Henry the Lion, &,c. In respect to their generic qualities, as distinguished from those of other countries, we cannot convey an idea of them more clearly than in the words of Mr. Weber, in his Illustrations of Northern Antiquities, when treating on the subject of Teutonic poetry and romance.
“When we compare these Teutonic romances with those of France, England, and Spain, we are immediately struck with the want of chivalrous courtesy in the knights, and with the praises bestowed upon the most savage and ferocious among them. We have not here that constant obedience and attention to the ladies, who are indeed frequently more savage than their lovers. The peculiar diablerie of their romances is, perhaps, their most striking feature. The dwarfs who, by the French minstrels, were represented as mere naturals, and humble attendants upon the knights, are here exalted into creatures of great cunning, having dominion over the interior of the earth, consequently possessing incalculable riches, in gold and gems, and having the stronger but less sagacious race of giants entirely under their controul. The history of the creation of those three great classes, the dwarfs, giants, and heroes, is given by the
