It so happens that Germania this year will celebrate Goldfest with a Wild Hunt theme, and we at Ravenna would like to contribute with some related nuggets.
The Lay of Theodoric - translation of a poem by Giosue Carducci which tells the Wild Hunt legend about Theodoric the Great.
The Mausoleum of Theodoric - An article about the real-life tomb of Theodoric. (UPCOMING)
Dietrich's End
When Lord Dietrich was very old, he rode to a pool in the river that was called Dietrich's Bath. While he was bathing, a young squire said to him: "There runs the most beautiful stag that I ever saw in all my life." Lord Dietrich sprang out of the water and wrapped himself in his cloak and bade bring his steed and his hounds.
His squires went to fetch his steed, but the king thought the wait was too long. He saw the deer leap away, and he found a black steed beside him with saddle and harness. At once he jumped in the saddle and ran after the deer. The squires freed the hounds, but the hounds refused to move.
The steed leaped as high as the bold flight of any bird. One of the king's thanes followed him on his white steed, and the hounds followed him. Lord Dietrich realized that this was no steed he sat upon, and would gladly dismount, but he could not move from the wooden saddle.
The thane who followed him called out: "My lord, you ride too fast, when will you turn back home?"
Lord Dietrich said: "I think this is an ill ride, and I will come back if God and the Virgin Mary so desire." Then he at once disappeared from the thane's sight, and was never seen again.
Welcome! My name is Thidrek, also known as Dietrich von Bern in Germanic legends. You can find more about me at my home, and a little bit also at Hareth's. I chose to stop in Ravenna in honour of Theodoric the Great, who is said to have inspired my adventures. As a matter of fact, I am just the archetype of the heroic knight, forever chasing after dragons and giants; and though Bern has been variously identified with actual cities, that, too, fits narrowly. I am whatever hero you are looking for, and Bern is a place of the mind.
The handsome guy up here on the left is the true hero of this page. My horse, Falka. As you see, he looks brighter and more interesting than I do, and he is. In the Thidrekssaga he is related to Siegfried's horse, and once he actually saves my life by sitting on an enemy. I am not making this up. But black horses are a recurring theme in my life, as you can see.
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