Summary of the Thidrekssaga

King Nordian in Seeland had four sons: Etger, Aventrod, Widolf with the Staff, and Aspilian. They were all giants. When king Nordian died Osantrix made Aspilian king over his possessions.

Widolf with the Staff was so large that the heads of the others reached only to his shoulders, and he was stronger than two of his giant brothers, and had such a bad temperament that he did not respect man or animal. King Aspilian had an iron collar put around Widolf’s neck and further irons around his arms and legs, and he was only let loose when he had to battle. Also Aspilian had a large iron staff made with an iron chain on it, and Etger and Aventrod were tasked with carrying this staff, unless Widolf went into battle using it, and that’s why he’s called Widolf with the Staff. Etger only had a spear made of iron as a weapon, and it was so heavy that twelve men could not lift it.

When king Osantrix heard about this he gathered his armyIn Von der Hagen Osantrix explains the situation and his chieftains agree to follow him, and he also called up king Aspilian and his brothers Etger, Aventrod, and Widolf with the Staff, who was the oldest and strongest of the brothers.

King Attila gathered a great army against king Osantrix, and when he rode out of Soest he had fiveVon der Hagen: six thousand knights, and when they came in Wilkinenland they burned and pillaged.

The giant Aspilian came against Attila with his army, and a great battle ensued. The Wilkinenmen were put to flightVon der Hagen: Aspilian had few warrior but depended on his brothers, and they killed five hundred, of which Widolf alone three hundred. and Aspilian and Etger fled east, but Aventrod and Widolf fled to king OsantrixThis clause is not in Von der Hagen, but matches 144, where only these two giants are with Osantrix.

Now king Osantrix gathered his army and marched against Attila. When he came south of Jutland he wanted to do battle with Attilaand in Von der Hagen this battle actually takes place and Widolf mows down the Huns and Attila loses and flees into the forest, but Attila rode back into Hunnenland, and Osantrix went after him, and when Attila came to the forest on the border between Denmark and Hunnenland he set up his tents and waited to see if Osantrix would ride out of his realm into HunnenlandVon der Hagen: Osantrix didn’t want to enter the forest at night and set up his tents on one side, and Attila on the other..

All this time there had been a feud between king Attila of Hunnenland and king Osantrix of Wilkinenland, and both had had victories and defeats. King Attila had grown stronger, and had made friendships with many powerful lords, and he was loved in his realm with all peoplesThe saga really presses this point home.

King Osantrix had aged, and had become harsher, and the people in his realm could hardly bear the heavy yoke he put on to them, and everybody suffered from him, rich and poor, courtiers and subjects, and foreign merchants. And although he gave his knights land, he still managed these lands himself and gave it to whomever he wanted. And the heavy wars with king Attila cost him a lot of money, so he demanded more and more tributeThe saga really presses this point home.

King Osantrix still had with him the two giants, Widolf with the Staff and Aventrod, his brother. But he had sent another brother of these giants, Etger, to king Isung of Bertangaland because of their friendship, and there he guarded the entry to that realm.

• There is a discrepancy between the original saga and Von der Hagen's translation here. In the saga Osantrix is killed, but Von der Hagen says he escaped. I try to follow the saga.
• This has a lot to do with Boer's thoughts on how one interpolator spared Osantrix in this scene because he needed him for 278.
• CHECK manuscript tradition here.

The next morning the king and all his men went out of the castle to a field, and with them as well Widolf with the Staff and Aventrod, and Widolf was in strong chains, since he should never be released except in battle. And they and all of the other king's men were without weapons. Many other people, young and old, men and women and children, came to see what would happen.

And now Witig in his prison heard that Isung, his friendThis friendship is not mentioned anywhere else, had come, and suspected he wanted to free him with some plot at the request of king Dietrich and his companions. Witig broke his fetters.

The people outside let loose sixty large dogs who all attacked the bear at the same time, but the bear took the largest of them with his front paws and with it killed twelve of the best dogs. King Osantrix became angry, walked to the bear, drew his sword, and slashed him at the top of his back, and although the sword went through the skin the armor.

Now Wildeber snatched his sword from the hands of Isung, went after the king and cut off his headthis last clause is missing from Von der Hagen and then ran to the giant Aventrod and killed him, and then sprang on Widolf with the Staff and killed him as well. And thus king Osantrix ended his life, and with him two of his giants.

Then all of the king's men, who were unarmed, ran away, and all thought the devil himself had entered the bear, and most of them didn't know what to do.

Wildeber now went to the castle and asked where his good friend Witig was. Witig had already broken out of prisoncan't have a major hero sitting around passively waiting for a rescue and together they ran through the town and killed sixteen men. They found many goods and weapons and horses, among which Witig's horse Schimming, and all his weapons except for his good sword Mimung, which he could find nowhere.

Now Wildeber took off the bear skin, and all saw he was a man and not a monstertroll, and they understood they had been tricked, and went for their weapons. Witig, Wildeber, and Isung thought it inadvisable to stay longer, and thought they had done well. They had found as much gold and silver and treasures as they could carry, and rode out of town. And they rode through wild lands until they came to Hunnenland and king Attila.

• Chapters 195 and 196 do not mention Etger's name again. They just call him 'the giant'. See also 433.

Although they did not cultivate it much, Witig and Etger the giant were related. Because Witig was the son of Wieland the Smith, whom the NorthmenVæringjar call Völund fyrir hagleiks sakarGoogle Translate says 'for the sake of good fortune'. This part is missing from Von der Hagen's translation., and Wieland was a son of the giant Wade, and Wade was the son of king Wilkinus and a sea ladysjókona, as was said earlier23. But king Wilkinus had another son with his own wifeeiginkona called Nordian, who was also a king, but a lesser one than his father, and Nordian had four sons who were all strong giants: Aventrod, Widolf with the Staff, and the third was Etger, who lived in this forest, and the fourth was Aspilian, who was also a king, and he was like other children of meni.e. not a giant. In this way Witig and the giant Etger were related.