Hildebrand, Lay of, fragment of an epic in mixed Low and Old High German composed c.800 in the monastery of Fulda. Hildebrand, armorer of Dietrich of Bern (Theodoric the Great), returns home after many years on the battlefield and is insulted by his son Hadubrand, who does not recognize him. The inevitable tragic ending, in which Hildebrand must kill his warrior son, is confirmed by a later "Hildebrandslied" manuscript of the 13th cent.