Oldest Written Fragment of German Tale Is Found
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The oldest written fragment of the Nibelungen myth, an oral tale later standardized into the most famous Germanic text of the Middle Ages, has been found in a monastery in Austria.
The Nibelungen Saga, a 2,439-verse epic that tells of the rise and fall of the Burgundian empire, is considered the most important text of the Middle High German language.
The pieces of parchment found in the Zwettl monastery in the province of Lower Austria are older than existing official versions, which date to the late 12th century.
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