand figures in three famous songs: in the Old High German
Hildebrandslied, the Middle High German
Nibelungenlied
, and in the Old Norse
song Hildebrand's death in Ásmundar saga kappabana
(called Hildibrandr). He also appears as Hildiger in Gesta Danorum
.
In the Nibelungenlied
, he is the armourer, brother-in-arms and fatherly friend of Dietrich von Bern. It is he that kills Kriemhild, after she ordered her brother's death and killed Hagen
herself.
In the Hildebrandslied, which is older, Hildebrand fights his own son Hadubrand. In fact Hildebrand became Dietrich's armourer, because he had to leave his home, he left his wife and his son. 30 years later, Hildebrand returns. His son Hadubrand is now ruling over his land, he is leading his army against the supposed invasion. As is customary, the two leaders meet between the armies. They start to list their family tree, in order to prevent themselves from killing a relative. Hadubrand says that he is "Hadubrand Hildebrand's son", but he was told that Hildebrand died, and he thinks that the fighter before him is using Hildebrand's name to deceive him. In fact in the original text with the end of the song is lost, but the legends and the third song tell the end of the story. Hildebrand has to kill his son otherwise he would be killed by him; he has pictures of all the warriors he killed on his red shield, and his son's picture is added to the others.
The Scandinavian song "Hildebrand's death" tell how Hildebrand fights against his half-brother. He is wounded fatally by him and the shield with the picture of his son falls near to his head on the ground. He begs his half-brother to cover his body, and to bury him properly.
Although associated with historical characters from the 5th and 6th centuries, Theodoric
and Odoacer
, Hildebrand himself has not been identified as a historical personage.
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
. Hildebrand is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
it is Hiltibrant and in Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Hildibrandr. The word hild means "battle" and brand means "sword". The name itself is very likely of Langobard origin.
He is associated with the cycle of legends about Theodoric the Great
Legends about Theodoric the Great
The Gothic King Theodoric the Great was remembered in Germanic legend as Dietrich von Bern . Dietrich figures in a number of surviving works, and it must be assumed that these draw on long-standing oral tradition...
, called Dietrich in German, to whom he is a companion.
Hildebrand figures in three famous songs: in the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
Hildebrandslied, the Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
, and in the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
song Hildebrand's death in Ásmundar saga kappabana
Ásmundar saga kappabana
Ásmundar saga kappabana is the saga of Asmund the Champion-Killer, a legendary saga from Iceland, first attested in the manuscript Stockholm, Royal Library, Holm. 7, 4to, from the first half of the fourteenth century...
(called Hildibrandr). He also appears as Hildiger in Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
.
In the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
, he is the armourer, brother-in-arms and fatherly friend of Dietrich von Bern. It is he that kills Kriemhild, after she ordered her brother's death and killed Hagen
Hagen (legend)
Hagen or Högni is a Burgundian warrior in tales about the Burgundian kingdom at Worms. Hagen is often identified as a brother or half-brother of King Gunther .In the Nibelungenlied, he is called Hagen of Tronje...
herself.
In the Hildebrandslied, which is older, Hildebrand fights his own son Hadubrand. In fact Hildebrand became Dietrich's armourer, because he had to leave his home, he left his wife and his son. 30 years later, Hildebrand returns. His son Hadubrand is now ruling over his land, he is leading his army against the supposed invasion. As is customary, the two leaders meet between the armies. They start to list their family tree, in order to prevent themselves from killing a relative. Hadubrand says that he is "Hadubrand Hildebrand's son", but he was told that Hildebrand died, and he thinks that the fighter before him is using Hildebrand's name to deceive him. In fact in the original text with the end of the song is lost, but the legends and the third song tell the end of the story. Hildebrand has to kill his son otherwise he would be killed by him; he has pictures of all the warriors he killed on his red shield, and his son's picture is added to the others.
The Scandinavian song "Hildebrand's death" tell how Hildebrand fights against his half-brother. He is wounded fatally by him and the shield with the picture of his son falls near to his head on the ground. He begs his half-brother to cover his body, and to bury him properly.
Although associated with historical characters from the 5th and 6th centuries, Theodoric
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
and Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
, Hildebrand himself has not been identified as a historical personage.