Editing Waltharius419
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− | | {{Comment|Walther refrains from "use" of Hildegund, which suggests that she carries a different status from the rest of the treasure. As earlier, the poet takes pains to depict a companionate relationship between the two exiles, emphasizing Hildegund's personal, feminine value above mere chattel. See John O. Ward, "After Rome: Medieval Epic," in Roman Epic, ed. A.J. Boyle (Routledge, 1993). MCD}} | + | | {{Comment|Walther refrains from "use" of Hildegund, which suggests that she carries a different status from the rest of the treasure. As earlier, the poet takes pains to depict a companionate relationship between the two exiles, emphasizing Hildegund's personal, feminine value above mere chattel. See John O. Ward, "After Rome: Medieval Epic," in Roman Epic, ed. A.J. Boyle (Routledge, 1993). MCD [It is worth pointing out along with the other observations you make that Hildegund's virginity has by this moment in the poem been emphasized repeatedly: this is the tenth time the poet has used the word virgo, I think! Just for thoroughness' sake, I should point out that Edoardo D'Angelo took "usus" to refer not to "sexual enjoyment" but to "use" or "work." This interpretation has the attraction of following logically from the preceding lines: namque makes sense as a connective. JZ]}} |
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|[[Continuit]] [[vir]] [[Waltharius]] [[laudabilis]] [[heros]]. | |[[Continuit]] [[vir]] [[Waltharius]] [[laudabilis]] [[heros]]. | ||
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− | | {{Comment|Ward makes much of Walther’s abstention from sex with Hildegund in the wilderness. Instead of treating her as spoils of war, he shows respect for her noble status and her potential to become a wife and mother of heirs. Such heirs would need to be incontestable, not sullied by the shadow of extramarital sex | + | | {{Comment|Ward makes much of Walther’s abstention from sex with Hildegund in the wilderness. Instead of treating her as spoils of war, he shows respect for her noble status and her potential to become a wife and mother of heirs. Such heirs would need to be incontestable, not sullied by the shadow of extramarital sex. Though the term “chivalry” is anachronistic in this context, Walther’s careful respect for Hildegund as a marriageable woman (and thus, a stabilizer of culture) and his avoidance of the sin of lust make him a prototype for the later “domesticated” heroes of romance. For Ward, the poem represents the efforts of the Carolingian church to craft just such religious and domestic values. MCD |
Perhaps Walther's abstinence is also connected with the other associations with Lent? [JJTY]}} | Perhaps Walther's abstinence is also connected with the other associations with Lent? [JJTY]}} |