Waltharius. Germanische Heldensage, Christliche Dichtung, Lateinisches Epos

The Waltharius is a medieval Latin epic, written in the 9th or 10th century by an anonymous German monk. In this epic, the Germanic heroic tradition, the classical Greek and Latin epic tradition, and medieval Christian moral discourse are combined into a single narrative. By comparing the Waltharius to a number of other texts of the aforementioned traditions, this work aims both to show the unique nature of this epic, and to argue that the anonymous poet intentionally draws on these traditions to serve Christian purposes.