Summary of the Thidrekssaga

King Dietmar was home in Bern, and his son Dietrich with him, who was still suffering from his wounds. And these four heroes were with the king: Hildebrand, Witig, jarl Hornboge, and Heime.

When Dietrich had healed he rode away from Bern alone, and nobody knew of it except for Witig. Because he had lost his fight, Dietrich did not want to return to Bern before he had performed a heroic deed that would increase his fame.

He rode for seven days until he came to the forest called Osning, and he found lodging. There he heard of a castle on the other side of the forest called Drekanfils, and once this castle had been owned by king Drusian, who had died, and the queen had marriedor was engaged with; that's not entirely clear but it likely doesn't matter a man called Ecke. Ecke's brother was Fasold. It was Ecke's custom to ride in the forest hunting animals, but when he met someone who wanted to measure himself against him, he was willing to do so.

Dietrich wasn't sure how to get through the forest without meeting Ecke. He didn't feel like fighting Ecke, since the wounds that Witig had given him still pained him, and he preferred to first fight a lesser man first.

Now Dietrich rode off at midnight, when it was darkest, and hoped to make it through the forest without Ecke noticing him. But Ecke saw him and asked who rode there. Dietrich said: I am Heime Studa's son, riding to Bertangaland for my father, but I have nothing to do with you, and am not searching you out.

Ecke said that his voice sounded like Dietrich von Bern, and if he was as brave a man as was said he shouldn't use a false name. Dietrich acknowledged his name, but said he wanted to continue on his way. But Ecke had heard that he had lost his fight with Witig, and assumed he came here to find new honour. Also Dietrich had lost good weapons in the fight, and here he could win others.

Dietrich said he was not ready for a duel, and besides, how could they fight if they couldn't see one another? If it were day it would be another matter.

Then Ecke said that nine royal daughters and their mother, his fiancée, had armed him for this battle, and he came here for their sake, and he went on to describe his armour in great detail, as well as his sword Eckisax, which was wrought by the same Alberich that made Dietrich's sword Nagelring, deep under the earth, and when he was done he searched for the water to harden it in nine kingdoms, and found it in the stream called Treya. Blade and hilt are both made of red gold, and the sword was fitted with gemstones. And one had to search far and wide before one found a sword similar to it, but Alberich the dwarf, the great thiefCompare 16; it appears that the smith Alberich and the thief Alberich are the same person stole it from his father under the mountain, and gave it to king Roseleif, and many princes after him carried it.

Then Dietrich wondered aloud why he would flee for a sword he couldn't see, and from a man he knew nothing about except for his boasting. He had lost his way and his companions, and if Ecke wanted to keep his life he should not challenge him to a duel again.

Ecke went on to describe his girdle and pouch with twelve pounds of red gold in great detail. Then Dietrich said he would fight, not for the gold or the weapons, but for the honour of nine queens.

Dietrich jumped from his stallion and said it was so dark he couldn't see anything. He drew his sword Nagelring and struck a stone so that sparks flew from it. In this light he saw an olive treesays Mb; A and B: linden tree to which he tied his horse. And he became angry.

Now that Dietrich wanted to fight Ecke became happy and joyous, and he, too, struck a rock with his sword so that the heroes could see one another by the sparks.

Now they fought, and sparks flew from their weapons as though it was lightning, and the sound of their blows sounded like thunder, and they cleaved each other's shields so that they became useless, and still they fought on. Then Ecke gave Dietrich a terrible blow and he dropped down, and Ecke dropped on top of him and grabbed both of his arms, and said that in order to save his life Dietrich should surrender himself, his weapons, and his horse, and come to the castle to be shown bound to the queens.

Dietrich said he preferred to lose his life hear than endure the taunts of the nine ladies and their mother. He managed to free his hands and take Ecke by the throat, and they fought with all their power.

When Falke, Dietrich's stallion, became aware that his master needed help, he tore his rein with his teeth, ran to the two, lifted his forelegs and struck Ecke as hard as he could in the back. Dietrich struggeled back to his feet and cut of Ecke's head.

Then Dietrich took Ecke's weapons and armour and armed himself.

Dietrich mounted Falke and rode out of the forest, and it was already first light. Dietrich decided to ride to the castle of Drekanfils because he thought that, once the people of the castle knew he had overcome Ecke, he would get the same marriageor engagement with the queen and honour that Ecke had receivedAn important passage in support of my theory — if a proper English translation shows the same meaning as this summary.

Now the queen had gone to a tower and she saw this man ride to the castle, and she was glad and went in and told her daughters that lord Ecke, who had left last night, returned on a good horse, and therefore he has defeated some good knight. And all of them took their jewels, dressed well, and went out to the rider. But when Dietrich came near they saw that it was not Ecke who rode there, but another man. And when the old queen saw this, she understood what must have happened: she recognised the weapons and armour, but not the man, and Ecke would never have given them away. She fell unconscious. Then they went back in and told everything to the men of the castle, and dressed in their mourning garb and threw their jewels from them.

When the men heard Ecke had been killed they took their weapons and wanted to avenge him. When Dietrich saw this overwhelming force he turned his horse and rode back into the forest as quickly as he could. He did not know where to go in this strange land, and since he had killed the lord of the land he knew that people would be unfriendly towards him. The men of the castle returned and were angry about Ecke's death.

Now Dietrich rode out of the forest and saw a man riding towards him. This was Fasold, Ecke's brother. Fasold thought he was seeing his brother because he recognised his armour, and called: Is that you, brother Ecke? Dietrich replied it was not.

