usually considered to be an interpolation.

18. _Becca._ See note to v. 8. The _Banings_ are not definitely
identified. The _Burgundians_ were originally an East Germanic tribe.
During the second and third centuries they were neighbors of the Goths
and lived in the modern Posen. Later they moved west, and finally
threatened Gaul, where in the middle of the fifth century they were
defeated by the Roman general, Aetius. Shortly afterward they were
defeated by the Huns. The remnant settled in Savoy, where they
gradually recovered, and by the middle of the sixth century became an
important nation. _Gifica_ (or Gibica) was traditionally spoken of as
an early king who ruled over the Burgundians while they were still in
the east, living as neighbors of the Goths on the Vistula.

20. _Caesar_, was the name given to the Emperor of the East--the "Greek
Emperor." The Finns were at that time located in their present home in
Finland.

21, 22. _Hagena, Heoden, Wada._ These heroes all belong to one
myth-cycle, which was told in Europe for many centuries. It is
difficult to reconstruct the story as it was known at the time
_Widsith_ was written, for it has received many additions at the hands
of subsequent writers. The essential parts of the tale seem to be
these: Heoden asks his servant, the sweet-singing Heorrenda, for help
in wooing Hild, the daughter of Hagena. Heorrenda, enlisting the
services of Wada, the renowned sea-monster (or sea-god) goes to woo
Hild. By means of Wada's frightful appearance and skill in
swordsmanship they attract Hild's attention, and Heorrenda then sings
so that the birds are shamed into silence. They then woo Hild and flee
with her from her father's court. Hagena pursues, and Heoden, after
marrying Hild, engages him in battle. Each evening Hild goes to the
battlefield and by magic awakens the warriors who have fallen, and
they fight the same battle over day after day without ceasing.
_Heorrenda_, the sweet singer of the Heodenings (i.e., of the court of
Heoden) is mentioned in _Deor's Lament_, vv. 36 and 39. _Wada_ is a
widely-known legendary character. He had power over the sea. He was
the father of Weland, the Vulcan of Norse myth (see _Deor's Lament_,
and _Waldhere_, A, v. 2). The _Holm-Rugians_ and the _Haelsings_ were
in the fourth century on the Baltic coast of Germany. The _Glommas_
are unknown.