A German hero, who at the height of his popularity was more famous than even Siegfried. Sadly, this period is long past.
Born as a son of a Gothic King, Dietrich was raised to become a true warrior and a worthy leader of men. He was exhaustively trained in the art of swordsmanship, and quickly showed an inherent aptitude for all forms of combat. However, he also showed a vicious temper, one that ran hot to the point he quite literally started heating up, and sometimes he even breathed fire. Both the temper and the fire it resulted in were throwbacks to the blood of dragons that flowed in his veins. This was, however, not the result of interbreeding as such, but rather a sort of adaption caused by a long list of ancestors that fought and killed dragons.
In any case, when his father Dietmar passed, control of his Kingdom passed not to his true heir, but was instead taken over by his uncle, Ermenrich. Of course, Dietrich fights back, and manages to defeat his uncle. However, some his warriors fall into an ambush, and to save their lives Dietrich goes into exile.
During this long exile, he features in many different stories, defeating many giants such as Ecke and other mythological creatures like dragons. He also confronts and defeats other heroes such as Siegfried.
Twice, Dietrich attempts to retake his rightful kingdom, but while succesful both times he has to sacrifice too much, losing yet more of his men. These losses caused him to think he was unworthy of the throne, and he returns to his exile. Later, he makes a third attempt, this time bringing along the sons of his longtime ally Etzel or Atilla. Again, while he manages to defeat Ermerich, the two children lose their lives to betrayal.
In the end, Dietrich's last adventure ended not with a final fight or some tragedy; no, he simply vanishes, never to return. Some would call this an ending unbefitting a true adventurer; others, the best an adventurer could hope for.