OK! Looots to say about this piece. It is a rendition of an epic written in a mixture of Old High German and Old Saxon, known in English as The Lay of Hildebrand. The lyrics are below in their original language(s). This picture was actually preluded by Dër fater. Both of the bats in the picture are the same person, as opposed to actual father and son like in the lay (it's called symbolism. Deal with it).

The runes at the bottom read "wewurt skihit," meaning something akin to "fate will take its own course." The title for this picture is in Gothic, and you can see the striking similarity between the Gothic translation and the actual line that it is in the lay: Gothic/Old High German/English

Wileis mik þeinamma gaiza wairpan/Uuili mih dinu speru uuerpan/[who] wants to strike me with your spear

If you wish to read the text and an English translation side by side, go here.

And if you'd like to hear an amazing pagan rock band sing and play the song, here is part one and part two.

If you notice, the lyrics end with .... The original ending was lost to time, from the book it was written in, but three outcomes can be deferred from other renditions in contemporary and later languages. 1. The father and son make amends, 2. The father wounds the son and the son leaves the land, 3. (pictured here) Hildebrand kills his son, Hadubrand.

Ik gihorta ðat seggen,

ðat sih urhettun ænon muotin:

Hiltibrant enti Haðubrant untar heriun tuem.

sunufatarungo iro saro rihtun,

garutun sê iro guðhamun, gurtun sih iro suert ana,

helidos, ubar hringa, do sie to dero hiltiu ritun.

Hiltibrant gimahalta, Heribrantes sunu,—her uuas heroro man,

ferahes frotoro—her fragen gistuont

fohem uuortum, hwer sin fater uuari

fireo in folche,

"eddo huuelihhes cnuosles du sis.

ibu du mi enan sages, ik mi de odre uuet,

chind in chunincriche. chud ist mi al irmindeot."

Hadubrant gimahalta, Hiltibrantes sunu:

"dat sagetun mi usere liuti,

alte anti frote, dea érhina uuarun,

dat Hiltibrant hætti min fater, ih heittu Hadubrant.

forn her ostar giuueit, floh her Otachres nid,

hina miti Theotrihhe enti sinero degano filu.

her furlaet in lante luttila sitten,

prut in bure barn unuuahsan,

arbeo laosa. her raet ostar hina.

des sid Detrihhe darba gistuontun

fateres mines: dat uuas so friuntlaos man.

her uuas Otachre ummet tirri,

degano dechisto miti Deotrihhe.

her uuas eo folches at ente: imo uuas eo fehta ti leop.

chud uuas her chonnem mannum.

ni uuaniu ih iu lib habbe."

"Uuettu irmingot", quad Hiltibrant, "obana ab heuane,

dat du neo dana halt mit sus sippan man

dinc ni gileitos!"

uuant her do ar arme uuuntane bauga, cheisuringu gitan, so imo se der chuning gap,

Huneo truhtin: "dat ih dir it nu bi huldi gibu."

Hadubrant gimahalta, Hiltibrantes sunu:

"mit geru scal man geba infahan,

ort uuidar orte.

du bist dir, alter Hun, ummet spaher;

spenis mih mit dinem uuortun, uuili mih dinu speru uuerpan

pist also gialtet man, so du euuin inuuit fortos.

dat sagetun mi seolidante

uuestar ubar uuentilseo, dat inan uuic furnam:

tot is Hiltibrant, Heribrantes suno."

Hiltibrant gimahalta, Heribrantes suno:

"uuela gisihu ih in dinem hrustim,

dat du habes heme herron goten,

dat du noh bi desemo riche reccheo ni uuurti."

uuelaga nu, uualtant got", quad Hiltibrant, "uueuurt skihit!

ih uuallota sumaro enti uuintro sehstic ur lante,

dar man mih eo scerita in folc sceotantero.

so man mir at burc enigeru banun ni gifasta.

nu scal mih suasat chind suertu hauuan,

breton mit sinu billiu, eddo ih imo ti banin uuerdan.

doh maht du nu aodlihho, ibu dir din ellen taoc,

in sus heremo man hrusti giuuinnan,

rauba birahanen, ibu du dar enic reht habes."

"der si doh nu argosto", quad Hiltibrant, "ostarliuto,

der dir nu uuiges uuarne, nu dih es so uuel lustit,

gudea gimeinun. niuse de motti,

huuerdar sih hiutu dero hregilo rumen muotti,

erdo desero brunnono bedero uualtan!"

do lettun se ærist asckim scritan

scarpen scurim, dat in dem sciltim stont.

do stoptun to samane staimbort hludun,

heuwun harmlicco huitte scilti,

unti im iro lintun luttila uurtun,

giuuigan miti uuabnum...

Art © Spacefag

Old and young Johann ©