Summary of the Thidrekssaga

Now king Samson had a letter written and he sent six knights to deliver it to jarl Elsung the powerful and long-bearded. In the letter he said that the jarl had not sent him tribute yet, and he demanded his daughter for his younger sonDietmar, and she should be accompanied by sixty virgins. And also sixty armed knights with two horses and a squire each, and sixty well-trained hawks, and sixty hunting dogs, and the best of them should wear a gold collar, and its leash should be made from your beard, so that you know there's a more powerful man in the world than you. And if you don't send me all this, you should make sure your towns and men are ready three months from now, and we will see how your towns and realm defend themselves.

The six knights brought this letter to Bern, where jarl Elsung the Elder ruled. The knights came to him when he was at dinner, and put the letter before him, and he read it himselfas opposed to Samson who had the letter written by someone else?, and he became red in the face and said: King Samson demands tribute, and requires in our old age what we would never have done when we were younger, to serve him while he still is our enemy. But before that happens each town in my realm should be broken and many knights made headless and I'd rather die myself than endure this shame.

And he had the knights who brought the message taken, and the one who had handed it to him was hanged from the highest tower, and four he had beheaded, and the last one, who was the smallestyoungest? he had the right hand cut off before he was sent back home. Then he prepared his towns and knights, and everyone in his realm wondered if it would hold against king Samson.

The knight now came back to Salerni and told king Samson what had happened, and Samson pretended he had had no replyto the letter.

When three months had passed a powerful army was gathered in Salerni. King Samson led this army out of Salerni to jarl Elsung's lands. And when he had traveled through these lands for twosays A; B says three days he encountered Jarl Elsung's mighty army, with men even from the north over the mountains, from the east from Svava and Hungarysays Jónsson; Von der Hagen says from the south from Hungary and doesn't mention Svava.

And when the armies met a hard and bloody battle started, and many men fell on both sides. King Samson rode with his sons Ermenrik and Dietmar, and the king slew man and horse on both sides. And he rode forth in the midst of his enemies, and called: Though I rode alone into this army and have no followers with me, I will continue to prove what I do best, and slay Elsung's men. And his voice was so formidable that everyone took fright.

Jarl Elsung saw the damage king Samson did, and called: Forward, my men. We will get victory and they dead, because our warriors fight better. And now give this hard-necked dragonor serpent; inn digrhálsaði ormr that has ravaged our army for so long the death blow.

Then jarl Elsung rode alone against king Samson, and split the king's shield from the top to the handgrip, and with the second blow he hit his armpit and gave him a serious wound. But equally quickly king Samson hit him on the neck so that his head flew off. Then king Samson took the head and held it high by the beard, and asked jarl Elsung's men if they recognised their lord, and then the battle ended. And all of Elsung's men gave themselves and his realm into Samson's power.

Now king Samson went to Bern with his entire army, and no one was brave enough to stand against them. And when king Samson came to Bern all gates were open, and all townsmen went to him, showed him jarl Elsung's treasure, and gave themselves into his power.

Now king Samson ordered a great feast in Bern, and here Odilia, jarl Elsung's daughter, was married to Dietmar, and Samson gave him the king's name and Bern and all the lands jarl Elsung had held. And the town called Fritila, which the Northmen call Friðsæla he gave to his son Ake, called Harlungentrost, and with it the name of dukeand not king because Ake's mother was of low birth.

Then Ermenrik went south to Rome with his father king Samson, and on this journey Samson died. Ermenrik took his entire realm and then fought against Rome, and had several battles with the men of Rome and did many heroic deeds and conquered the best part of the territory of Rome and many other strong towns until even in Puli. He also conquered the larger part of the realm on the Greek seaGrekin; according to Ritter this is Grach on the Mosel until the mountains in the north, and much of the Greek islands, and thus he became the richest and most powerful of all kings. He was friendly and peaceful in the first part of his reign.

Hagen went on downriver for a while, and saw a ship in the middle of the river, and a man on it, and he asked him to come to land to fetch a man from Elsung. He said this because they were in the realm of jarl Elsung the Youngersee also 399 and he thought the pilot would come to him quicker.

The pilot replied: I don't pick up men of Elsung quicker than any other, and I won't row without wages. Hagen took a golden ring and held it up: See here, good man, your wages. I'll give you this golden ring when you ferry me over.

When the pilot saw this he considered how he had married a short while ago, and he wanted to give his wife the money, so he rowed to the shore. Hagen got on the ship and have the pilot his ring. Now the pilot wanted to row across, but Hagen told him to go upstream, but the pilot refused. Hagen told him to row upstream if he wanted to or not, and the pilot took fright and rowed where Hagen wanted him to go, and now they rowed on until theu came to the Niflungen.

Jarl Elsung the Youngerwho was mentioned in 365 had crossed the Rhine with thirty-two warriors and had heard Dietrich was traveling there. He remembered how the old Samson with his sons Ermenrik and Dietmar had killed Elsung the Elder12, and he wanted to avenge his kinsman.

When the sun set Dietrich wanted to press on into the night, and he now led, with Hildebrand, Herrat, and the pack horse following. Hildebrand saw a great dust cloud and light glancing off shields and armour, and they were riding after them. Then Herrat cried that those were the enemy, and that they could not withstand them. Now Dietrich also saw them, and asked Hildebrand who they would be. Hildebrand replied that it might be Elsung who had heard of their travels.

Then Dietrich asked: What shall we do? Ride into the forest to save ourselves, or dismount and get ready for battle? Hildebrand now counted thirty-two men, and proposed to stand and fight, so that the people in Hunnenland would hear how they had killed many and driven off the rest.

Then Dietrich and Hildebrand dismounted, helped Herrat down, and drew their swords.

