Walhall. Germanische Götter- und Heldensagen. Für Alt und Jung am
deutschen Herd erzählt von Felix Dahn und Therese Dahn, geb. Freiin von
Droste-Hülshoff. Mit neunundfünfzig Bildertafeln, Textbildern,
Kopfleisten und Schlussstücken nach Federzeichnungen von Johannes
Gehrts. Kreuznach, Verlag von R. Voigtländer, 1883.
Seventh Edition, 1885.
Eleventh Edition, 1891.
Twelfth Edition (Leipzig), 1898.
8vo, _Beowulf_ (by Therese Dahn[1]), pp. 361-405, with two
illustrations.
A Paraphrase in German Prose for General Readers.
_Therese Dahn._
Therese Dahn, born Freiin von Droste-Hülshoff, was born in 1845, and
married Felix Dahn in 1873. With him she published in 1873 at Leipzig a
volume of poems (_Gedichte_). For certain of her verses in this volume
she received high praise. She has since continued creative work. She
resides at Breslau, where Felix Dahn is professor in the University.
Of the stories in the present volume she wrote, beside _Beowulf_, _Die
Wölsungen_, _Kudrun_, the story of König Wilkinus, &c., _Wieland der
Schmied_, _Walther und Hildgund_, and the stories from the _Dietrich_
saga and the _Nibelungen_ saga.
_Nature of the Paraphrase._
The following parts of the story are omitted entirely: the account of
the first King Beowulf in the Prolog; the Sigemund episode, Hrothgar’s
Discourse; the Thrytho episode; the Freawaru episode; Beowulf’s account
of his Fight with Grendel as told to King Hygelac; the Battle of
Ravenswood.
Other changes in the story are as follows: the sorrows of the Danes as
told in the Prolog are attributed to the reign of King Heremod; in a
separate Kapitel (III) are gathered the Sorrows of King Hrethel, the
account of Ongentheow, the Fall of Hygelac, and the Death of Heardred.
The Fight at Finnsburg is added and an original beginning provided
for it.
Obscure words, phrases, and lines are omitted; and explanatory words are
inserted from time to time.
_Indebtedness to Simrock._
The translation was evidently made with Simrock’s translation[2] in
hand; possibly it may have been made directly from that version.
Evidence of the dependence upon Simrock may be found at every step. The
forms of the proper names invented by Simrock are repeated here (e.g.,
Aeskhere, Hädkynn, Ochthere). His renderings of the unique words in the
poem (sometimes in a slightly simplified form) are used in the
paraphrase. Often the original word used by Simrock is added in
parentheses (cf., e.g., Simrock, p. 72.6 with Dahn, p. 382, and p. 73.44
with Dahn, p. 383). Further evidence may be found by comparing the
extracts given in this work.