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Composed in alliterative verse during the second half of the 8th century, this poem
was recorded in Old High German about 810 a.d. at the Fulda Monastery in
southern Germany. The manuscript was used as the binding for a theological
treatise. Translated here into free verse. No attempt has been made to reproduce
the original meter or alliteration. The poem's conclusion is lost. Parallel traditions
suggest that the father killed his son. However, a ballad from the 13th century, the
so-called "Younger Hildebrandslied," ends with a reconciliation between father and
son.
The five dots indicate that part of the text is missing or unreadable.
Two seasons per year times sixty seasons equals thirty years. This was a standard
way to reckon time in medieval northern Europe.