His father and mother were so proud of him, that they longed for the
day when his name and fame should be hailed with applause in every land.
The king at length deemed that the time was come to give Siegfried and
his comrades, and many young nobles of his own and other lands, the
sword and armour that marked a warrior. This investiture was in those
days a ceremony of great importance, and took up the same place in a
young man’s life as the ceremony of knighthood in later times. The
solemn investiture was succeeded by feats of arms and trials of skill.
Siegfried was victorious in all, and, at the end of the day, the
populace shouted: “Long live young Siegfried, our king; long may he and
his worthy father rule over us!”
But he signed to them, and said, “I am not worthy of such high honour.
I must first win a kingdom for myself. I will entreat my noble father
to allow me to go out into the world, and seek my fortune.”
When the warriors were all assembled at the feast in the royal hall,
Siegfried did not take his place at the upper end of the table beside
his father, but modestly seated himself among the young warriors who
had still their names to make. Some of the party began to talk of
distant Isenland, the kingdom of the beautiful and warlike Brunhild,
who challenged all her wooers to do battle with her, thereby slaying
many.
They talked of the land of the Nibelungs, learned in magic; of the
Drachenstein, where a flying dragon, of fiendish aspect, had taken up
its abode.
Others, again, talked of the lovely princess at Worms on the Rhine, who
was carefully guarded by her three brothers and by her uncle, strong
Hagen.
“Oh, how pleasant it must be to see such marvels, and to seek out
adventures!” cried Siegfried, and approaching his father, he asked his
permission to go out and see the world.
The king understood his desire, for he had had an adventurous youth
himself; and promised to let him go, provided his mother gave her
consent.
It was pain and grief to the queen to part with her son, but she at
last permitted him to go, and one fine morning he set out, dressed in a
shining suit of armour, mounted on a swift horse, and bearing the sword
which he himself had made. His spirits were high, and his heart full of
hope, as is the case with every youth of spirit who goes out into the
unknown world to seek his fortune.
He went northwards in the direction of Isenland. On reaching the
sea-shore, he found a vessel ready to start; but the skipper feared a
storm, and only set sail at Siegfried’s entreaty. After a quick but
tempestuous voyage, Siegfried landed, and went up to the palace.
Queen Brunhild received him in the great hall, where many warriors were
assembled, each of whom had come determined to woo the lady by great
feats of arms.
On the following day the warriors assembled in the lists, where
Brunhild joined them before long. She was clad in full armour, and
looked as haughty and as beautiful as Freya, when she led the Valkyrs
of old to the battles of the heroes.
Siegfried gazed at her in astonishment. She was so much taller and
nobler looking than any of the maidens in her train, who were armed
equally with herself. He almost wished to join the ranks of the wooers,
and win her hand. He raised a stone in sport, and flung it far beyond
the lists; then, turning to the queen, took leave of her with all
reverence, and returned again to his vessel, saying to himself:
“I could never love her, she is too like a man. That maiden must be shy
and modest, gentle and kindly, who would gain the heart of a brave
warrior so utterly that he would think nothing of spending his heart’s
blood in her service.”
After a quick voyage, he resumed his journey by land, now through rich
and well-cultivated plains, and again through desert lands, where wild
beasts and robbers had their abode. He had many a hard fight by the
way, and slew all manner of giants and monsters. The minstrels sang of
his great deeds in cottage and in castle, so that his name became known
far and wide.
When he reached the land of the Nibelungs, the kings of that country,
Schilbung and Nibelung by name, asked him to divide between them the
treasure left them by their father Nibeling, for they could not agree
as to what was a fair division. In payment for this service they
offered him the good sword Balmung, which was the handiwork of dwarfs,
and was tempered in dragon’s blood. The hero divided the treasure with
the utmost fairness, yet the brothers were not satisfied. They told him
that they were sure he was keeping back the most valuable things for
himself, and commanded twelve enormous giants to seize him, and confine
him in the hollow mountain where the treasure was kept. The hero at
once drew Balmung, and began slaying one giant after another. Then the
royal magicians chanted their spells, and called up a thick mist; a
storm arose, and the mountain trembled under repeated thunder-claps.
All in vain. The last of the giants fell, and finally the two brothers
were slain; then the mist cleared away, and the sun shone full on the
victorious warrior.
When the Nibelung people saw the wonders that had been done, they
greeted Siegfried as their king. But even yet his difficulties were not
at an end. An avenger had arisen: this was Alberich the dwarf. Well
armed with enchanted weapons, he came up against the bold warrior. He
was now visible, now invisible, according as he drew the cap of
darkness over his helmet, or took it off. After a long struggle,
Siegfried overthrew him.
The dwarf was now in his power, but Siegfried could not kill a
defenceless foe. Alberich was so touched with this generosity that he
swore to be true to his victor: an oath he never broke. After this, no
one disputed the hero’s right to the land of the Nibelungs. He was
recognised as king by the whole people, and also became possessed of
all the treasures in the hollow mountain, and of Alberich’s cap of
darkness by reason of his victory over the dwarf.
When Siegfried had reduced the whole kingdom to order, and appointed
proved men to be governors of the provinces, he chose out twelve noble
warriors to be his trusty companions. The treasure furnished him with
rings and chains of silver and gold with which to enrich his followers.
The whole band looked like an assemblage of kings under the lead of
some yet mightier chieftain.
He and his men now set out on their journey homewards, and reached the
Netherlands without further adventure. The king and queen were
overjoyed to see their son, of whom they had for a long time heard
nothing but indistinct rumours. Siegfried remained at home for many
days to rest and recover from his weariness. He often passed hours
sitting at his mother’s feet, as when he was a little boy, and telling
her of his hopes and longings. His confidence and trust in her made her
very happy. But when he stood before her in all the panoply of war, her
heart beat high with pride that she had such a hero for a son.
Pleasant as it was to be at home again, Siegfried could not long be
contented with idleness; his soul panted to be out in the battle of
life, where alone a man preserves his strength of mind and body. He
told his father that he wished to go to Worms, in the Rhineland, and
try his fortune with the great warriors of Burgundy.
The king’s face clouded when he heard this. “My son,” he said, “do not
go to Burgundy, for there dwell the boldest warriors in the whole
world. No hero has as yet withstood them. There are grim Hagen, strong
Ortewin of Metz, and King Gunther, with his brother Gernot. They all
unite in guarding the lovely maiden Chriemhild, whom many a brave man
has wooed, only to lose his life.”
“Ha! That is a good story!” cried bold Siegfried. “These mighty
warriors shall yield me their kingdom, and the lovely maid as well, if
she be pleasing in my eyes. With my twelve Nibelungs at my back, I have
no fears about the fighting.”
The king’s remonstrances and the queen’s entreaties were alike in vain.
They were obliged to consent to their son’s undertaking this adventure.
[Illustration]