The Life of Hagen

Many were the intercourses of old between the British Islands and the German people. Some say that Britain was named for Albion, son of Audion, long-bearded conqueror of Italy, who throve in the days after King Arthur; but surely this is an anachronism and a misorthography. Of Hagen, half-elven prince in Hibernia, whose preternaturally long life brought him east to Germany, and further east to his doom, there is less controversy. Few climes are as salubrious as Hibernia’s; and eastward ever does doom gather.

Summary of contents:

Cp. I: In Balianus, by the castle Tronia, child-prince Hagen is practicing spear-throwing when he is assaulted by a passing beast, a gryphus part dragon and part lion. He fights, to no avail, with his spear, and the gyphus carries him away to a far island in the Aegean, where it drops him in a nest, and flies on. Hagen then from the chicks defended himself boldly, and with some measure of success, with a stout stick he plucked from the nest twigs. One young gryphus, bolder than the rest, twisted past Hagen’s defenses and lifting him up in its small claws, sought to carry him away for a solo repast; but Hagen’s stick struck out, and the Gryphis dropped him into a field of thorns, where h crept away, torn and bloody but safe from attack from above. Hagen found other children dwelling among the thorns, a Vasco lass, a lass of the far north, and a lass from far India, whom he called Ilta, who nursed him back to health. They had escaped by sheer chance (the branch broke when we lit upon it!) or pluck (a rock in the eye!), and dwelt low among the thorns, where no gryphus could reach. Hagen constructed arrows of fish bones to hunt game for the four, and later of the bones of the beasts he slew he made bone-tipped spears. With these, at last, he was able to fight the gryphi. A fortuitous shipwreck brought supplies and better arms, though against the gryphi Hagen always returned to his trusty bone spears. Soon the four were able to explore their island home with impunity, and what could stand before Hagen, armed now to the teeth. A lighting dragon he slew, and in drinking its blood he learned the ways of the berserker. Finally the managed to summon a passing ship, and passed to the mainland, where Hagen sought to bring them home to Balianus. But overbold inquiries attracted the attention of the enemies of Balianus, who took the children aboard feigning friendship, only to reveal that they were to be hostages. A berserker rage resolves the situation. Hagen returns home, not yet of age.

Cp. II. An enumeration of the many deeds of daring Hagen performs in Hibernia and places thereabouts. He weds Ilta, and inherits the kingdom.

Cp. III. Hagen and Ilta have a daughter, named for her mother. Hagen vows that none might marry his daughter ere they face him in single combat. Many combats described in great detail, and Hagen wins ever. Etellus of Matelana: Digression on the many bold warriors of Etellus’ court, each one a bold adventurer with many a tale of his own. Etellus decides to try his hand, and sends old Vato, the greatest warrior in his kingdom, to represent. But Vato takes one look at Hagen and decides to use deceit. He feigns that he has quarreled with his master, and fled, and he distributes most liberally gifts. But such jewels, he vowed, that he had in his ships, and these in chests to heavy to bear ashore! So Princess Ilta and her maids are at length permitted a brief visit to the ship, which of course raises anchor and sails away. Hagen tried to pursue the ships by himself, swimming with a spear in his teeth, but of course this doesn’t work. Instead he plans to raid Matelana. A warfleet is prepared, each ship flying the arms of Balianus, a gryphus (for Hagen) and a tiger (for the queen’s distant home). When they reach Matelana, the landing is opposed by the flower of Etellus’ warband. Great carnage. Iliadic descriptions of battle. Hagan lays Etellus low in single combat, but Vato steps in before a killing stroke can fall, and now the epic combat begins, these high level fighters, with their multiple attacks per round and their various rages. Exciting! But predicatably the princess comes out to stop the combat, and somehow Hagen, not yet a tragic figure, does not slay her by accident, and yes she loves Etellus, etc. Hagen sails away.

Cp IV. Everyone he loves grows old faster than Hagen does, and he spends more and more time on crazy distant adventures. His own kingdom is all but forgotten. He befriends Clodius, king of the Franks, and trudges through the icy wastes of the north, and finally ends up in Vormatia, with some distant relations on his father’s side. Their adventures.

Cp. V. In repayment of an old debt (“Though methinks ’twill bode ill for my twain eyen,” he murmurs), Hagen offers himself as a hostage to the conquering Etellus (confusingly, no relation apparently to the fellow aforementioned) in lieu of the infant son of Clodius. The court intrigue around Etellus. Hagen defeats the king in single combat, and each agrees that there is no longer any bond or obligation between them. He returns to Vormatia. But when Waltharius escapes with Hunnic treasure and the maiden Hildagunta, Hagen, who knew him back at court, realizes the vast treasures he must have stolen, and leads his kinsmen against Waltharius. Epic combat ensues. Hagen, in the end, loses an eye, and the foes are reconciled. Hagen sees how conflicting loyalties, such as those between his freinds Waltharius and Gunterius, are nothing for a king to bind himself with, and he vows to return to the bright towers or Tronia.

Cp. VI. Tronia is a wasteland, and but little memory of it even remains. Is this suspicious? Has Hagen’s departure and later return an admission of something unstated?

Cp. VII. The Sigfritus episode. Hagen, though at first unwilling, finally bows to necessity and plans and contrives to slay the hero through treachery.

Cp. VIII. The march east, the ill omens, the final battle. Hagen’s heart cut out laughing.