Notes on Orendel and other Stories. 293
There is a great deal more of the story; and many things have been passed over in this abstract which belong to the legendary strain in the composition. The story as here represented will be seen to resemble a great many other stories in its use of a common plot — the quest for the princess of a strange land, and the winning of the princess by the fortunate adventurer, who may or may not be, as Orendel is, a youngest son, but who, in any case, is required to do great things before the princess is gained. In the rambling, blundering story there can be no mistake about this : the minstrel has a story to tell, and this is definitely a considerable part of it, and even in its way an interesting story, not worse than some other (more arrogant) profes- sional fiction.
Has it anything to do with the Sun-god or the Culture- hero, with Aurvendill the friend of Thor, or Horvendillus the father of Hamlet ?
Some scholars think so ; but curiously some of those who have taken most pains to prove their case, MiillenhofT and his followers, have thrown over almost all this part of the story as it stands. Going on to the latter part of the German tale (1. 2845), where Orendel is called back to Trier to help his father against besieging enemies, and taking this along with the things that resemble the Odyssey, they have turned the tale of Orendel — which for more than 2,000 lines is taken up with the story of the young king's voyages and travels away from home into the unknown world to win the true princess — into a return story like the Odyssey — a very good story, but not that which the minstrel told in this romance. Orvendill came back to Groa ; Orendel also came back,^ and the story of his outward
' Aber AUes wird auf einmal klar und gewinnt Sinn und Bedeutung, wenn wir, worauf zuerst Miillenhoff hingewiesen hat, die Brautwerbung als eine jiingere Umbildung betrachten : in der ursprimglichen Gestalt handelte es sich nicht um Orendeh Brautfahrt sondeni um seine Riickkehr. Er hat Schiff- bruch gelitten, und kommt in elender Kleidung zuriick in die Heimat, findet seine Gattin von Freiern umlagert, besiegt sie alle, bleibt aber zunachst
