Nibelungenlied

THE SONG OF THE NIBELUNGS

Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied is based
on pre-Christian Germanic
heroic motifs (the
"Nibelungensaga"), which
include oral traditions and
reports based on historic
events and individuals of
the 5th and 6th centuries.
Old Norse parallels of the
legend survive in the
Völsunga saga, the Prose
Edda, the Poetic Edda, and
the Legend of Norna-Gest.
Nibelungenlied
It is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of the dragon-
slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered,
and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge.
The story begins with an introduction
of the main characters. Kriemhild is
described in all her beauty; she is
sister to King Gunther, Gernot and
Giselher, rulers of the land of
Burgundy. Their home is Worms on
the Rhine. The attention then
switches north to Siegfried, a prince
of the Netherlands, son of King
Siegmund and Sieglind. He is already
well renowned for his good qualities.
Characters
- Siegfried
- Kriemhild
- Gunther
- Hagen
- Brunhild
 Elements
• Siegfried is a hero of international significance and great stature.
• Setting: wide range of time and geography
• Siegfried is a "larger than life" hero
• superhuman courage and strength
• invincible
• Supernatural forces
• dreams
• magical cloak
• dragon's blood
 Background Info & Culture
Origins of Nibelungenlied

• Germanic Migrations
• Heroic deeds
• Oral tradition
• Europe undergoing radical changes
• Even though initial responses to the epic were weak, German literary critics did
what they could to popularize the poem so they could have a national epic.

• Written by an anonymous poet from around 1180 to 1210 CE

• Written in Middle High German (1050-1350)
• Based on pre-Christian Germanic heroic motifs
• Parallels some elements of Old Norse myths
• Different from typical epics because the death of the hero before the end of the
story