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Neophilologus (2009) 93:659674
DOI 10.1007/s11061-008-9136-6
Edward G. Fichtner
Published online: 11 December 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008
Abstract Ortnit, a poem of almost 600 four-line strophes, precedes and is attached to the heroic epic Wolfdietrich A. A young king of Lombardy, Ortnit embarks on a bride-quest, wins the daughter of a Levantine sultan, but falls victim to his revenge when he is killed by dragons sent by the sultan to his palace in Garte (Garda). This article treats only one of the several versions of this story, i.e., the AW version, so called after the two Vienna manuscripts in which it has been preserved, the Ambras and the Windhagen manuscripts. In this version, a matriarchal social structure has been superimposed on the original patriarchal structure in an earlier, less detailed account found in another work, Dietrichs Flucht. At the beginning, Ortnit accepts his new role in the matriarchal structure, but once the bride is won, he resumes his patriarchal position as king. When one of the dragons attacks his capital, he is unable to defeat it on his own. His appeal for help to Alberich, the representative of the matriarchal structure, is rejected, and he is killed by the dragon.
Keywords Medieval German literature Heroic epic Dietrich-epic
Ortnit
Introduction
Among the group of so-called heroic epics in Middle High German are four in which the main character is Wolfdietrich. One of these, traditionally called Wolfdietrich A, contains a segment which tells the story of a young king of
E. G. Fichtner (&)
Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA e-mail: [email protected]
E. G. Fichtner45 Grace Court Apt 5D, Brooklyn, NY 11201-4171, USA
Ortnit, or the Failure of Patriarchy
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Lombardy, Ortnit, who embarks on a bride-quest and wins the hand of the maiden in question, but is ultimately destroyed by an act of revenge on the part of her father.
There is considerable variation in the content of Ortnit. Among the 18 manuscripts and early prints, there are at least six distinct versions which differ mainly as to the way in which the story ends. The existence of these different versions or Fassungen is a problem in itself, inasmuch as it makes the reconstruction of the...