Videke - encyclopedia article about Videke.

Wudga, Witege, Viðga, Videke or Vidrik Villandsson/Vallandsson/Verlandsson is a hero in several early Germanic legends and later Scandinavian ballads.^[1] He probably has a historic basis in either the Gothic national hero Vidigoia, or in Vitiges, a king of the Ostrogoths.^[1]

According to the Þiðrekssaga and a Scandinavian ballad, he was of Dietrich von Bern's warriors.^[1] In one of the ballads, he won particular fame in his duel with Langben Rese/Risker.^[1]

During the middle ages, he became the son of Wayland Smith and Böðvildr, and this entitled him to carry a hammer and pliers in his coat of arms.^[1] Later the origin of his name "Wayland's son" was forgotten, but the fame of the character prevailed.^[1] During the 16th and the 17th centuries, this led to the idea that his name "Villandsson" referred to Villand Hundred in Skåne, and the hundred duly began to use his coat of arms as its own.^[1]

Widsith

One of the earliest appearances of Wudga is in the poem Widsith, lines 123-130, where he appears together with his friend Hama:

Rædhere sohte ic ond Rondhere,

:Rumstan ond Gislhere,

Wiþergield ond Freoþeric,

:Wudgan ond Haman;

125 ne wæran þæt gesiþa

:þa sæmestan,

þeah þe ic hy anihst

:nemnan sceolde.

Ful oft of þam heape

:hwinende fleag

giellende gar

:on grome þeode;

wræccan þær weoldan

:wundnan golde

130 werum ond wifum,

:Wudga ond Hama.^[2]

Raedhere sought I and Rondhere,

:Rumstan and Gislhere,

Withergield and Freotheric,

:Wudga and Hama;

125 not that these comrades were

:the worst,

though I in the last place

:name in this song.

Often from that group

:hissing in flight

yelled the spear

:at fierce people;

pressing their rule

:to the gilded gold

130 of men and women,

:where Wudga and Hama.^[3]

Þiðrekssaga

Before treating the adventures of Viðga (Wudga) and Heimir (Hama), the Þiðrekssaga introduces the Velents þáttr smiðs to explain how Wayland Smith became the father of Viðga.

Viðga was only twelve years old when he decided to become a warrior. He was already strong and good at fighting with arms. His father gave Viðga weapons of his own manufacture, and most importantly his own sword Mimung and his horse Skemming.

Searching for the famous warrior Thiðrek (Dietrich von Bern), Viðga met Hildebrand, Heimir and earl Hornbogi, but at first Hildibrand believed that Viðga was a dwarf. Viðga and Hildebrand became such good friends that they entered sworn brotherhood, but when they met Hildebrand secretly switched Viðga's sword with an ordinary one.

When Viðga finally met Þiðrek, the latter challenged Viðga to fight a duel with him, and Hildebrand failed with his attempts to make peace between the two. At first the two heroes jousted with lances during which Viðga's lance shattered on Þiðrek's shield. Viðga then cut off Þiðrek's lance and they continued on foot with their swords.

Finally Viðga's fake Mimung shattered on Þiðrek's sword and Þiðrek was about to give the unarmed Viðga his coup de grâce. Then Hildebrand returned the true Mimung to Viðga and Viðga got the upper hand in the duel. Eventually, Þiðrek had neither shield nor a functioning helmet, and Þiðrek's father Þetmar tried to stop the duel. Viðga was however furious with his opponent who had wanted to kill him and refused to stop the fight. It was only when a mighty stroke with the sword shattered Þiðrek's helmet and Hildebrand intervened that the fight ended. From that moment, Viðga became one of Þiðrek's companions.

There was a war between Sweden's (Vilkinaland) king Osantrix and Attila who had conquered Hunaland from Osantrix and taken his daughter. Eventually Attila had to call on Þiðrek and his warriors who helped Attila defeat Osantrix. As the Swedes withdrew, Osantrix' duke Hertnid took Viðga prisoner and Osantrix put him in a dungeon. Viðga was then rescued by his friends Vildifer, who was disguised as a bear, and the minstrel Isung.

