Abstract

This article investigates a plethora of words related to the semantic field of ‘warrior’ occurring in the “Nibelungenlied”. Middle High German offers a rich array of lexemes to express this concept, each with its own unique nuance based on its etymon. Closer investigation shows that choosing one term instead of another does not relate to the etymon per se or variatio linguistica-grounded phenomena but is intricately tied to metrical requirements. This contribution examines those verses where the warrior-related lexicon most often occurs and their translation into Italian. Namely, it reveals how translators often overlooked the metrical placement of the term in the original text, leading to translations that were too predictable and repetitive.