Ekkehard

Ekkehard (ek'uhärt) [key], name of several medieval German authors, monks of the monastery of St. Gall, which is in present-day Switzerland. Ekkehard I. wrote the famous Latin epic Waltharius (c.930), celebrating the deeds of the Alemannic prince Walter. Ekkehard II,. fl. 10th cent., was the tutor of Hedwig of Swabia. He is the hero of Scheffel's novel Ekkehard (1856). Best known is Ekkehard IV,. whose chronicle (c.1100) of St. Gall is an important, if historically inaccurate, account of medieval life. Another Ekkehard (fl. 1100) was an abbot of Aura who also wrote historical works.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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