I wonder if already at that time Wayland and Beadhild were connected to Wudga
Really interesting to see the connections between these characters as recorded by the English, Roman history, and other Germanic languages. Ermenaric has a brief mention by Ammianus as well, who was a contemporary, yet Ammianus (along with later Jordanes) seems to speak of him more positively whereas later Germanic legend seems to depict Ermenaric more negatively. Makes me think the Germanic legendary ‘storybook’ wasn’t at all reliant on Roman histories and independently preserved these traditions
I think that was definitely the case. If you look at Widsith the names show their native Anglo-Saxon forms. Audoin and Alboin are Edwin and Elfwin. That's true with the Old Norse heroic stuff too, at least the older layer. Compare the native forms in the Poetic Edda—e.g. Þjóðrekr, Jǫrmunrekr—with the German borrowings in the younger Þiðrekssaga.
Widigoia was, of course, a Goth, as were Ermenaric and Theodoric (who is possibly a composite character of several people with that name); Widsith also preserves their names and a rough framework of their legends
Really cool to see how these stories have ended up transported from one end of Europe to the other
You might be interested to learn that someone has set this poem to a melody on the Anglo-Saxon lyre. I don't think this is what a scop would have sounded like, for various reasons, but that doesn't stop me coming back to listen.
His technique is perhaps better thought out but I don't think he's 'cracked it' either. My main issue with it is that he does not use a regular rhythm based on the stress-patterns of the meter, but rather seems to go out of his way to avoid this, and that he does not keep up a constant musical accompaniment with the lyre. I have a post planned on him and a couple of other reconstructionist performers, which will end with a demonstration of my own technique (more or less worked out in theory but still hard to get right in practice, which is why the post might take a while).
I wonder if already at that time Wayland and Beadhild were connected to Wudga
Really interesting to see the connections between these characters as recorded by the English, Roman history, and other Germanic languages. Ermenaric has a brief mention by Ammianus as well, who was a contemporary, yet Ammianus (along with later Jordanes) seems to speak of him more positively whereas later Germanic legend seems to depict Ermenaric more negatively. Makes me think the Germanic legendary ‘storybook’ wasn’t at all reliant on Roman histories and independently preserved these traditions
I think that was definitely the case. If you look at Widsith the names show their native Anglo-Saxon forms. Audoin and Alboin are Edwin and Elfwin. That's true with the Old Norse heroic stuff too, at least the older layer. Compare the native forms in the Poetic Edda—e.g. Þjóðrekr, Jǫrmunrekr—with the German borrowings in the younger Þiðrekssaga.
Widigoia was, of course, a Goth, as were Ermenaric and Theodoric (who is possibly a composite character of several people with that name); Widsith also preserves their names and a rough framework of their legends
Really cool to see how these stories have ended up transported from one end of Europe to the other
You might be interested to learn that someone has set this poem to a melody on the Anglo-Saxon lyre. I don't think this is what a scop would have sounded like, for various reasons, but that doesn't stop me coming back to listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ZvjTHpb1A
What do you think about Benjamin Bagby?
His technique is perhaps better thought out but I don't think he's 'cracked it' either. My main issue with it is that he does not use a regular rhythm based on the stress-patterns of the meter, but rather seems to go out of his way to avoid this, and that he does not keep up a constant musical accompaniment with the lyre. I have a post planned on him and a couple of other reconstructionist performers, which will end with a demonstration of my own technique (more or less worked out in theory but still hard to get right in practice, which is why the post might take a while).
Great translation - can't wait for the post on Fafnismal!
Should be out today. It's mostly about something else though.