SIEGFRIED AND KRIEMHILD GO TO WORMS
One fine morning Siegfried and all his fair company set out on their
journey to Rhineland. Their little son they left at the palace in the
Netherlands.
As they drew near to Burgundy, a band of Gunther's most gallant
warriors rode forth to meet their guests. Brunhild also went to greet
the royal company, yet in her heart the hatred she felt for Siegfried
and his wife grew ever more fierce, more cruel.
Gunther rejoiced when he saw the brave light-hearted hero once again,
and he welcomed him right royally. As for Brunhild, she kissed the
Queen of the Netherlands, and smiled upon her, so that the lovely lady
was well pleased with her greeting.
Twelve hundred gallant warriors sat round the banqueting table in the
good city of Worms that day. Then the feast ended, and the travellers
sought their couches, weary with their long journey. The next morning
the great chests which they had brought with them were opened, and
many precious stones, and many beautiful garments were bestowed by
King Siegfried and Queen Kriemhild on the ladies and the knights of
the royal city.
Queen Ute, too, was happy, for now again she might look upon the face
of her dear daughter.
Then a tournament was held, and the knights tilted, while beautiful
damsels looked down upon them from the galleries of the great hall.
And at evensong the happy court would wend its way to the Minster, and
there, the Queens, wearing their crowns of state, would enter side by
side. Thus for eleven days all went merry as a marriage ball.
One evening, ere the Minster bell pealed for vespers, the two Queens
sat side by side under a silken tent. They were talking of Siegfried
and Gunther, their lords.
'There is no braver warrior in the wide world than my lord Siegfried,'
said Kriemhild.
'Nay,' cried Brunhild angrily, 'nay, thou dost forget thy brother,
King Gunther. None, I trow, is mightier than he.'
Then the gentle Kriemhild forgot her gentle ways, and bitter to Queen
Brunhild's ears were the words she spoke.
'My royal brother is neither strong nor brave as is my lord,' she
cried. 'Dost thou not know that Siegfried it was, not Gunther, who
vanquished thee in the contests held at thy castle in Isenland? Dost
thou not know that it was Siegfried, clad in his Coat of Darkness, who
wrested from thee both thy girdle and thy ring?' And Kriemhild pointed
to the girdle which she was wearing round her waist, to the ring which
she was wearing on her finger.
Brunhild, when she saw her girdle and her ring, wept, and her tears
were tears of anger. Never would she forgive Siegfried for treating
her thus; never would she forgive Kriemhild for telling her the truth.
'Alas! alas!' cried the angry Queen, 'no hero have I wed, but a
feeble-hearted knave.'
Meanwhile, Kriemhild, already grieved that she had spoken thus
foolishly, had left the angry Queen and gone down to the Minster to
vespers.
That evening Brunhild had no smiles, no gentle words, for her lord.
'It was Siegfried, not thou, my lord, who vanquished me in the
contests at Isenland,' she said in a cold voice to the startled King.
Had Siegfried then dared to boast to the Queen of the wonderful feats
he had done in the land across the sea? Nay, King Gunther could not
quite believe that the hero would thus boast of his great strength.
But the Queen was still scolding him, so Gunther, in his dismay,
stammered, 'We will summon the King to our presence, and he shall tell
us why he has dared to boast of his might as though he were stronger
than I.'
When Siegfried stood before the angry Brunhild, the crestfallen King
said as sternly as he dared, 'Hast thou boasted that it was thou who
conquered the maiden Brunhild?'
But even as he spoke all Gunther's suspicions fled away. Siegfried
with the steadfast eyes and the happy laugh had never betrayed him.
Of that he felt quite sure. It was true that he might have told his
wife Kriemhild----
Ah, now King Gunther knew what had happened! Not Siegfried, but his
lady sister had told Brunhild the secret. Truly it was no fault of the
gallant hero that Queen Brunhild had that day learned the secret which
he would fain have kept from her for ever.
So King Gunther stretched out his hand to Siegfried, who had stood in
silence before him, and said, 'Not thou, but my sister Kriemhild hath
boasted of thy prowess in Isenland,' and the two Kings walked away
together leaving Brunhild in her anger.
But not long was she left to weep alone, for Hagen, the keen-eyed,
coming into the hall, saw her tears.
'Gracious lady, wherefore dost thou weep?' he asked.
'I weep for anger,' said Brunhild, and she told Hagen the foolish
words which Siegfried's wife had spoken.
When Hagen had heard them he smiled grimly to himself. Siegfried, the
hero, nor his beautiful wife, should escape his vengeance now. And he
began at once to plan with the Queen how he might punish them. Well
did he know that Brunhild would do all in her power to aid him in his
plots.
Slowly but very surely Hagen drew Gernot and one or two warriors into
his schemes against the King of the Netherlands. But when Giselher
heard that the cruel counsellors even wished to slay Siegfried, he was
angry, and said bravely, 'Never has Siegfried deserved such hate from
any knight of Burgundy.'
But Hagen did not cease his evil whispers against the hero. He would
even steal upon King Gunther as he sat at his council-table, and he
would whisper in his ear that if Siegfried were not so strong, his
Burgundian heroes would win more glory for their arms, that if
Siegfried were not living, all his broad lands would belong, through
Kriemhild, to Burgundy.
At first, Gunther would bid Hagen be silent, and lay aside his hate of
the mighty hero. But afterward he would listen and only murmur, 'If
Siegfried heard thy words, none of us would be safe from his wrath.'
For King Gunther was weak and easily made to fear.
'Fear not,' said Hagen grimly, 'Siegfried shall never hear of our
plots. Leave the matter to me. I will send for two strange heralds to
come to our land. They shall pretend that they have come from our old
enemies, Ludegast and Ludeger, and they shall challenge us to battle
once again.'
'When Siegfried hears that thou must go forth to fight, he will even
as afore-time offer to go for thee against the foe. Then, methinks,
shall I learn the secret of the great warrior's strength from
Kriemhild, ere he set out, as she will believe he must do, for the
battlefield.'
And Gunther listened and feared to gainsay the words of his wicked
counsellor, also he thought of the great treasure, and longed that he
might possess it.