SG #155: The Song of the Nibelungs

by Annik Rubens | January 13, 2018 | History, Culture, Art and Culture, SG Podcast Episode

The Song of the Nibelungs

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There is an old story you should know. It is *The Song of the Nibelungs*. It is an ancient heroic tale, a legend. This story is also known as the Germannational epic. *The Song of the Nibelungs* was written down around the year 1200—but the story itself is certainly much older.

Let’s start with the term *Nibelungenlied*. In our time, a “lied” refers to a song—that is, music accompanied by singing. Back then, however, it was more of a narrative, a story. It could be sung, but that wasn’t necessary.

Four lines that rhyme with each other make up a stanza of the Nibelungenlied. And there are 2,400 stanzas. So that’s quite a long song, isn’t it?

Here's how to get started:

Old tales tell us many wonderful things:
of heroic figures, of great battles,
of joys and celebrations, of tears and lamentations;
you can now hear wonderful tales of the exploits of brave heroes.

Now you might say: Wait a minute, that doesn't rhyme, does it? No. Because that's not the original—it's a translation. Back then, people didn't speak German the way we do today. In Middle High German, it did rhyme.

And what are the “Nibelungs”? Well, in the legend there was a King Nibelung. He died—and Siegfried killed his sons. So there he was—Siegfried. The Song of the Nibelungs is about him. I’ll tell you the story—in a very condensed version, of course.

So there was this guy named Siegfried. He had many adventures; for example, he fought a dragon. He killed the dragon and bathed in its blood. This made his skin tougher, almost like horn. So he became invulnerable; swords or other weapons cannot defeat him. Only in one small spot on his back did the blood fail to transform his skin—there, he remains vulnerable.

So the hero Siegfried wants a wife. Not just any woman, but Kriemhild, a princess. She actually falls in love with him. But then a declaration of war is issued, threatening the kingdom of the princess and her family. Siegfried wants to help and goes into battle alongside the princess’s brother. They win. Of course.

Now it’s the brother’s turn. His name is Gunther. And he’s looking for a wife, too. He’s desperate to marry the beautiful Brünhild. He’s not the only one: many men are vying for Brünhild’s hand. She is strong and brave. She only wants the man who can defeat her in battle. Many men try—they fail and are killed. So Gunther makes a deal with Siegfried. Siegfried is to help him defeat Brünhild. In return, Siegfried will be allowed to marry his sister Kriemhild.

The plan works, and there is a double wedding. On their wedding night, however, Brünhild resists—and once again Siegfried must come to the rescue. Both times, Brünhild believes her husband has “conquered” her. In fact, Siegfried was invisible. After that, things remain peaceful for several years.

But then the two women begin to quarrel. Which of them has the better husband? Kriemhild tells Brünhild that it was actually Siegfried who defeated her—not her own husband. As a result, Siegfried is killed. Kriemhild has the Nibelung treasure brought to her. This is the treasure that the dragon had once guarded. And she begins to distribute the gold. Her uncle wants to save the treasure and sinks it into the Rhine.

But the story isn't over yet. As you know, the song has 2,400 verses. So take a deep breath—it continues.

Kriemhild is now alone. She no longer has a husband. So she needs a new husband. A king becomes her new husband. She moves to live with him in the land of the Huns, has a son, and could be happy—but she isn’t. She wants revenge. She invites her old family to a feast. 1,060 knights and 9,000 servants come to her in the land of the Huns, that is, to Hungary.

Kriemhild has all the servants killed. When her brother finds out, he kills Kriemhild’s child. A bloodbath ensues. Few survive on either side. Among them are Gunther and Hagen. As a reminder: Gunther is Kriemhild’s brother, Hagen her uncle. Both are captured and imprisoned. Hagen refuses to reveal the location of the treasure he sank in the Rhine. So the good Kriemhild has her brother’s head cut off and shows it to her uncle. He still refuses to tell. So she beheads him as well. And in the end? Kriemhild is killed too.

So, no happy ending. These days, people would probably call something like that a horror movie or a slasher film, right?

So who actually wrote *The Nibelungenlied*? We don’t know. There are various theories, but the author isn’t named. We know the story because old manuscripts have been found. However, it’s likely a story that people had been telling for a long time back then. And not just in Germany, but also in Sweden, Norway, and England.

Even if you haven’t read *The Nibelungenlied* yet, you’ve surely heard of it. After all, works like Tolkien’s *The Lord of the Rings* have borrowed many elements from this ancient saga. And, of course, there’s also *Der Ring des Nibelungen*, Richard Wagner’s opera cycle.

By the way, the treasure in the Rhine was never found…

On slowgerman.com, I’ve included a few links related to *The Nibelungenlied*. For example, an abridged version in comic form. And, of course, a link to the translated original text:

The original:
https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbhs/content/pageview/739401

Easier to read (but still Middle High German):
https://www.lernhelfer.de/sites/default/files/das_nibelungenlied.pdf

A translation into German:
http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/das-nibelungenlied-5833/1

The Nibelungenlied in 90 seconds:
https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/terra-x/die-nibelungensage-in-90-sekunden-102.html

The Nibelungenlied as a comic:
https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/terra-x/comic-die-nibelungensage-102.html

The Nibelungenlied made of Lego:

Episode transcript (PDF): https://slowgerman.com/folgen/sg155kurz.pdf