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Wunderer
Der Wunderer (the monster), or Etzels Hofhaltung (Etzel's holding of court) is an anonymous Early New High German poem about the legendary hero Dietrich von Bern, the counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in Germanic heroic legend. It is one of the so-called fantastical (aventiurehaft) Dietrich poems, so called because it more closely resembles a courtly romance than a heroic epic. The poem may have been written before 1300, but is not attested until the turn of the sixteenth century. The Wunderer concerns an encounter between a young Dietrich and a monster called the Wunderer while Dietrich is staying at Etzel (Attila the Hun )'s court. The Wunderer is hunting and wishes to eat a maiden who later is revealed to be (Fortuna, Lady Luck, with god-given supernatural powers ). When the youthful Dietrich offers to defends her from the Wunderer, she gives him her blessing which renders the recipient invulnerable to death in battle, and he goes on to gain victory.
Article summary
Der Wunderer (the monster), or Etzels Hofhaltung (Etzel's holding of court) is an anonymous Early New High German poem about the legendary hero Dietrich von Bern, the counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in Germanic heroic legend. It is one of the so-called fantastical (aventiurehaft) Dietrich poems, so called because it more closely resembles a courtly romance than a heroic epic. The poem may have been written before 1300, but is not attested until the turn of the sixteenth century. The Wunderer concerns an encounter between a young Dietrich and a monster called the Wunderer while Dietrich is staying at Etzel (Attila the Hun )'s court. The Wunderer is hunting and wishes to eat a maiden who later is revealed to be (Fortuna, Lady Luck, with god-given supernatural powers ). When the youthful Dietrich offers to defends her from the Wunderer, she gives him her blessing which renders the recipient invulnerable to death in battle, and he goes on to gain victory.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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