The story of Siegfried

Front matter

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Part I

‘»HAP. PAGB

I About Siegfried’s Father and Mother .... 19

II How the Young Prince Siegfried was Educated 27

III How Siegfried Obtained his Good Sword Bal-

mung 31

IV How Siegfried Slew the Dragon Fafnir ... 37

V How Siegfried Rescued the Beautiful Maiden

Brunhild 42

VI How Siegfried Came to the Land of the Nibe-

lungs 47

VII Concerning the Fair Maiden Kriemhild of

Burgundy 55

VIII How Siegfried Went a-Wooing 60

IX How Siegfried Fought against the Saxons and

the Danes 70

X How Siegfried First Saw Kriemhild 80

XI How Gunther Went to Isenland to Woo Brunhild 86

XII How King Gunther Won Brunhild for his

Bride 92

XIII How Siegfried Brought his Nibelung War-

riors to Isenland 103

XIV How Siegfried Carried the News of Gun-

ther’s Success to Worms 109

Contents

CHAP. PAGE

XV How Siegfried and Kriemhild Were Wedded 116 XVI How Siegfried Brought his Wife Home to the

Netherlands 124

XVII How Gunther Invited Siegfried to Burgundy 129 XVIII How Siegfried Gave the Hoard to Kriemhild 136 XIX How Siegfried and Kriemhild Rode to Burgundy 140

XX How the Two Queens Quarreled 146

XXI How Siegfried was Betrayed by Hagen ... 156 XXII How Siegfried was Slain by Treachery ... 162

XXIII How Siegfried was Mourned and Buried . . . 17 1

XXIV How King Siegmund Returned to his Home . 179 XXV How the Nibelungen Hoard Came to Worms . 183

PART II XXVI How King Etzel Sent to Burgundy for Kriem

hild to be his Wife 191

XXVII How Kriemhild Made Ready to go to the

Land of the Huns 203

XXVIII How Kriemhild Rode to the Land of the

Huns 206

XXIX How Kriemhild Thought of Avenging her

Wrongs 210

XXX How Kriemhild Invited her People to the

Land of the Huns 214

XXXI How King Gunther and his Knights Jour-

neyed to the Land of the Huns 222

XXXII How Gelfrat was Slain by Dank wart .... 232 XXXIII How the Burgundians Came to Becklaren . . 240

XXXIV How Kriemhild Received Hagen 248

XXXV How Hagen and Folker Kept Guard Before

Kriemhild’s Hall 255

XXXVI How Hagen and Foi.ker Continued to Keep

Watch 263

Contents chap. pack

XXXVII How the Burgundians Went to Church . . . 268

XXXVIII How Bloedel Fought with Dankwart in the

Hall 278

XXXIX How the Burgundians Fought with the Huns

in the Palace 283

XL How Iring, the Margrave of Denmark, was

Slain 291

XLI How Queen Kriemhild Sought to Burn Down

the Hall 298

XLII How the Margrave Rudiger was Slain . . . 304 XLIII How Dietrich’s Knights Were Forced Into

the Conflict 316

XLIV The Fate of Gunther, Hagen, and Kriemhild 325

WAGNER’S STORY OF SIEGFRIED

Introduction 335

I The Rhinegold and the Ring 339

II About Siegmund and Sieglinde 349

III About the Beautiful Maiden Brunhilde . . . 354

IV The Punishment of Brunhilde 358

V About Siegfried, the Son of Sieglinde .... 362 VI How .Siegfried Awakened Brunhilde .... 368

VII Gutrune the Fair Maiden of the Rhine . . . 372 VIII How Brunhilde Became the Wife of Gunther 378

