What is Germanic heroic legend?
[[File:Siegfrieds Tod.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Hagen (legend)|Hagen]] kills [[Sigurd|Siegfried]] while the [[Burgundians|Burgundian]] kings [[Gunther]], [[Giselher of Burgundy|Giselher]], and [[Gundomar I|Gernot]] watch. [[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], 1847.]] '''Germanic heroic legend''' (German: ''germanische Heldensage'') is the heroic literary tradition of the Germanic-speaking peoples, most of which starts or is set in the [[Migration period|Migration Period]] (4th-6th centuries AD). Stories from this time period, to which others were added later, were transmitted orally, traveled widely among the Germanic speaking peoples, and were known in many versions. These legends usually redid historical events or people in the manner of oral poetry, forming a heroic age. Heroes in these legends often display a heroic way of thinking focusing on honor, glory, and loyalty above other concerns. Like [[Germanic mythology]], heroic legend is a genre of Germanic [[folklore]]. [[Category:Poetry]] [[Category:Legends]] [[Category:Medieval literature]]