THE day of the tournament dawned bright and fair. The field was crowded
with lovely women and brave knights. Twelve men now appeared, bearing an
immense round stone, which was so large that it took all their united
strength to handle it. They set it down in that part of the field where
the contest was to take place.
At length all was ready. From the castle issued forth the warrior-king
and the warrior-maiden. They were clad in glistening armor, and mounted
on prancing chargers. The signal was given, and then began a test of
strength such as had never before been witnessed.
[Illustration: BRUNHILDA WAS THROWN TO THE GROUND]
Brunhilda seized her javelin, and hurled it with such force that when
Siegfried caught it upon Gunther's shield the shield was shattered into
pieces. Then Siegfried, still invisible, grasped Gunther's javelin, and
hurled it with such force at Brunhilda that she was thrown to the
ground. She was overcome with surprise and anger; never before had such
a thing befallen her.
Quickly recovering herself, she sprang to her feet, and grasping the
huge stone which twelve men had found hard to carry, she whirled it
deftly thrice around her head, and then threw it far into the distance.
Then, while the people sat spell-bound, she leaped after it, and sprang
lightly over the stone.
"Now," thought she to herself, "surely no one can do more than that."
But she had reckoned without Siegfried. Hastily seizing the stone, he
hurled it much farther than Brunhilda had thrown it, and not to be
outdone by her, he grasped Gunther firmly under the arms, and sprang
with him over the stone, landing much farther beyond it than she had.
Then a mighty shout from thousands of throats rent the air, and while
the people were crowding around, hailing Gunther as victor, Siegfried
tore off his tarnhelm, and took his place among the crowd.
And now what could Brunhilda do? She had publicly proclaimed that she
would marry any man whose strength was greater than her own, so sure had
she felt of her power. She would not break her word, and so with a
sorrowful heart she made ready to travel back to Worms with Gunther.
At Worms Kriemhild joyfully accepted Siegfried's hand, and there was a
grand double wedding, at which all Burgundy was present. The festivities
lasted fourteen days.
One evening, while Gunther and his bride were sitting together, Gunther
noticed tears on Brunhilda's lashes, and asked what was troubling her.
She replied that she was grieving that his sister had married his
vassal. This was not the truth. She was feeling sad and lonely because
the man she loved so well had taken Kriemhild for his bride.
Gunther told her not to worry, as he could explain all that to her, and
promised to do so at some future time. He said that Siegfried was
greater than she knew.
After the wedding, Siegfried and Kriemhild journeyed to Santum, to visit
Siegmund and Siegelinda, whom he had left in his youth. They were
overjoyed to see him, and listened with breathless interest to all he
had to tell. They knew all about the dragon, and the Rhine gold, and the
magic cap which he had won, for the fame of his wondrous deeds had
traveled far and wide. And now, strange to tell, Siegfried had recovered
the memory of almost all his past; only Brunhilda and the magic ring
remained forgotten.
After the young couple had been at Santum for some time, Siegmund
withdrew from his throne, and made Siegfried and Kriemhild the rulers of
the kingdom. The people of Niederland hailed the hero with delight,
although they grieved to give up their old king and queen, who had won
the hearts of all their subjects by their wisdom and kindness.