Nibelungenlied

Nibelungenlied, medieval German epic poem of unknown authorship, written in Middle High German in the early 13th century in Austria. 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 poem is deeply tragic, its theme being that of inevitable doom and the decline of happiness into grief.

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 tarnkappe, a cape which makes its wearer invisible, and their store of gold, which, in their dying moment, they curse. He goes to Worms, the Burgundian capital, where he sees the beautiful Kriemhild, sister of the Burgundian king Gunther, and wants to marry her. Hagen, a wily and treacherous councillor of Gunther, plans to gain possession of the Nibelung treasure 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 helps him to win Brunhild, queen of Iceland who possesses incredible strength and will only consent to give her hand to the person who can overcome her in combat. 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 then marries Kriemhild.

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 his part in the trick of their marriage. 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 treasure that she inherited and with which she intended to raise a strong following. Hagen sinks the treasure into the Rhine 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, Hildebrand, who was horrified at the murder of the Burgundians. The Nibelung treasure remains at the bottom of the Rhine; the secret of its location having died with Hagen.

Although the events and characters of the Nibelungenlied are derived from remote history, they are transposed in the poem to the courtly world, and set in recognizable geographical locations. It was one of the most powerful German epics of the Middle Ages and its popularity lasted into the 16th century.