Between Two Armies

Epic poetry depicts single combat between champions as a substitute for pitched battle.By analyzing poetic representations of warfare, this study reconstructs the circumstances under which the duel emerges as a mechanism for avoiding catastrophic battlefield losses. Thus the duel proves to be the pivotal element in a complex system of practices and institutions that define "e;epic culture"e;.Individual chapters focus on the dynamics of battle, the protocols of dueling, the roles of champion, king, and queen, and the talesinger's function in presenting these relations to epic-cultural audiences.Offering new insights into the Nibelungenlied, Beowulf, the Iliad and Odyssey, "e;Hildebrandslied"e; and the Bible, this volume will appeal particularly to medievalists, classicists, historians, and cultural theorists interested in epic poetry, ancient warfare, and Dark Age culture.