Once upon a time there lived in the Netherlands, in Xante, a wonderful
castle on the river Rhine, a mighty king and queen. Siegmund and
Sieglinde were their names, and far and wide were they known. Yet their
son, the glorious hero Siegfried, was still more widely celebrated. Even
as a boy he performed so many daring feats that his bravery was talked
of in all German lands.
The two most remarkable of these feats were the slaying of a frightful
monster known as the "Dragon of the Linden-tree" and the capture of the
rich treasure of the Nibelungs. The hoard was an ancient one and had
this wonderful property--that no matter how much was taken from it the
quantity was never less.
All this happened before Siegfried reached the age of manhood. When it
was time for the youth to be knighted, King Siegmund sent invitations
far and wide throughout the country, and a great celebration took place.
Siegfried was solemnly girded with a sword and permitted to take his
place among the warriors of the kingdom. Then there was a great
tournament, a wonderful occasion for Siegfried, who came off victor in
every encounter, although many tried warriors matched their skill
against his. Altogether the festivities lasted seven whole days.
After the guests had departed, Siegfried asked permission of his parents
to travel into Burgundy to seek as bride for himself Kriemhild, the
maiden of whose great beauty and loveliness he had heard.
Gunther, the king of Burgundy, recognizing the young hero, went out to
meet him and politely inquired the cause of his visit. Imagine his
dismay when Siegfried proposed a single combat, in which the victor
might claim the land and allegiance of the vanquished. Neither Gunther
nor any of his knights would accept the challenge; but Gunther and his
brother hastened forward with proffers of unbounded hospitality.
Siegfried lingered a year in Gunther's palace, and though he never
caught a glimpse of the fair maid Kriemhild, she often admired his
strength and manly beauty from behind the palace windows.
One day a herald arrived from King Ludeger of Saxony and King Ludegast
of Denmark, announcing an invasion. Gunther was dismayed; but the brave
Siegfried came to the rescue, saying that if Gunther would give him only
one thousand brave men he would repel the enemy. This was done and the
little army marched into Saxony and routed the twenty thousand valiant
soldiers of the enemy's force. All the men did brave work, but Siegfried
was the bravest of them all.
When the hero returned, a great celebration was held in his honor, and
Kriemhild, Ute and all the ladies of the court were invited to be
present at the tournament. It was there that Siegfried first saw the
fair maiden. Her beauty was more wonderful than he had ever been able to
imagine. What was his delight, then, to learn that he had been appointed
her escort.
On the way to the tournament Kriemhild murmured her thanks for the good
work Siegfried had done for her, and Siegfried vowed that he would
always serve her brothers because of his great love for her.
Soon after the tournament Gunther announced his intention of winning for
his wife, Brunhild, the princess of Issland, who had vowed to marry no
man but the one who could surpass her in jumping, throwing a stone and
casting a spear. Gunther proposed that Siegfried go with him, promising
him, in return for his services, the hand of Kriemhild. Such an offer
was not to be despised, and Siegfried immediately consented; advising
Gunther to take only Hagen and Dankwart with him.
Gunther and the three knights set out in a small vessel. Siegfried bade
his companions represent him as Gunther's vassal only; but Brunhild,
seeing his giant figure and guessing its strength, imagined that he had
come to woo her. She was dismayed, therefore, when she heard that he had
held the stirrup for Gunther to dismount. When he entered her hall, she
advanced to meet him; but he drew aside, saying that honor was due to
his master Gunther.
Brunhild ordered preparations for the evening contest, and Gunther,
Hagen and Dankwart trembled when they saw four men staggering under the
weight of Brunhild's shield and three more staggering under the weight
of her spear. Siegfried, meantime, had donned his magic cloud cloak and
bade Gunther rely upon his aid.
The combat opened. Brunhild poised her spear and flung it with such
force that both heroes staggered; but before she could cry out her
victory Siegfried had caught the spear and flung it back with such
violence that the princess fell and was obliged to acknowledge defeat.
Undaunted, she caught up a huge stone, flung it far into the distance,
and then leaping, alighted beside it. No sooner had she done this than
Siegfried seized the stone, flung it still farther, and lifting Gunther
by his broad girdle bounded through the air with him and alighted beyond
the stone. Then Brunhild knew that she had found her master.
"Come hither all my kinsmen and followers," she said, "and acknowledge
my superior. I am no longer your mistress. Gunther is your lord."
The wedding was fitly celebrated and then Gunther and his bride were
escorted back to Issland by a thousand Nibelung warriors whom Siegfried
had gathered for the purpose. A great banquet was given upon their
return, at which the impatient Siegfried ventured to remind Gunther of
his promise. Brunhild protested that Gunther should not give his only
sister to a menial, but Gunther gave his consent and the marriage took
place immediately. The two bridal couples then sat side by side.
Kriemhild's face was very happy; Brunhild's was dark and frowning.
You see, Brunhild was not pleased with the husband she had gained and
preferred Siegfried. Alone with her husband the first night she bound
him with her girdle and suspended him from a corner of her apartment.
There she let him hang till morning. Released, Gunther sought out
Siegfried and told him of the disgraceful affair.
The following evening Siegfried again donned his cloud cloak and entered
the apartments of Gunther and Brunhild. As he entered he blew out the
lights, caught Brunhild's hands and wrestled with her until she pleaded
for mercy.
