The birds of the wood had sung her death-song, and the trees had showered their leaves and blossoms over the still form.
Volkmar returned no more to the world, which had nothing to offer his broken heart.
Where Liutburga had dwelt in her grief was now his home; the crucifix before which she had knelt was his sanctuary, and henceforth he turned all his thoughts to God, and to the consolation of the sorrowing.
That is the Liutburga of romance. The Liutburga of history[[1]] is indeed a highly interesting and noble personality, if less poetic.
[[1]] See History of Blankenburg.
Countess Gisela, of the Harzgau, whose seat was Blankenburg Schloss, after the death of her husband, Earl Unwan, built Kloster Wenthusen, and other convents and churches.
Once on a journey she was overtaken by the darkness, and took refuge in a Kloster.
Among the nuns who welcomed her, one, Liutburga, won her affections, and on leaving, Gisela took her home with her.
After Gisela's death, Liutburga, with the consent of Bishop Thiatgrin, of Halberstadt, retired to this cave somewhere between 827 and 840, in which Bernhard, son of Gisela, built her a cell and a chapel.
She was renowned for sanctity and good works, and endowed with a superior mind.