Jarl Elsung came closer, and his sister-son Amelung said, when he saw Herrat: If you leave this woman behind, then you will escape with your lives. Master Hildebrand replied she had come with king Dietrich from Soest for another purpose. And one of Elsung's men said he had never heard an old man speak so fearlessly or haughtily. Dietrich replied that the old man had spent his entire life in honour and manliness. Don’t insult him for his age.

Amelung said: Now surrender, or I will pull your beard so that most of it will come off. Hildebrand replied: Try that, and you'll regret it. Who is your leader? OneMs A and B: Ingram said: Don't you know our jarl Elsung? We are certainly fools that we exchange words with you for so long.

He drew his sword and hit Hildebrand on his helm hat, and the sword cut through it, but beneath it was Hildegrim, Dietrich’s old helmet, and it withstood the blow. But king Dietrich now had Sigfrid's helmetGunther had given it to Osid in 357, and apparently Dietrich got it when Osid died, which was the best of all and studded with gold. And Hildebrand drew his sword Gram, which once belonged to Sigfridand which Hildebrand apparently took from Giselher in 390 and hit Ingram on his helmet and cut through helmet and head, torso and armour, and the sword hit the saddle bow.

Then Dietrich drew his sword Eckisax and struck the foremost knight on his shoulder so that his arm was cut off, and with another blow he hit jarl Elsung so that the sword cut off his arm and went into his jawbone, and he fell dead.

• Von der Hagen says in a note that this is the last chapter in the Membrame, and that from now on he will use A and B.
• Ritter amends Von der Hagen's note and says that he actually used the Svava, not A and B, and proceeds to give another translation, presumably from A and B.
• However, it seems the Membrame actually breaks off in 427, so I don't understand what Von der Hagen and Ritter are talking about.

Then all wanted to be back home in Babilonia, but in a short while Dietrich had killed seven more, but Hildebrand nine more. Young Amelung attacked Hildebrand, but all the others fled. Then Hildebrand gave Amelung blows on his shield and helmet, and Amelung fell, and Hildebrand leapt on top of him and told him to surrender. Amelung said it would not be better for him to live after being defeated by such an old manThis again happens in 408. More in general it seems that this fight against Amelung is a copy of the fight against Alebrand., but gave up his weapons.

Then Hildebrand allowed him to get up and asked him who he was and why these man had attacked them. Amelung explained that jarl Elsung the Younger wanted to avenge jarl Elsung the Elder who had been killed by Samson. And Dietrich asked him for news from the south, and told him he could keep life and arms, and all others with him, and thus would he repay the elder Elsung's death.

Then Amelung told him Ermenrik was gravely ill because his belly had been slit open, and Sibich had advised to cut out part of the belly fat and he was as good as dead. Dietrich and Hildebrand thanked him for the news, let him go and continued on their way.

• Weird chapter. Amelung being confused with Elsung reminds one of 101, but that theme isn't followed up properly. And why essentially tell the same story twice?

But the fleeing men went back over the Rhine to Babilonia, and told everyone that jarl Elsung was dead and sixteen men with him. And when they were asked who did that, they replied it was only two men, and one of them was so amazingly old that he must have been a fiend, and he certainly had the devil himself in his handi.e. his sword; see 408 for another use of the same sentence, and his beard was so long that it covered his breast. And the counselorvague knew this must have been Dietrich and Hildebrand.

Then Amelung came home and twelve men with him, and everybody thought it was jarl Elsung. And the counselor himself stood and congratulated Amelung on returning. And he asked who the two men were that had defeated them, especially the old one with the big beard. Amelung told him they were Dietrich von Bern and Hildebrand, and that they had defended themselves well, and we lost fourteen out of thirty-two.

Dietrich told Hildebrand they would travel over the Mundia mountains397, and before them was a forest. Dietrich and Herrat remained in the forest, but Hildebrand rode on to a castle belonging to old earl Ludwig and his son Konrad. Then Hildebrand spotted a man that lived in the castle, and he asked him who ruled there, and the man told him it was earl Ludwig and his son Konrad. Then Hildebrand asked who ruled Bern. The man told him it was lord Alebrand, son of old Hildebrand.

Hildebrand laughed and asked: How good of a warrior is Alebrand? And what kind of man is he? The man replied that Alebrand was the best of all warriors, and he exceeds all in courtesy and generosity, but he is grim towards his enemies.

Hildebrand said: You're a good man. What more can you tell me? And the man replied that there was important and likely true news: Ermenrik was dead.

And Hildebrand and the man went to the castle, and Hildebrand asked the man to get jarl Konrad. Konrad wanted to know what a foreign man with a broad white beard wanted from him, and came out of the castle alone. Hildebrand asked him who he was, and he replied he was Konrad son of Ludwig, and Konrad asked who Hildebrand was. Hildebrand answered he was Hildebrand master of the WölfingenThis family name is new, it does not occur in 15. And Konrad told him he, too, was a Wölfing, and invited his kinsman into the castle to meet his father.

But Hildebrand said he couldn't come this time, but was there any news? Big news! Konrad replied, king Ermenrik of Rome is dead. And who now wears his crown, Hildebrand asked. Evil news, Konrad replied, it’s that traitor Sibich. But what news do you have? And Hildebrand told him jarl Elsung had been killed and king Dietrich was back in Amelungenland.

God be praised, Konrad replied. Alebrand has already sent messengers north into Hunnenland to tell Dietrich to come back to his realm. And Alebrand does not want to give up his castle to Sibich, nor any other place. The Amelungs prefer to die before allowing Sibich to rule Bern.

And Hildebrand said he had to return to the forest where Dietrich waited. But Konrad asked him to wait, because he wanted to tell his father what had happened.