Laurel · Anonymous

The Lay of the Nibelung Men

Anonymous (about 1200), translated by Arthur S. Way · 1911

Mixed forms · 11,461 lines in 39 sections

Siegfried, Kriemhild, Brunhild and the fall of the Burgundians, in Way's long rhymed lines.

What this poem is

The Nibelungenlied (German pronunciation: [ˈniːbəlʊŋən-], [ˈnɪbəlʊŋən-] or [ˌniːbəˈlʊŋənˌliːt] ; Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The Nibelungenlied is based on an oral tradition of Germanic heroic legend that has some of its origin in historic events and individuals of the 5th and 6th centuries and that spread throughout almost all of Germanic-speaking Europe. Scandinavian parallels to the German poem are found especially in the heroic lays of the Poetic Edda and in the Völsunga saga.

The poem is split into two parts. In the first part, the prince Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther. Gunther agrees to let Siegfried marry Kriemhild if Siegfried helps Gunther acquire the warrior-queen Brünhild as his wife. Siegfried does this and marries Kriemhild; however, Brünhild and Kriemhild become rivals, leading eventually to Siegfried's murder by the Burgundian vassal Hagen with Gunther's involvement.

In the second part, the widow Kriemhild is married to Etzel, king of the Huns. She later invites her brother and his court to visit Etzel's kingdom intending to kill Hagen. Her revenge results in the death of all the Burgundians who came to Etzel's court as well as the destruction of Etzel's kingdom and the death of Kriemhild herself.

There are 37 known manuscripts and manuscript fragments of the Nibelungenlied and its variant versions. Eleven of these manuscripts are essentially complete. Twenty-four manuscripts are in various fragmentary states of completion, including one version in Dutch (manuscript "T").

Adapted from the Wikipedia article “Nibelungenlied” (revision 1371761833), used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Laurel's own notes and measurements are not from Wikipedia.

Measured across the book

Across its 11,461 lines, 82% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 82% to 83%). Alliteration runs at 1.02 times what shuffling the words would give (0.42 observed against 0.41 expected). 19% of the lines have a feminine ending.

Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.

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Contents

Adventure I: Of Kriemhild, and of her Dream97 linesAdventure II: Of the Fostering and the Knighting of Siegfried139 linesAdventure III: How Siegfried rode to the City of Worms493 linesAdventure IV: How Siegfried warred against the Saxons622 linesAdventure V: How Siegfried first saw KriemhildAABB · 279 linesAdventure VI: How they Voyaged on Love-quest to Isen-landAABB · 330 linesAdventure VII: How the Warrior-maid was won to be Gunther's Bride453 linesAdventure VIII: How Siegfried went to the Niblung Land for his Knightsiambic heptameter · 237 linesAdventure IX: How Siegfried bare Tidings to the Royal CityAABB · 220 linesAdventure X: Of the strange Bridal of Gunther and Brunhild562 linesAdventure XI: How Siegfried and his Wife journeyed Home161 linesAdventure XII: How Gunther bade Siegfried to a Festival263 linesAdventure XIII: How they Fared to the Feast-tide174 linesAdventure XIV: How the Queens spake bitter Words Each unto OtherAABB · 288 linesAdventure XV: How woven for Siegfried was the Net of BetrayalAABB · 188 linesAdventure XVI: How Siegfried was Murdered428 linesAdventure XVII: How Siegfried was Mourned and BuriedAABB · 343 linesAdventure XVIII: How Kriemhild would not return to the Lowland with SiegmundAABB · 128 linesAdventure XIX: How the Hoard of the Niblungs came to Worms254 linesAdventure XX: How Queen Kriemhild was Wooed for the King of the HunsAABB · 670 linesAdventure XXI: Of Kriemhild's journeying to the Land of the HunsAABB · 208 linesAdventure XXII: How King Etzel wedded KriemhildAABB · 225 linesAdventure XXIII: How Kriemhild thought on Vengeance for her Wrongs161 linesAdventure XXIV: How the Hun-King's Minstrels bade the Burgundians to the FeastAABB · 403 linesAdventure XXV: How the Princes rode to the Land of the HunsAABB · 408 linesAdventure XXVI: How Foes fell on them as they journeyed by Night292 linesAdventure XXVII: How they came to Bechlaren330 linesAdventure XXVIII: How the Burgundians came to Etzel's strong CityAABB · 179 linesAdventure XXIX: How Hagen refused to rise up in Presence of the Queen281 linesAdventure XXX: How Hagen and Volker kept Watch while Men sleptAABB · 148 linesAdventure XXXI: How they bore them at Mass and Tourney376 linesAdventure XXXII: Of the Slaughter of the Squires and the Slaying of the Slayer143 linesAdventure XXXIII: How the Fight began in Etzel's HallAABB · 274 linesAdventure XXXIV: How they cast forth the Dead103 linesAdventure XXXV: How Iring fought and diedAABB · 245 linesAdventure XXXVI: How the Queen bade set fire to the HallAABB · 242 linesAdventure XXXVII: How the Margrave Rüdiger was slain461 linesAdventure XXXVIII: How Dietrich's Men were all slainAABB · 405 linesAdventure XXXIX: How Gunther, Hagen, and Kriemhild were slainiambic heptameter · AABB · 248 lines

About this text

Public domain. Text from The Lay of the Nibelung Men, Project Gutenberg ebook #59831. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.

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