Dietrichs Flucht

Dietrichs Flucht (Dietrich's Flight) or Das Buch von Bern (The Book of Verona) is an anonymous 13th-century Middle High German poem about the legendary hero Dietrich von Bern, the legendary counterpart of the historical Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great. It is part of the so-called "historical" Dietrich material and is closely related to, and always transmitted together with, a second Dietrich poem, Die Rabenschlacht. A Heinrich der Vogler is named as author in an excursus of the poem. Earlier scholarship considered him to be the author of Dietrichs Flucht and possibly also of Die Rabenschlacht, however more recent scholarship believes he is only author of this excursus.

Dietrichs Flucht describes the rule of Dietrich's ancestors in his kingdom in northern Italy; his betrayal and exile by his wicked uncle Ermenrich, and his flight to the Huns, where he is warmly received by Etzel and his wife Helche. With Etzel's help, Dietrich makes two attempts to reclaim his kingdom from Ermenrich, but each time his victory is pyrrhic and he is forced to return to exile with the Huns.

Unlike most German heroic poems, the poem is written in rhyming couplets, suggesting that it may may have been intended to be read as a historical document like a rhymed chronicle. Alternatively, the choice of couplets may suggest a nearness to the genre of chivalric romance. The poem unites figures from various German heroic traditions, including the Nibelungenlied, Wolfdietrich, and Ortnit.

Dietrichs Flucht begins with a long history of Dietrich's ancestors, who all live exceptionally long, Methuselan and virtuous lives and leave a single heir to the kingdom. They are native to Italy (called Lomparten or Rœmischlant) and spend their lives acquiring brides and fighting dragons. This easy line of inheritance is broken first by Ortnit, who is killed by a dragon, but the succession is restored by Wolfdietrich, who marries Ortnit's widow and becomes king. Wolfdietrich has 56 children, but all die except for Hugdietrich. Hugdietrich's son Amelung, has three sons: Ermenrich, Dietmar, and Diether. When Hugdietrich dies, he divides the country among his children, Dietmar receiving Bern (Verona). Emenrich is the father of Friderich, Dietmar of Dietrich and Diether (II), and Diether of the two Harlungen.

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