During his fight with Sigurd, Þiðrek borrowed Viðga's sword Mimung, and when Sigurd realised whose sword he was fighting against, he surrendered to Þiðrek.

Notes and references

1. ^ The article Vidrik Verlandsson in Nordisk familjebok (1921).
2. ^ Widsith in Old English at The Labyrinth, Georgetown Universtity.
3. ^ Translated by Douglas B. Killings at Georgetown University.

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centred on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe which includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
..... Click the link for more information.

ballad is a narrative poem, usually set to music; thus, it often is a story told in a song. Any story form may be told as a ballad, such as historical accounts or fairy tales in verse form.
..... Click the link for more information.

Wudga, Witege, Viðga, Videke or Vidrik Villandsson/Vallandsson/Verlandsson is a hero in several early Germanic legends and later Scandinavian ballads.
..... Click the link for more information.

Witiges or Vitiges (died 540) was King of the Ostrogoths in Italy from 536 to 540.

He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the Gothic War, as Belisarius had quickly captured Sicily the previous year and was currently in southern Italy at the head of
..... Click the link for more information.

Ostrogoths (Greuthung, Gleaming Goths or Eastern Goths), along with the Visigoths (Noble Goths or Western Goths) were branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late Roman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information.

Þiðrekssaga (also Thidreksaga, Thidrekssaga, Niflungasaga or Vilkina saga) is a chivalric saga of the adventures of the hero Dietrich von Bern who is based on the historical Theodoric the Great, and Bern
..... Click the link for more information.

Theodoric the Great (454 - August 30, 526), known to the Romans as Flavius Theodoricus, was king of the Ostrogoths (488-526), ruler of Italy (493-526), and regent of the Visigoths (511-526).
..... Click the link for more information.

Wayland (also spelled Weyland, Weland, Welent and Watlende) is a mythical smith-god of the Anglo-Saxon religion brought with the Saxon settlers of Britain.
..... Click the link for more information.

Böðvildr, Beadohilde, Bodil was the princess of an evil king Níðuðr/Niðhad/Niðung who appears in Germanic legends, such as Deor, Völundarkviða and Þiðrekssaga.
..... Click the link for more information.

Villand Hundred, or Villands härad, was a hundred of Skåne in Sweden.
..... Click the link for more information.

Scania ( Skåne (help info ) in Swedish) is a geographical region of Sweden on the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, a historical province (landskap)
..... Click the link for more information.

Widsith is an Old English poem of 144 lines that appears to date from the 9th century, drawing on earlier oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon tale singing. The only text of the fragment is copied in the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th
..... Click the link for more information.

Velents þáttr smiðs is the name given to the part of the Þiðrekssaga af Bern that deals with Wayland Smith (Velent, Wieland, Völundr).

Velent was the son of the giant Vaði from Sjaelland. He was sent as an apprentice to Mímir, a smith from Húnaland.
..... Click the link for more information.

For other things named "Hildebrand", Hildebrand (disambiguation)

Hildebrand is a character from German legend.

Hildebrand is Old German and in Old Norse the form is Hildibrandr.
..... Click the link for more information.

Attila the Hun
Khan of Hunnic Empire
("Khan of the Huns")

Reign 434–453
Died 453
Buried
Predecessor Bleda & Rugila
Successor Ellac
Royal House Dulo
Royal anthem
..... Click the link for more information.

Hunaland and its people are mentioned several times in the Poetic Edda, and in the Fornaldarsagas.

Its origins are partly the old Frankish kingdom (the Franks were once called Hugones, in Latin, and Hūgas in Old English) and partly in the Huns.
..... Click the link for more information.

Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) was a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictoral form from seven runestones in Sweden^[1]
..... Click the link for more information.

Nordisk familjebok (en. Nordic familybook) is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.

The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover.
..... Click the link for more information.

Wudga (redirected from Videke)

Widsith

Þiðrekssaga

Notes and references

Wudga
(redirected from Videke)