IX The Death of Siegfried 382

X The Last Twilight 387

ILLUSTRATIONS

Bishop Pilgrim asks Master Konrad to put the Story

INTO A Book, Frontispiece

Opp. Page

Siegfried Struck Him a Fatal Blow, 39

Siegfried Bringing the Captive Kings 77

Siegfried and Kriemhild, 82

Brunhild’s Arrival at Worms, 114

Marriage of Kriemhild and Siegfried, 118

How Siegfried was Slain, 166

Kriemhild Finds Siegfried’s Body, 172

Kriemhild Accuses Hagen, 222

Hagen Kills King Etzel’s Son, 284

How they Buried their Dead, 290

The Fight on the Staircase, 318

Dietrick Vanquishes Hagen 328

The Captives Before Kriemhild, 330

Hildebrand Slays Kriemhild, 362

This prince’s name was Siegfried, a gallant knight and good, In many kingdoms proved he his brave and warlike mood ; So great his strength of body he rode from land to land.

Ha ! what fine warriors found he on the Burgundian strand !

There grew up in Burgundia a very noble maid,

No fairer face than hers was in all the lands, they said ; Kriemhilda was the maiden’s name — a lovely woman she — For whose sake many a warrior lost his life gallantly.

— The Nibelungett Lied.

Chapter I

about Siegfried’s father and mother

M ANY years ago, as the old tales tell us, there lived in the Netherlands a wise and noble king who had a son named Siegmund. The young prince was a bright and handsome youth, fond of manly sports and knightly accomplishments. He had a cousin named Sieglinde, to whom he was fondly attached, and who, loving him in return, had consented to be his bride.

One day Sieglinde suddenly disappeared, and no one could tell what had become of her. They sought her far and wide and offered a great reward for her return; but she could not be found. A year or more had passed away, and all the people began to fear that she was dead. The prince mourned her absence, and wandered daily through

*9 the forest in the vain hope of hearing some tidings of her. The king and queen tried to comfort him, but his heart was so full of grief that he would not be comforted.

As the young prince was wandering one day through the forest, he lost his way, and could not retrace his footsteps to his home. For a week or more he wandered thus, finding no place of shelter but the overspreading branches of the trees, and no food but the roots and herbs of the forest. Near the close of the seventh day a great storm arose; and tired and exhausted as the night fell around him, he came to a rude cabin in the wood. Going to the door he rapped loudly, but no one answered. After rapping again and receiving no response, he pushed the door ajar, and seeing no one within, he entered. There was a fire burning on the hearth, around which lay some skins of wild beasts; and being weary with his wanderings he sank upon the furs and soon fell asleep.

The mistress of the house was the lost Sieglinde. She had been caught in the woods by a band of brigands, and sold to a grim and haughty hunter named Hunding, who sought to make her his wife. He was now out in the forest in pursuit of some wild beast, as was his daily pastime. As Sieglinde came into the room she was much astonished to see a stranger lying on the furs asleep. Fearing

About Siegfried’s Father and Mother no evil she went to him and gently awoke him, and inquired why he had come to her cabin.

“Fair lady,” he replied, “I was hunting in the forest and lost my way, and the night came on and a storm arose, and when I reached this cabin I was so weary that I could go no farther. I looked in and saw a fire blazing on the hearth, and cold and exhausted I took courage to enter, and lying down on the furs I soon fell asleep.”

There was a sadness in his voice that touched her heart, and she went and brought him a mug of mead and some food and bade him refresh himself. He took the meat and the mead, and having eaten and drank, he felt his strength return to him. Turning his eyes upon the lady he saw in the pale firelight that she was young and fair; and he inquired who she was and how it came that she was here in the wilderness alone.

“Alas,” she replied, “I am not here by my own consent. I was sold to a man that holds me here captive, and would force me to become his wife. He is stern and cruel to me, and treats me often as if I were a slave. His name is Hunding, and I am expecting every moment his return.”

These words touched the heart of Siegmund; her voice seemed to have a familiar sound, and he strove to see her face; but the light was dim and her face was partly hidden by a hood she wore.

As they thus talked the door opened, and Hunding entered, carrying a huge bear upon his shoulder. Flinging it upon the floor, he suddenly saw the young prince, and gazing at him with a fierce and frowning countenance, he asked him what he was doing in his cabin. Siegmund told him he had lost his way in the forest, and, cold and exhausted, he had sought refuge in Hunding’s dwelling. “And I pray you,” he said, “that I may have shelter for the night, and to-morrow I will depart.”

