PERSPECTIVES ON THE OLD SAXON HELIAND: INTRODUCTORY AND CRITICAL ESSAYS, WITH AN EDITION OF THE LEIPZIG FRAGMENT

The Hatred of Enemies: Germanic Heroic Poetry and the Narrative Design of the Heliand

208 e Hatred of Enemies: Germanic Heroic Poetry and the Narrative Design of the Heliand Harald Haferland (Translated by Erik Baumann) G ermanic heroic poetry – like all heroic poetry – tells of conflict and hostility, but its hero, oddly enough, is not a victorious one. On the contrary, he oen must accept his own demise and the death of those close to him, and his heroism displays itself with decidedly greater clarity in demise than in victory. It is not necessary for him to fight successfully so that, in the end, victory will justify whatever means and courses of action have directed him. It is much more the case that he must conspicuously showcase the limitation of his possibilities; in fact, he seldom avoids such dilemmas that allow this very limitation to bring about his undoing. Indeed, it is dilemma that makes him a hero. In such circumstances, he acts in no way that might suggest any trace of cowardice, nor does he successfully extricate himself from his predicament by cunning or any other means; rather he places himself above danger and loss – in that he concedes to danger no power over his life and stands ready to face loss head on – even though these do, in fact, have power over him and will destroy his life.  Originally “Der Haß der Feinde: Germanische Heldendichtung und die Erzählkonzeption des Heliand,” Euphorion: Zeitschri für Literaturgeschichte ! (), –!. 209 e Hatred of Enemies Hildebrand is driven to kill his own son, Gudrun and Kriemhild to sacrifice their own children. Next to her revenge against Sigurd, Brünhild’s own life becomes of no consequence to her. Gunnar disregards death, which looms over him and Högni; both Brünhild’s laughter and Gunnar’s insouciance in the snake pit, into which Atli had him cast, demonstrate their refusal to have the pain of their loss – or concern over their lives – forced upon them. Klaus von See has underscored the anarchic illogicality of such behavior; what fascinates him is the “exorbitant demonstration” of a person’s own might and mettle who acts in exemplary situations in the story – this person’s “independence, his irrationality and contrariness to the rules.” e hero is thus a “person who follows his impulses thoughtlessly and without restraint, who acts without concern for himself and others, who does the extraordinary and the exorbitant, not what is necessary, compulsory, or ethically exemplary.” By preferring to keep such concepts as “honor” and “fate” out of the discussion, Von See does well to prevent – with analytic distance – any superficial identification with such heroines and heroes. at said, his standard of behavior – governed as it is by reason and accountability and ethics – is also inappropriate, even if it is only used to paint a negative picture. However much heroics might be extraordinary, exorbitant, or an expression of individual power, there is still, unmistakably, some guiding principle behind it all. Such behavior does not result from  Klaus von See, “Was ist Heldendichtung?,” in Europäische Heldendichtung, ed. Klaus von See, Wege der Forschung ! (Darmstadt: Wissenschaliche Buchgesellscha, ), –, here at –: “exorbitante Demonstration,” “Ungebundenheit, seine Unvernünigkeit und Regel-widrigkeit.”  Klaus von See, Germanische Heldendichtung: Stoffe, Probleme, Methoden, nd ed. (Wiesbaden: Athenäum, ), : “Mensch, der bedenkenlos, ungehemmt seinen Impulsen folgt, der ohne Rücksicht auf sich und andere handelt, der das Außergewöhnliche, das Exorbitante tut, nicht unbedingt das Notwendige, das Pflichtgemäße, das ethische Vorbildliche.”  Ibid. 210 Harald Haferland the irrational inspiration of the moment, nor from any spontaneous and thoughtless impulse – it is premeditated. To hazard a cursory sketch of what I mean: ere is something that compels a hero or heroine to accept biting loss and demise, something that outweighs the expectation of both. Exorbitance is not sought aer – it is rather to be endured – and any situation, which such exorbitance ultimately brings about, will necessarily be extraordinary. Readiness for heroic action, moreover, engenders an obligation to act accordingly and, at the same time, allows for this “obligation” to be perceived as such. Viewed as reasonable decision-makers, neither Hildebrand nor Gudrun/Kriemhild, neither Brünhild nor Gunnar, has to act as he or she does. Nevertheless, that they do so leads to the realization that, beyond simply seeking vengeance, they are ready to submit themselves to greater violence so as not to allow violence to triumph over them. It is especially...