Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied is an epic poem in Middle High German taking Burgundian kings as its subject matter. It is the work of an anonymous 13th century poet from the Danube area. He re-worked various pagan heroic motifs into a work of courtly poetry.
There is also a less modified Scandinavian version, known as the Volsunga Saga.
The word Nibelungen has several meanings, referring to the Burgundian kings portrayed in the poem, to the followers of Siegfried, and to a legendary race of Germanic dwarfs.
Synopsis
Sigurd proposes to Kriemhild, the beautiful sister of Gunther, Gernot and Giselher, three Burgundian kings. He is allowed to marry her after he defeats Brünhild, the queen of Iceland, with the aid of a cloak which lets him become invisible. Brünhild becomes Gunther's wife.
Kriemhild lets the secret slip in a row with Brünhild, and Hagen decides to kill Sigurd. He finds Sigurd's most vulnerable spot and kills him while they are hunting.
Attila the Hun now proposes to Kriemhild, and she invites the Burgundians to a feast in Hungary. There is a huge fight, and everyone is killed except Gunther and Hagen, who are captured by Dietrich of Bern.
Kriemhild demands the return of the Nibelungen treasure, which has been stolen by Hagen. When she fails to get it back, she arranges for Gunther to be killed and cuts off Hagen's head with Sigurd's sword. She in turn is killed by Hildebrand, Dietrich's armourer.
The two versions, Nibelungenlied and the Volsunga Saga, served as source materials for Wagner's "Ring Cycle" (The Ring of the Nibelung also known as Der Ring des Nibelungen), and these three works were an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
External links
- An etext can be found at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Nibelungenlied/
Referenced By
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