Hunding looked at him for a while and said not a word. He then called for his evening meal, which Sieglinde quickly prepared. As he sat down to the table he eyed Siegmund again with a questioning glance, and then said, “I will grant your request for the night; and if you are hungry you may sit with us around the board and refresh yourself.”

At this Siegmund came forward and took a seat with them at the table. As Hunding ate in grim silence he looked first at Seigmund and then at Sieglinde, and was struck with the strange resemblance between them. At this the frown on his brow deepened, and he closely questioned Siegmund to know who he was. In reply, Siegmund told him that he lived upon the Rhine, though he feared to tell him that he was prince of that country.

About Siegfried’s Father and Mother

When the meal was finished, Hunding rose from the table and, telling Siegmund he could sleep on the skins before the fire, he prepared to retire. With stern and threatening voice he bade Sieglinde to prepare his evening draught and then betake herself to her room. Sieglinde, full of strange thoughts and feelings in respect to the stranger, went to the cupboard for spices, which she mixed in Hunding’s drink. As she withdrew from the room, she cast a long and tender glance at the stranger, thinking how much he looked like the young Prince Siegmund to whom she had been betrothed. Hunding saw the glance and in angry voice bade her hasten to her room.

After she had withdrawn, Siegmund looked around the cabin before he lay down to rest. In the middle of the room he saw a great ash tree that rose high above the roof. In the trunk of this tree, illumined by the dying fire, he espied the hilt of a sword. At this the thought of his father’s sword that had long been lost came to his mind. Then his thoughts turned to the lady of the cabin, for her form and features, and even more, her voice had set him dreaming of his lost cousin Sieglinde. As he thus mused beside the expiring fire, he heard a footstep, and turning his face he saw the lady clad in white, stealthily leave her room and walk towards him.

She had mixed an opiate in the draught she had prepared for Hunding in order that she might have an opportunity to converse with the stranger. As they stood talking in the dim firelight, she told him again about her being torn from her home and sold to Hunding, and that she longed to escape from her bondage. To this question about the sword hilt in the ash tree, she said that an old man, draped in a large mantle, came in the cabin one day, and drawing a sword drove it up to the hilt into the trunk of the tree, saying that it should belong to the hero who should succeed in drawing it out from its -living sheath. Many had tried it, she said, but so far no one had succeeded.

As they thus talked, the door of the cabin gently opened by an invisible hand, revealing the forest bathed in the glow of moonlight. As the luminous leaves lighted up the cabin, they could see each other more clearly, and suddenly she recognized him as her prince suitor to whom she had been betrothed, while at the same moment Siegmund recognized her as his lost cousin Sieglinde. Rushing into each other’s arms they stood in a loving embrace, while their hearts beat quick with rapture. Siegmund had at last found his promised bride, and his first thought was to rescue her from her tyrant master. In an ecstasy of enthusiasm he sprang toward the ash tree, and seizing the sword by the

About Siegfried’s Father and Mother hilt tore it with irresistible force from the tree. Then clasping his arm about Sieglinde he bore her from the cabin and rushed with her into the depths of the forest.

He knew not which way to go to seek his home, for in his wanderings he had lost the direction he had traveled. As he stood hesitating, a dark-eyed dwarf, such as in those days lived in the forest, stood before him, and said, “Noble Prince, I know the cause of thy standing here, in doubt of the course to pursue. Thou art lost in the forest; but I know the way to thy home. Follow me, and I will bring thee safe to thy father’s castle on the Rhine.”

So they followed the dwarf, who led them by the secret paths of the forest. On the evening of the third day, as the dusky shadows were falling around them, suddenly there stood in the path before them a large dark-eyed man, wrapped in a mantle. Siegmund thinking it was Hunding, who had come to tear Sieglinde from him, drew his sword and rushed upon the stranger to slay him. But as the blow was descending, with a stroke of lightning, the sword was broken in a score of pieces; and the stranger, who was the god Odin, said, “Thou shouldst not be so rash, young prince, for I mean thee no harm, but many days hereafter, when thou art a king, I will be thy friend.”

