140 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



one friend in the house of her tormentor, is rewarded at the end of the 

 story for her bit of human sympathy, by having her life spared, and 

 that of her maidens, from the avenging hand of the warrior Wate. 



The warlike maiden is also represented among the minor char- 

 acters. Hervor, 1 the sister of Hlodr and Angantyr, goes out in armor, 

 like Joan of Arc, and commands an army as her brothers do. 



The cruel, heartless woman of the traditional stepmother type 

 is Hartmut's mother, who undertakes to break the pride of the 

 haughty Gudrun. The Middle High German poet, who tells the 

 story, is by no means choice or chary of the unpleasant epithets which 

 he applies to her. 2 



Turning now to the major characters. As we have seen, the 

 feminine types represented by the minor characters in the sagas 

 are somewhat varied. The real heroines, on the other hand, are 

 confined to two types, just as the prevailing motifs in the sagas are 

 two — vengeance and fidelity. Inborn in every Germanic warrior 

 was the idea of absolute and unswerving fidelity to an oath — the oath 

 of a vassal to his lord, or the oaths exchanged by lovers. Equally 

 strong in his mind was the idea that the death of a kinsman must be 

 avenged by the surviving members of the family. This was naturally 

 the work of a man, but in the absence of a male relative the woman 

 at hand assumed the burden, and, in more than one case, proved 

 her ability to plan a great thing, and carry it out regardless of results, 

 to face death with all the courage and equanimity of her warrior 

 husband or brother. Life and womanhood itself were none too dear 

 a price to pay for her fidelity to her purpose. The Avenging Woman, 

 and the Faithful Maiden, true to her lover even unto death, are the 

 two types of saga heroine. 



Brynhilde 3 and Kriemhilde 3 are perhaps the best known, though 

 not the noblest of the avenging women. Brynhilde's vengeance, 



1 "Das Lied von der Hunnenschlacht," Eddica Minora, p. i; "Das Hervorlied," Eddica Minora, p. 13. 



a The supernatural element in the character of Hilde excludes her from this list of purely human saga 

 women. 



3 Gripissp$, Reginsm^l, Fafnism61, Sigrdrifum^l, Brot af Sigurbarkvipu, Gubninarkviba, Sigurbarkviba 

 en skamma, Helreib Brynhildar, Drap Nirlunga, Guprunarkvipa II, Gupninarkviba III, Oddrunargratr, 

 Atlakviba, Atlam^l, Gubninarhvot, Edda, pp. 276-450. Nibelungenlied, Volsungasaga, pipriks Saga, Das 

 Lied vom Htirnen Sey/rid. 



