Etzel der rîche

In comparison with other heroes of Germanic poetry the figure of Attila has attracted remarkably little scholary interest. This investigation sets out to rescue Attila from a state of comparative neglect by focusing attention on his portrayal in medieval German literature and attempting to establish the influence of other views on the German sources as well as assessing the specifically German contribution to the Attila tradition. As a result many largely uncritically held tenets regarding the depiction of Attila in medieval German literature are shown to be in need of modification, if not urgent revision.