Then Siegmund bowed in reverence to the god, and begged his forgiveness, which was freely granted. Sieglinde picked up the pieces of the sword and bore them with her, and led by the dwarf, they started again on their way. And so it was after five days of traveling through the forest the dwarf brought them safely to the Rhine, at which their hearts were filled with good cheer. Here they found a boat with a boatman, who, when he heard their story, gladly consented to row them to the castle of the king.

At the return of the prince, with the long lost Sieglinde, there was rejoicing of their friends, and of the people far and wide. The old king and his wife, who had mourned them both as lost, were most glad of them all. Messengers were immediately sent forth to call the knights and squires to a great hightide; and soon there was the most splendid wedding that had ever been known in that country, when the prince made the fair Sieglinde his bride.

Chapter II How The Young Prince Siegfried Was Educated

S OON after Siegmund and Sieglinde were married, the old king died, and Siegmund became ruler of the land. He was a wise and valiant king, and a just and noble ruler, and was honored by all the nations around him. As for Sieglinde, she was a sweet and gentle lady, and the most beautiful queen that had ever sat upon the throne of the Netherlands.

In course of time, a son was born, whom they named Siegfried. He was a large and handsome child, with blue eyes and golden hair, and was noted for his proud and lofty spirit. In all youthful sports of strength and skill he excelled all his young companions. No other youth among his fellows could run so fast, or jump so far, or ride with such a graceful bearing as he. No other youth could shoot the arrow with so true an aim, or cast the spear with greater force. In deeds of daring he early took a keen delight. No tree was so tall, or rocky peak so high, that he could not 27 climb it; and no steed was so wild and high-spirited that he could not tame him.

As a boy, Siegfried was taught all manner of learning that was known in those days. His teachers were the wisest men of the land, and from them he learned all those things that itwas thought necessary for a prince to know. The deeds of his forefathers, the laws of his country, the duties of a king to his people — these he was early taught. He also learned the songs and the sagas of the bards, the deeds of the heroes of the nation, and also to play upon the harp and the flute.

As there were few books at that time, many of his lessons were learned in the fields and the forest. He knew the name of all the flowers and the trees, could tell the kind of tree by its leaves or its bark, and could trace his way through the forest by the growth of the moss on the rocks and the trees. He knew all the birds by their songs, and could imitate their notes so skilfully that even the birds themselves were often deceived and would come to him at his call. The haunts of the deer, the wolf, the bear, and the wild boar were all known to him; and he could follow them through the forest by their footprints in the leaves, or by the broken twigs that lay upon the ground.

He could woo the birds and the other animals, so that they would follow him as he walked through 28

How Siegfried was Educated the forest. If he sat down on a mound or the trunk of a fallen tree, the birds would come and perch upon his shoulders, the squirrels would climb upon his knee, the rabbits would sit before him on their bushy tails, and even the deer and bears would linger near him, hidden by the thicket of shrubs and underbrush. It seemed as if they understood what he said to them, and he in turn seemed to know the thoughts and wishes of these dumb creatures.

He was also familiar with the secret fastnesses of the forest, where the elves delighted to sport, with the purling streams wherein the graceful naiads loved to bathe in the early morning, with the caverns of the mountains where dwelt the mischief-loving dwarfs, and with the distant mountains peopled with wicked giants.

The wise men who were his teachers taught him also all about the heavenly beings that were believed to rule the world and shape the destinies of men; how that Odin was the father of the gods and ruler of the skies; that Frigga was his wife, the queen and mother of the gods; that Thor was the god of thunder, who with his hammer slew the wicked giants; that Balder was the god of life, a being so full of joy and gentleness, that light shone around him as he moved through the world; that Loki, the son of one of the giants, was the god of 29 evil, the enemy of the other gods; and that Odin and the other gods lived in Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain, a hall hung round with golden spears and shields and coats of mail, where the souls of heroes killed in battle came to rest and feast themselves on the flesh of boars, and to drink the heartwarming mead. Here also, he was taught, dwelt the heroic virgins, called Valkyries, whom Odin sent forth to every battlefield to direct the souls of fallen heroes on their way to Valhalla.

