Hunting a woman in the Dietrich of Bern cycle and Theodoric the Great’s ride to hell
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2026-3-200-213
Abstract
The figure of Dietrich of Bern and his historical prototype, the Ostrogothic king of Italy Theodoric the Great, was often associated in the Middle Ages with the Wild Hunt, a cavalcade of the dead that emerged from Germanic folklore. One variation of the Wild Hunt motif is the pursuit of a woman – a sinner, a prostitute, or a wood-spirit and a fairy. Three poems from the extensive Dietrich of Bern cycle feature the motif of a woman being pursued by a monstrous giant or pagan, which at first glance seems clearly connected to the representation of Theodoric/Dietrich as the Wild Huntsman. However, closer analysis reveals that the oral tales of Theodoric, who, like a wild man, pursues nymphs through the Tyrolean forests, and the tales of his ride to hell on a black devil’s steed were distinct and unrelated in the epic tradition.
About the Author
A. V. Khokhlova
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alyona V. Khokhlova - Cand. of Sci. (Philology).
6-6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Review
For citations:
Khokhlova A.V. Hunting a woman in the Dietrich of Bern cycle and Theodoric the Great’s ride to hell. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2026;(3):200-213. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2026-3-200-213
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