On this page, I give the complete list of topographical identifications made by Heinz Ritter.
In the near future, I will provide a map. Nearly all mentioned places are in or near the Rhineland.
|
The journey of the Nibelungen to Soest Compare the saga | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient name | Modern name | Reference | Remarks |
| Duna | Dhuen | Nibelungen 47-52 | See Ritter's research |
| Babilonia | Cologne | Nibelungen 58 & Dietrich 250-1 | Weak spot in Ritter's theory. There are no reasons to assume Cologne was named Babilonia at any time. Ritter draws this conclusion from circumstantial evidence. |
| Bakalar | No exact match, lies near Altenburg on the Dhuen | Nibelungen 68-75 | Rodinger's seat. It lies in the lowland near the river. |
| Vernica | Virmenich near Zuelpich | Nibelungen 85 | Seat of the Nibelungen. |
|
Dietrich's ancestors and youth Compare the saga | |||
| Ancient name | Modern name | Reference | Remarks |
| Salerna | Sauveniere (Belgium) | Dietrich 48-51 | Dietrich's grandfather came from here. |
| Bern | Bonn | Dietrich 53-56; Nibelungen 58 | Dietrich's seat. In Medieval times, Bonn was also called Verona, as testified by some city-seals. |
| Roma | Trier | Dietrich 60-63 | Ermenrik's seat. In the 4th century, Trier had been an imperial capital. Hence it may have been called Roma Secunda. Ritter quotes an inscription calling the city Belgica Roma, but unfortunately he does not give any reference. |
| Puli | Polch | Dietrich 63 | Temporary seat of Ermenrik, before he conquered Rome. Polch lies near Trier and Ritter thinks it an excellent Herrschaftssitz |
| Greken | Graach | Dietrich 63-64 | Also a temporary seat of Ermenrik near Trier. |
| Venedi | Wenden | Dietrich 68-70 | Hildebrand's homeland; 65 km. east of Bonn |
|
Witig's journey to Bern Compare the saga | |||
| Ancient name | Modern name | Reference | Remarks |
| Furt | Verden | Dietrich 94 | Witig comes through Furt on his travel towards Dietrich. Furt lies on the Eydiss, but Verden lies on the Aller. |
| Eydiss | Eitze-See | Dietrich 94 | Near Verden lies the Eitze-lake. |
| Brictan | Brechten | Dietrich 96 | In the saga, a fort where Witig kills some robbers. |
| Wisar | Emscher | Dietrich 96-99 | A bit of a problem. The Wisar is generally considered to be the Weser. Ritter thinks Witig could not have met the Weser on his journey to Bern. The saga says Witig forces his horse to jump across the Wisar from steep bank to steep bank. The Emscher does have steep banks. Therefore, Ritter concluded the saga means the Emscher. |
|
Dietrich's journey to the Osning Compare the saga | |||
| Ancient name | Modern name | Reference | Remarks |
| Osning | Teutoburger Woods | Dietrich 117 | Also called Rimslowald. Today, there is still a small village called Riemsloh near the famous Teutoburgerwald. |
| Drekanfils | (Unclear) | Dietrich 117 & 181 | Ritter is fairly certain that the Drachenfels on the Rhine is not meant here. According to him, -fels in the area of the Teutoburger Woods does not mean a high rocky eminence but a swampy lowland. Despite this, he cannot trace the Drekanfils exactly. His theory is that it is some kind of Herrensitz near the ancient sanctuary of the Externsteine. |
| In this neighbourhood, Ritter also found some evidence partaining
to Dietrich's fight with a dragon. Load the page discussing this fight. | Aldinsaela | Aldensele | Dietrich 121-125 | Ritter translates this with: old hall and explains this is
a very common name (Oldenzaal in the Netherlands!). All the places named
thus were originally courts of justice for the surrounding lands. This explanation fits excellently with his complicated theory about the fight between Dietrich and Fasold (see the saga). |
Gerimsheim | (Unclear) | Dietrich 158-159 | According to the saga, this should be somewhere on the Rhine. Ritter could not find any concrete village or castle. Maybe Germsheim is meant, but this lies much more to the south. |
| Some miscellaneous identifications | |||
| Ancient name | Modern name | Reference | Remarks |
| Bertangaland | Bardengau near Lueneburg | Dietrich 165-166 | This identification is uncertain, because changing a t to a d is far more difficult than Ritter thinks. |
| Fritila Borg | Friesdorf | Dietrich 184-187 | The castle of Ake, Dietrich's uncle. Nowadays part of the community of Bad Godesberg. There is also a Fritzdorf nearby. |
| Mundia mountains | Rheinische Schiefergebirge & Eiffel | Dietrich 200 | The northern border of Ermenrik's realm. Ritter says Mundia is the bend the Rhine makes near Godesberg. The mountains are west and south of this bend. |
| Gransport | Gans-ford near Koblenz | Dietrich 222-227 | A ford on the Moselle near its merging with the Rhine. It is a logical place for an army coming from Hunnenland to the north to be stopped by an army coming from Trier in the south-west. |
| Ram | Ramershoven near Bonn | Dietrich 262-3 | Here Sibich gathered his army to fight against the returning Dietrich. Ritter finds in an excellent spot to gather an army. |
To be continued...
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