Summary of the Thidrekssaga

Now news came to Longobardenland that a count by name of Ake Harlungtrost had died, who left behind a wife, Bolfriana, and two young sons, Egard and Ake. The older Ake was a half-brother of king Ermenrik.

Then king Dietrich set out with a hundred knights and his good friend Witig to Rome to king Ermenrik. He proposed that Witig should marry Bolfriana of DrekanfilsBolfriana is apparently one of the Nine Daughters.. King Ermenrik agreed, provided Witig would be as loyal to him as he has been so far to Dietrich, and he would get the castle as well and be a count. And thus Witig became king Ermenrik's count.

One day Odilia, Sibich's wife, went to the queen, Ermenrik's wife, and they drank and were merry. But then she spoke of Egard and AkeSons of the elder Ake and thus Ermenrik's nephews in Amelungenland, and how Egard wouldn't even spare the queen, and that she should be careful. And the queen became angry, and believed Egard had done her dishonour.

Then king Ermenrik came in, and drank with them. Odilia said: "Now we have west and south wind, and sunshine and warmth, and then light rain and it's clear in the east and north, what else would come but Egard and his brother Ake? No wild animal or forest bird will be safe from them." The king was silent and didn't reply.

Then the queen said: "They give peace to neither animal nor bird, and each time they come here the serving girls won't have peace, either." Still Ermenrik did not reply, though he thought about what the women were saying, and Fritila, Egard's and Ake's foster, was with him.

Then the queen said: "I myself should take care, and they would certainly do me dishonour if it were in their power."

Then the king spoke angrily: "If you are not safe from them, then they should not be safe from me. They'll hang so high no one will hang higher."

Then Fritila said that Egard and Ake would suffer because WitigNow their stepfather and protector has gone to king Dietrich, and that if Witig would come home and find his stepsons hanged war would break out. And the king said they would hang even higher than he had planned. Fritila and his son fled.

• The death of Ermenrik's patrueles (which can mean nephews) by hanging was known to the Quedlinburger Annalen of ca. 1000 (MGH SSRG 72 p. 410).
• Here Ake's sons live at Trelinborg and their tutor is Fritila.
• In 123 they live at Fritila.
• In the Quedlinburger Annalen they are called Embrica and Fritla.

King Ermenrik gathered his army. Meanwhile Fritila and his son came to the Rhine, and swam through the strong stream, and pulled their horses with them.

Trelinborg stands on the Rhine, and Egard saw them swimming, and he thought that Fritila was bringing word of trouble because he didn't want to wait for the ship.

Fritila told them Ermenrik was coming with his army, but Egard thought they would be reconciled, and he was not afraid of his uncle. Frtilia told them everything he had heard, and now the brothers sent for their own men.

King Ermenrik came to the castle, took his banner, rode to the dyke and shot the banner polemerkistöng, like Walther borrows from Attila in 129 across the dykedíki; maybe the moat, but I still find this sentence hard to interpret. Egard asked why he wanted to take their castle, and what they were guilty of. Ermenrik replied that whatever he blamed them for, they would hang from the highest tree he could find before the day was done. Ake said that they would defend themselves.

Now king Ermenrik had a throwing engine erected, and had fire flung into the castle so that it burned. Fritila said they should go out, so that they would die fighting instead of burning like mice. They went out with 60 men, and fought king Ermenrik, until Ermentik had lost 500 men. But the brothers were captured and hanged, and so they died, as Sibich had wanted. Then Ermenrik went home.