Then Fasold called: You murderer, you killed my brother Ecke while he was asleep, because if he'd been awake he would have defeated you. Dietrich said that was a lie; Ecke challenged me to a duel, and when I refused he called upon his riches and the queen and her nine daughters and thus forced me to fight. And if I had known how great and strong he was, I wouldn't have fought, but I took these weapons and armour when he was dead, and you don't have to doubt that.

• Ritter's interpretation: Fasold surrenders and thus becomes Dietrich's follower, but they decide to cross off the service and the revenge against each other, leaving them equals.

Fasold drew his sword, rode to Dietrich and hit him on his helmet so that he fell from his horse unconscious. Fasold decided not to hit a man further who had fallen with one blow, nor to take his weapons, and he rode back to the castle.

But when Dietrich came to he sprang on his horse and rode after Fasold and challenged him, and said that if Fasold rode on he was a coward, and didn't he want to avenge his brother? Fasold held his horse and waited for Dietrich.

Then both dismounted and fought. Dietrich was wounded three times, but none of them were serious. But Fasold had received five wounds, all of them serious, and he became tired and saw he would lose. Therefore he chose life, surrendered, and promised to become Dietrich's follower. Dietrich gladly took his surrender, but refused his service because he had killed his brother. Dietrich proposed them to become brothersblood brothers?, and Fasold accepted. Then they swore an oath, mounted, and rode on.

• The advice to stab it in the belly reminds one of the way Sigurð kills the dragon in other stories.
• Falke again helps Dietrich. Is this some sort of duplication? Or is it a second version of the fight against Ecke or something? This is weird.
• Regardless, this is the second out of three fights that Falke makes the difference, and Dietrich wouldn't have managed it alone.

Now it is said that Dietrich wanted to go home because he had achieved his goal and knew that he would be no less famous than before. In the evening they came to AldinsaelaRitter says that they formalised their oath here, since it was a place of justice and staid there for the night. In the morning they rode on and traveled through the wood called Rimslo, and there they saw an animal called elephantelefans; different word than in 118, which is the largest and strongest of all animals. Then Dietrich asked Fasold if he would help him fight the animal, because when they could vanquish it they would have done a heroic deed.

Fasold excused himself because he still suffered from the wounds he had received in the duel. Besides, Dietrich would be even more heroic if he'd kill the elephant by himself.

Thus Dietrich dismounted, bound his horse to an olive tree, drew Eckisax, and attacked the animal. But the sword didn't bite, and the animal attacked him with its front legs, so that he fell. When Fasold saw this he decided to help as much as he could, dismounted, and attacked, but he couldn't wound it, either. Then he said to Dietrich, who was laying under the beast: If you can get your hands free and take your sword, hit it in the belly near the navel, because I think it will bite there. But the beast pressed Dietrich to the ground so hard that he could not move.

When Falke saw the danger his master was in he tore the rein, jumped on the animal and hit it with its front legs in the loin that the animal fell over. Now Dietrich could free himself, took his sword and stabbed it in the belly to the hilt. Then Dietrich jumped from under the animal, with blood on both his hands, and the animal fell over dead. Before, Fasold had given the animal many blows, but his sword didn't bite. Still, Dietrich saw that Fasold wanted to help him loyally, Then they mounted on their horses and rode on.

• Ritter believes this story is connected to the dinosaur tracks found near Barkhausen. His conclusion is Dietrich and Fasold saw the tracks and made up this story.

When they exited the forest they saw something unusual: a great dragon flying, with strong forelegs and big claws. It flew close to the ground, and wherever it touched the ground with its claws it was as if the ground was cut with the sharpest iron. In its mouth it bore a man, whose legs and torso it had eaten until just below the arms, and only his head and shoulders stuck outside the dragon's maw. The man was still alive, and when he saw the heroes he called for help, and told them the dragon took him from his shield when he was asleep.

When Dietrich and Fasold heard this they dismounted, drew their swords, and struck the dragon. Dietrich's sword bit somewhat, but Fasold's not at all. Although the dragon was strong, he was not able to fly while carrying the man, and could neither flee nor defend itself.

The man in the maw saw Fasold's problem, and told him to get the sword in the dragon's maw that he swallowed together with the man. Fasold drew the sword from the dragon's mouth, and it cut the dragon like a razor cuts a beard.

Careful! the man said, don't cut my feet, which are deep in the dragon's throat, and I don't want to be wounded with my own sword. And hurry, good heroes, the dragon pressures me so hard with its mouth that blood flows from my mouth and nose.

And they went on until the dragon was dead.

Thus the man was freed from the dragon. The man thanked them, and asked if he could get his sword back from FasoldThe man knows his name. Dietrich asked who he was, and he said he was Sintram son of Reginbald, jarl of Wenden, and he was traveling to his relative Hildebrand and his foster son Dietrich von Bern. He had stopped to rest here when the dragon captured him.

Dietrich told him he could keep his sword and had found Dietrich von Bern.

Then they went into the forest and quickly found Sintram's shield, but for two days they searched for his horse and could not find it. They exited the forest and came to a castle called Aldinfils owned by a count called Ludwig, and here heDietrich is alone now saw the horse, which the count's men had found and brought to their lord. Dietrich asked for the horse and told Ludwig whom it belonged to, but the count was unwilling to give it.

Dietrich said that it could be that, if he didn't give the horse now, he might lose ten horses instead, as well as his life and realm. Ludwig took a good look at this man, and relented, offering the horse and a golden ring besides. And then he asked if this was Dietrich von Bern. Dietrich confirmed this, and thanked him for his gifts.

Then he took the horse, found his companions and gave the horse back to Sintram. Then they rode back to Bern.