Literature WI: The Matter of the North or The Matter of Germany

So, it has been said that there were three great cycles of myth that made their way into the literature of the Middle Ages. These were the Matter of France (stories of the court of Charlemagne), the Matter of Rome (stories of Greco-Roman mythology, as well as the Trojan War and Alexander the Great), and the Matter of Britain (The Court of King Arthur).

These cycles became the setting for numerous Tales that were told in Chanson de Gesta and Chivalric Romances of the High Middle Ages.

Now, at roughly the same time, the Scandinavian people also possessed a vibrant native literature. However, these stories did not seem to be recognized by the greater Medieval world. There was certainly connections - several Sagas recorded stories of the Matter of France, for instance.

So, how do we get the stories of Scandinavia and Germany to be given equal recognition as the other Matters?
 
You could get the Nibelungenlied for Germany.

For the Norse... a heroic epic about Ragnarr?

The Nibelubgebleid could help, for sure, as it was an attempt to craft a courtly epic in the style of those of the West. One could definitely see a cycle of stories emerging around Etzel's court (you already have the stories of Deitrich of Bern that overlap)

I honestly wonder how that didn't occur in OTL.
 
Charlemagne, of course, was also ruler of much of Germany. Might it not be easier to simply sort-of duplicate his adventures for use in German literature?
 
Charlemagne, of course, was also ruler of much of Germany. Might it not be easier to simply sort-of duplicate his adventures for use in German literature?

Well, yes, but that would still be the Matter of France (just as much of the Matter of Britain was written in French but wasn't considered a different cycle from the English language stories). I want to see the German and Nordic stories get their own emphasis (and the language doesn't matter. If someone wants to compose Chanson de Gesta in French about Deitrich of Bern, that would totally be approrpiate).
 
The Nibelubgebleid could help, for sure, as it was an attempt to craft a courtly epic in the style of those of the West. One could definitely see a cycle of stories emerging around Etzel's court (you already have the stories of Deitrich of Bern that overlap)

I honestly wonder how that didn't occur in OTL.
Maybe the overall lack of unity of the HRE? Should an Ottonian or Salian Emperor consolidate the place in the 11th and 12th centuries.
 
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