To this Sir Dietrich answered in wrath: "'Tis I, that hath warned the noble and mighty princes and the bold Hagen, the Burgundian liegeman. Go to, thou she-devil, thou durst not make me suffer for the deed."
Sore abashed was King Etzel's wife, for bitterly she feared Sir Dietrich. At once she left him, not a word she spake, but gazed with furious glance upon her foes. Two warriors then grasped each other quickly by the hand, the one was Sir Dietrich, the other Hagen. With gentle breeding the lusty hero spake: "Forsooth I rue your coming to the Huns, because of what the queen hath said."
Quoth Hagen: "There will be help for that."
Thus the two brave men talked together. King Etzel saw this, and therefore he began to query: "Fain would I know," spake the mighty king, "who yonder warrior be, whom Sir Dietrich greeteth there in such friendly wise. He carrieth high his head; whoever be his father, he is sure a doughty knight."
A liegeman of Kriemhild made answer to the king: "By birth he is from Troneg, his father hight Aldrian; however blithe he bear him here, a grim man is he. I'll let you see full well that I have told no lie."
"How shall I know that he be so fierce?" replied the king. As yet he wist not the many evil tricks that the queen should later play upon her kin, so that she let none escape from the Huns alive.
"Well know I Aldrian, for he was my vassal (5) and here at my court gained mickle praise and honor. I dubbed him knight and gave hint of my gold. The faithful Helca loved him inly. Therefore I have since known Hagen every whit. Two stately youths became my hostages, he and Walther of Spain. (6) Here they grew to manhood; Hagen I sent home again, Walther ran away with Hildegund."
He bethought him of many tales that had happed of yore. He had spied aright his friend of Troneg, who in his youth had given him yeoman service. Later in his old age he did him many a dear friend to death.
ENDNOTES:
(1) "Hildebrand" is the teacher and armor bearer of Dietrich.
He is the hero of the famous "Hildebrandslied".
(2) "Wolfhart" is Hildebrand's nephew. In the "Thidreksaga" he
falls in the battle of Gronsport.
(3) "Amelung land" is the name under which Dietrich's land
appears. Theodorich, the king of the East Goths, belonged
to the race of the Amali.
(4) "Feast". That Kriemhild kissed only Giselher, who was
innocent of Siegfried's death, aroused Hagen's suspicions.
(5) "Vassal". No other account speaks of Aldrian as being at
Etzel's court. He is probably confused here with his son,
for Hagen's stay with Etzel in various legends, as also in
our poem a few lines further down.
(6) "Walther of Spain" is Walther of Aquitania, a legendary
personage of whom the O.E. fragment "Waldere", the Latin
epic "Waltharius", a M.H.G. epic, and the "Thidreksaga"
tell. He flees with Hildegund, the daughter of the
Burgundian King Herrich, from Etzel's court, as related
here, but has to fight for his life against overpowering
numbers, in the "Thidreksaga" against the pursuing Huns, in
the other sources against the Burgundians. In both cases
Hagen is among his foes, but takes no part in the fight at
first, out of friendship for Walther.