Thus did Siegfried, in his early youth, learn all these things, and became wise as well as strong; for a prince, like other men, can do the best in the world when wisdom and strength are united.

Chapter III How Siegfried Obtained His Good Sword Balmung

W HILE Siegfried was still a youth, his father sent him to live with a noted smith called Mimer, whose smithy was among the hills, deep in a great forest. This smith was a wise and cunning worker in steel and iron, and it was Siegfried’s father’s wish that he should teach his son all the secrets of his art. For in those days to know how to forge a sword or spear head was regarded as a great accomplishment for a knight or a man of noble birth.

So Siegfried became one of Mimer’s pupils, laying aside his rich apparel and putting on a coarse blue blouse and a leathern apron, with wooden shoes on his feet, and a wolfskin cap upon his head. His food was coarse and humble, and at night he slept upon a heap of straw in the corner of the smithy. With all this the lad was happy and contented. The sound of his hammer was heard day by day, and the sparks from his forge flew brightly 31

How Siegfried Obtained his Sword around him as he cheered himself with merry songs.

And a wonderful smith he became. No one of his fellow-pupils could forge the heaviest chains and bolts so well as he, and at the same time could shape with deft fingers the most beautiful ornaments of silver or gold set with the rarest jewels. Indeed, there never was known before, among all of Mimer’s pupils, so skilful a smith as Siegfried.

One day a stranger named Amilias came to Mimer, wearing a suit of armor, which he said no spear could pierce or sword indent. With a proud and lofty bearing he challenged Mimer to forge a sword that could make even a mark upon his armor. At this, Mimer went to work and wrought many days, trying to forge a sword whose edge was sharp enough to make a mark upon the armor ; but though he wrought with wondrous skill he found he could not do it. Then he asked his workmen to try it, but though many of them made the attempt, not one of them could accomplish it.

When Siegfried heard what they were trying to do, he said, “I will make such a sword as you want, a blade that no armor can withstand, if you will give me a chance to try.” The other pupils laughed at this assurance; but Mimer said, “Let us see what the lad can do. He is the king’s son, and has shown much skill in his work. Let him try to make the sword, and if he fails it is time enough then to laugh at him.”

So Siegfried took the pieces of a sword which his mother Sieglinde had given him, and went to work to make the sword. Seven days and nights he wrought, the hammer ringing on his anvil and sparks flying from his forge, and the metal hissing as he plunged it in the bath to temper it.

On the eighth day the sword was finished and Siegfried brought it to Mimer. The smith felt the edge and found it like the edge of a razor; and he said, “It is indeed a fine sharp edge. Let us test its keenness.”

So he took a thread of wool, as fine as a thistledown, and threw it on the water, and as it floated there he smote it with the sword. The shining blade cleft the slender thread in twain, and the two halves floated apart on the surface of the stream.

“This is well,” cried the delighted smith. “A keener edge have I never seen before. Let us now try its temper, and if we find that as true as its sharpness would lead us to expect, it will be a perfect blade.”

But Siegfried thinking he could still improve the blade took it and broke it into many pieces, and then took it to the smithy, and for three days he welded it in a white heat and tempered it with milk and oatmeal. When this was done, he took a ball

How Siegfried Obtained his Sword of fine spun wool and cast it upon the flowing water of a brook, and held his sword before it. As the ball came in touch with the edge of the sword it was parted as easily as the single thread had been parted before.

Still not satisfied, Siegfried took the blade again to the smithy, where his forge glowed with a bright fire, and his anvil rang with a more cheery sound than before. No one was allowed to come near to see what skill or witchery he used; but it was whispered afterwards by some of his fellow pupils that a one-eyed man, with a long black beard, had been seen talking to him as he worked.

