THE SCENE: The Saga of Didrik of Bern provides this entertaining, if unlikely, story of a battle between a German knight and an elephant.
THE TEXT: Early in the morning, Didrik and Fasholt rode away from there into a forest that was called Runslo. There they met an animal called an elephant. It was both big and fierce.
Sir Didrik said to Fasholt: “I will fight with this animal if you help me. It would be a great thing if we beat it.” Fasholt answered: “I have such big wounds, the ones I got from you, and I have bled heavily, so I don’t think I will be a great help to you. But if you fight with this animal, then I expect that you will never be in greater trouble.”
Didrik answered: “If I get no help from you then may the one I believe in help me. I will kill that animal, whether it goes well or badly for me.” Didrik tied his horse to an olive tree. He went straight to the animal, and struck it with his sword. It didn’t bite at all. Then the animal struck him to the ground with its foreleg. When Fasholt saw Didrik in such trouble, he leapt off his horse at once and ran to help Didrik. He couldn’t find a place where he thought he could injure the animal.
Then he said to Didrik: “You cannot injure this animal except if you can stab it in the belly while you lie underneath it.” Falke the good horse saw that Sir Didrik was in great trouble. He tore himself loose and ran to the animal and struck it so hard on the loins that it almost fell over. Then Sir Didrik stuck the sword into the animal’s belly up to the hilt, and ran away from the animal. And the animal fell dead to the ground.
– The Saga of Didrik of Bern, 15th Century AD