"Great king, forbear," she said. "I will henceforth be thy dutiful wife.
I will do nothing to anger thee. Thou art my lord and master."
Having accomplished his purpose, Siegfried left the room, but first he
took Brunhild's girdle and her ring. These he carried with him when
after the festivities he and Kriemhild returned to Xante on the Rhine.
Siegmund and Sieglinde abdicated in favor of their son, and for ten
years Siegfried and Kriemhild reigned happily. Then they were invited to
pay a visit to Gunther and Brunhild. They accepted, leaving their little
son Gunther in the care of the Nibelungs.
Brunhild received Kriemhild graciously, but at heart she was jealous
and wanted Kriemhild to acknowledge her as superior. One day they had a
hot dispute, Kriemhild declaring that her husband was without peer in
the world, and Brunhild retorting that since he was Gunther's vassal he
must be his inferior. Kriemhild made an angry avowal that she would
publicly assert her rank.
Both queens parted in a rage and proceeded to attire themselves in the
most gorgeous costumes they possessed. Accompanied by their
ladies-in-waiting they met at the church door. Brunhild bade Kriemhild
stand aside while she entered, and Kriemhild would not. A storm of words
followed. Finally Kriemhild insulted the other queen by declaring that
Brunhild was not a faithful wife.
"You loved Siegfried better than Gunther," she declared. "Here are your
girdle and ring which my husband gave to me." So saying, she displayed
the girdle and ring which Siegfried had unwisely given her when he
confided to her the story of Gunther's wooing.
Brunhild summoned Gunther to defend her, and he sent for Siegfried. The
latter publicly swore that his wife had not told the truth and that
Brunhild had never loved him or he her.
"This quarrel is disgraceful," he said. "I will teach my wife better
manners for the future." Gunther promised to do likewise.
The guests departed, but Brunhild still smarted from the insult and
longed for revenge. Hagen, finding her in tears, undertook to avenge
her. He continually reminded Gunther of the insult his wife had
received. The king at first paid no attention to the insinuations, but
at last he consented to an assault on Siegfried.
He asked the great hero to help him in a war which he pretended his old
enemy Ludeger was about to bring upon him. Siegfried consented, and
Kriemhild, because she loved her husband very deeply, was much
troubled. In her distress she confided to Hagen that Siegfried was
invulnerable except in one spot, between the shoulder blades, where a
lime leaf had rested and the dragon's blood had not touched him.
"Never fear," said Hagen, "I myself will help to protect him. You sew a
tiny cross on Siegfried's doublet, just over the vulnerable spot, that I
may be the better able to shield him."
Brunhild promised to obey his instructions, and Hagen departed, well
pleased, to carry the news to Gunther.
At last the day came for Siegfried to leave his queen. He talked to her
and comforted her and kissed her rosy lips.
"Dear heart," he said, "why all these tears? I shall not be gone long."
But she was thinking of what she had told Hagen, and wept and wept and
would not be comforted.
When Siegfried joined Gunther's party he was surprised to learn that the
rebellion had been quelled and that he was invited to join in a hunt
instead of a fray.
So he joined the hunting party. Now Siegfried was as great a hunter as
he was a warrior, and while the noonday meal was being prepared he
scoured the forest, slew several wild boars, caught a bear alive and in
a spirit of mischief turned him loose among the guests. Then, tired and
thirsty, he sat down, calling for a drink.
Not a bit of wine was at hand; it had all been carried to another part
of the forest. Hagen pointed out a spring near by and Siegfried proposed
a race, offering to run in full armor while the others ran without armor
or weapons. In spite of the handicap, Siegfried reached the spring
first.
Always polite, Siegfried bade his host, Gunther, drink first, while he
himself disarmed. Siegfried then stooped over the spring to drink, and
as he stooped, Hagen, gliding behind him, drove his spear into his body
at the exact spot where Kriemhild had embroidered the fatal mark.
Siegfried struggled to avenge himself, but found nothing but his shield
within reach. This he flung with such force at his murderer that it
knocked him down. Exhausted by the effort, the hero fell back upon the
grass, cursing the treachery of Gunther and Hagen.
Curses soon gave way to thoughts of Kriemhild, however, and overcoming
his anger he recommended her to the care of her brother Gunther. Then
the great hero died.
The hunting party agreed to carry the body back to Worms and say that
they had found it in the forest. But Hagen, bolder than the rest,
ordered the bearers to deposit the corpse at Kriemhild's door, where she
would see it when she went out for early mass the next morning. As he
expected, Kriemhild discovered her dead lord and fell senseless upon
him. Recovering, she cried out that he had been murdered: no foeman in a
fair fight could have killed the glorious knight.
A great funeral took place and Siegfried's body was laid in state in the
cathedral at Worms. Thither many came to view it and to express their
sympathy for the widow Kriemhild. The latter, suspecting treachery,
refused to listen to Gunther until he promised that all of those present
at the hunt should touch the body.
"Blood will flow afresh at the murderer's touch," he said.
One by one the hunters advanced, and when Hagen touched the great
warrior's form, lo, the blood flowed again from his wounds. At this the
Nibelung warriors wanted to avenge the dead, but Kriemhild would not
permit them to interrupt the funeral. So the ceremonies were concluded
and Siegfried's body was laid to rest.