During a visit to the court of the king of Nazair, Waltharius the Brawny fell madly in love with the king's daughter, the beautiful Hiltgunt, who was already promised to a prince from Metinna. Waltharius, paying no heed to these politically-inspired marriage plans, captured the princess' heart and together they ran off to Toussaint. The prince from Metinna, unable to let such an affront pass, followed the star-crossed lovers. Yet Waltharius was renowned for his courage and might and thus slew his adversary with ease. Then he and his beloved returned to his family estate at Dun Tynne.
To his dismay, it turned out his brother Vislavius had nearly led the estate to bankruptcy while Waltharius had been in Nazair. Waltharius threw his brother into the dungeon and, as befits a self-respecting nobleman, embarked on a knightly expedition. Unfortunately his young wife, Hiltgunt, tortured by her solitude, freed Vislavius and became his lover. When Waltharius returned and realized he had been cuckolded, he murdered them both in a fit of passion and despair. Then he sat down and wept and wept and wept...