And now for seven days Siegfried worked day and night, until he felt that his task was done. Then he went to Mimer and said, “The sword is finished; behold this glittering blade I bring you. Its name is Balmung; and it is ready to be tested to the utmost.

Then he raised the blade high over his head, its edge flashing like the sunshine or the vivid lightning; suddenly he brought it down upon the master’s anvil, and the great block of iron was cleft in twain, each side falling from the block upon the floor. Mimer, amazed, took the gleaming blade and felt is edge, and found it as keen as a razor, without mark or dent.

“Now,” said Mimer, “call Amilias, and let us test this blade upon his armor. If this good sword Balmung fails to cut it, I shall confess that I am his underling; but if it shall cleave through the suit of armor, then I shall still be called the wisest and greatest of smiths.”

Amilias, as soon as he heard the call, came forward clad in his boasted armor. He went up to the top of a hill and sat on a great rock ready for the trial. He was of giant size, his coat of mail being large enough to shelter twenty men within it. As Mimer climbed the hill, he was so small in size, that Amilias smiled, feeling no fear of the gleaming blade that the smith carried in his hand. When Mimer reached the summit of the hill, the giant folded his arms and smiled again, while his friends set up a great shout, so sure were they of their champion’s success.

Then Mimer raised the gleaming blade, and with one great stroke from right to left, seemed to cleave only the air. No noise was heard, except a sharp hissing sound, like that which red-hot iron gives when plunged into a tank of water. Amilias sat unmoved for a moment with folded arms, the smile fading gradually away from his face.

“How do you feel?” asked Mimer, in a halfmocking tone. “I feel,” replied Amilias, “as if I had been touched with cold iron.” “Shake thyself !” cried Mimer.

How Siegfried Obtained his Sword

As Amilias did so, lo! he fell into two halves; for the sword had cut through the coat of mail and cleft in twain the body of the giant. Down tumbled the giant’s head and upper part of the body with the still folded arms, and they rolled with thundering noise to the bottom of the hill, and fell with a fearful splash into the deep waters of the river. The rest of the body, with the armor that encased it, still sat upright in its place.

Then Mimer sheathed the sword, and came down from the mountain to the plain, while his friends set up a great shout of gladness, and welcomed him with cheers. The friends of Amilias, who had come to witness the test, turned silently homeward, sorely disappointed with their champion’s defeat.

At first it was thought that Mimer had forged the sword that had done such a marvelous deed, but in time it began to be whispered that it was Siegfried who had forged the blade. And so at last they all came to honor Siegfried as the most skillful worker in steel that had ever been known.

Now when Siegfried had acquired all this wonderful skill and won such great renown he bade farewell to Mimer and his fellow pupils, and returned to his father’s home, taking with him his good sword Balmung with which he was afterward to do many valiant deeds.

Chapter IV How Siegfried Slew The Dragon Fafnir

A S soon as Siegfried reached the age of man- . hood, as was the custom in those days, he must needs receive the degree of knighthood. So his father sent out a cry to call all the nobles of the realm together in a great hightide. Word was sent also to all the kingdoms round about, that all kings and princes should be present at this great festival. Also all the youths that were high-born were called together that they might be dubbed knights along with Siegfried.

No such splendid hightide had ever been seen before in that country. Kings and princes and brave knights came riding in splendid array, while queens and princesses, and fair women, added grace and beauty to the scene. Four hundred young heroes had come to take the degree of knighthood along with Siegfried. They were all arrayed in rich apparel, that had been made by the fingers of fair damsels, while precious stones, set in gold, were embroidered with costly silk in their vests. Never before had so splendid a concourse been gathered to do honor to the knighting of a prince.

Soon after Siegfried had been made a knight he longed to do some deed of valor that would give him a noble fame. Now, in that country, there was a fierce dragon known as the “Dragon of the Linden Tree.” He was also known to some people of the country by the name of Fafnir. All the country around was kept in dread by this fierce and murderous dragon, who killed and devoured every one whom he met. So fierce and strong was he that no one dared to go into the forest to do battle with him.