Nibelungenlied

Nibelungenlied, medieval German epic poem of unknown authorship, written in Middle High German in the early 13th century.

The poem is a composite of Norse and Teutonic mythology and the early history of the kingdom of Burgundy. Several other versions exist of the material contained in the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs). The principal one is the Icelandic prose epic Volsunga Saga (Saga of the Volsungs), which emphasizes the mythological and primitive elements of the material common to both; the Nibelungenlied stresses the historical material. Parts of these two versions were used by the German composer Richard Wagner for his operatic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen.

The hero of the Nibelungenlied is Siegfried (Sigurd), a German warrior and hero. He kills two Burgundian chiefs of the Nibelung family and takes their magic sword, their hoard of gold, upon which in dying they put a curse, and their tarnkappe, a cape that makes its wearer invisible. He goes to Worms, the Burgundian capital, to court the beautiful Kriemhild, sister of the Burgundian king Gunther. Hagen, a wily and treacherous councillor of Gunther, plans to gain possession of the Nibelung hoard and tells Gunther and his brothers that Siegfried has killed other Burgundian monarchs and is not to be trusted.

Siegfried wins Gunther's confidence, however, by aiding the Burgundians in a war against the Saxons. Gunther agrees to a marriage between Siegfried and Kriemhild on condition that Siegfried first help him to win Brunhild, queen of Iceland. Siegfried and Gunther go to Iceland, where rendered invisible by his cape, Siegfried overcomes Brunhild in physical combat; thinking it is Gunther who has beaten her, she consents to marry him. Siegfried marries Kriemhild, and Gunther marries Brunhild.

Hagen persuades Gunther to let him kill Siegfried, winning the consent of the king by pointing out that although Siegfried is only his vassal he is generally regarded as Gunther's superior. Gunther's hatred of Siegfried is also aroused because Brunhild has discovered that she was tricked into marrying the Burgundian king. Through treachery Hagen slays Siegfried at a royal hunt; Kriemhild swears to avenge Siegfried's death. She is powerless, however, because Hagen seizes the Nibelung hoard that Kriemhild inherited and with which she intended to raise a strong following. Hagen sinks the hoard into the Rhine River at a secret spot.

Thirteen years later Kriemhild marries Etzel (Attila), king of the Huns, and goes to live at his court. Years later she lures Hagen, Gunther, and their followers to Attila's court and has them all killed. She herself is killed by a German hero who was horrified at the murder of the Burgundians. The Nibelung hoard remains at the bottom of the Rhine; the secret of its location died with Hagen.

"Nibelungenlied,"Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.