Sigenot is an anonymousMiddle High German poem about the legendary heroDietrich von Bern, the counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic kingTheodoric the Great inGermanic heroic legend. It is one of the so-called fantastical (aventiurehaft) Dietrich poems, so called because it more closely resembles acourtly romance than aheroic epic. It was likely written in theAlemannic dialect area, no later than 1300.
The poem concerns Dietrich's fight with the eponymous giant Sigenot, who defeats Dietrich and takes him prisoner. Dietrich must be rescued by his mentorHildebrand, who himself is defeated by the giant but manages to escape with the help of thedwarf Eggerich and kill the giant.
TheSigenot exists in two principle versions. It was by far the most popular of all Dietrich poems,[1] being transmitted in eight extant manuscripts and twenty-one printings until 1661. It inspired various artistic depictions as well. It is nevertheless not regarded very highly as a work of art and has received little scholarly attention.
The poem exists in two principle versions: the so-called elder Sigenot (älterer Sigenot), and the younger Sigenot (jüngerer Sigenot) (see "Transmission, versions, and dating" below).
In theälterer Sigenot, Dietrich awakens the giant Sigenot in the forest by kicking him. The giant then recognizes Dietrich by the coat of arms on his shield as the slayer of Hilde and Grim, two giant relatives of his, and forces Dietrich to fight him, despite a sudden reluctance (zagheit) on Dietrich's part. Dietrich is thrown into a dungeon. Sigenot now heads to Bern (Verona) to defeatHildebrand, and, encountering him in the forest, takes him prisoner as well. However, once Hildebrand has been dragged to Dietrich's prison, he is able to free himself, slays the giant and frees Dietrich with the help of thedwarf Duke Eggerich. The two heroes then return to Bern.[2]
In thejüngerer Sigenot, the poem begins with Hildebrand telling Dietrich about Sigenot. He warns him not to go into the forest to fight the giant. Dietrich ignores this advice and sets out to find Sigenot. Then, before encountering the giant, Dietrich fights awild man who is keeping the dwarf Baldung captive. As a reward, the dwarf gives Dietrich a protective jewel and directs him to Sigenot. Dietrich fights Sigenot and is taken prisoner. Sigenot throws Dietrich into asnake pit, but the jewel protects him. Sigenot decides to head for Bern.Hildebrand, now worried by Dietrich's long absence, sets out to find him: on the way he encounters Sigenot and is taken prisoner. Left alone in Sigenot's cave, Hildebrand frees himself and dresses in Dietrich's armor. He then slays Sigenot and frees Dietrich with Eggerich's help.[3]
TheSigenot exists in two overarching versions, the so-called "olderSigenot" and the "youngerSigenot" (jüngerer Sigenot). Because of the heavy variability between manuscripts in the fantastical Dietrich poems, each individual manuscript can be considered to be a "version" of these two overarching versions. Formerly, it was believed that the "youngerSigenot" represented an expansion of the shorter version found in the "olderSigenot".[4] Now the "youngerSigenot is widely believed to be the older version of the two.[5] Given the age of the first manuscript, the poem must have existed before 1300, most likely in the Swabian-Alemannic dialect area.[6] Like almost all Germanheroic poems, it is anonymous.[7]
The "olderSigenot is attested in one manuscript:
It is likely that this version of 44 stanzas has been deliberately shortened to serve as an introduction or prologue to theEckenlied, which follows it in the manuscript.[5] The final stanza of the poem includes an explicit mention that theEckenlied will begin next.[10]
The "youngerSigenot has around 2000 stanzas, varying by attestation,[2] and is attested in all the remaining manuscripts and printings:
There are also more than 21 printings, with the last being printed in Nuremberg in 1661.[14][15]
Although theSigenot was one of the most popular poems about Dietrich von Bern, it has not been treated kindly by scholars, with both Joachim Heinzle and Victor Millet dismissing it as uninteresting.[16][17]
The poem shows little self-reflexively: Hildebrand stylizes the fight against giants as the chief task of any hero.[18] The text also includes some comical elements, as when Sigenot is able to carry Dietrich under his arm, or when Dietrich's fiery breath, with which he defeatedSiegfried in theRosengarten zu Worms, proves useless against the giant. That Dietrich and Hildebrand together defeat the giant likely shows the solidarity of the noble warriors rather than any suggestion of Dietrich's inadequacy.[19]
Like the majority of Germanheroic epics, theSigenot is written in stanzas.[20] The poem is composed in a stranzaic form known as the "Berner Ton," which consists of 13 lines in the following rhyme scheme:aabccbdedefxf. It shares this metrical form with the poemsGoldemar,Eckenlied, andVirginal. Early modern melodies for the "Berner Ton" have survived, indicating that it was meant to be sung.[21] The following stanza from S1 connecting that poem to theEckenlied can stand in as an example:[10]
Werner Hoffmann describes the entire poem as an invention of the thirteenth century, as there are no attestations for a giant named Sigenot or a dwarf named Eggerich before the poem.[22] However, the poem may connect to Dietrich's captivity among giants, as referenced in theWaldere and found inVirginal: Joachim Heinzle suggests that it was created in the 13th century under the influence of this traditional story.[16] The text also makes reference to Dietrich's battle with Hilde and Grim, which is told in theThidrekssaga and referenced in theEckenlied, but about which no poem survives.[23] The story of Hilde and Grim functions as a sort of prequel toSigenot, showing an attempt to connect the poems together in a cycle.[24] Victor Millet suggests that there may never have been a written poem about Hilde and Grim; the tale may have been a purely oral one and well known to theSigenot's audience[25] In the Thidrekssaga, Hilde and Grim are said to give their name to Dietrich's helmet, the Hildegrim; George Gillespie argues that they are likely a late addition to the oral tradition in order to explain the meaning of name Hildegrim (meaning battle specter) once this was no longer obvious.[26]
CountGottfried Werner von Zimmern commissioned a cycle of frescoes inWildenstein Castle, probably in the 1520s. The frescoes, of which 32 survive in poor condition, were perhaps based on thewoodcuts found in the printing of 1520.[27]
The late manuscript hs1 (S3), created forMargaret of Savoy has been extensivelyilluminated, with around 201miniatures. Nearly every stanza of the poem is accompanied with an illumination.[28] The illuminations are very similar to each other on each page, showing every stage of the poem's narrative, so that one gets the impression of a series of film stills.[29] The illuminations appear to be from the workshop of Ludwig Henfflin.[30]