“Uns ist in alten maeren – wunders vil geseit”—“In ancient tales many marvels are told us,” an anonymous poet wrote around 800 years ago, marking the beginning of one of history's most enduring stories. The Nibelungenlied would span more than 2300 stanzas, telling a dense narrative of warriors and maidens, kings and tricksters, dragons, dwarves, and a cursed treasure. It tells of loyalty and betrayal, unions and feuds, duels and celebrations,heroism as well as revenge and bloodshed. It is a tale with roots deep in ancient Germanic mythology and history.
Kriemhild’s Tragic Journey
At the heart of the Nibelungenlied lies the tragic story of Princess Kriemhild. Her brothers, Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher, rule the kingdom of Burgundy from Worms, a fortress along the Rhine. Their council is led by Hagen of Tronje, a figure both loyal and ruthless. Into this royal circle enters Siegfried, the prince of Xanten—a man of legendary strength, drawn to Worms by tales of Kriemhild’s beauty. However, Hagen, ever the cynic, warns his kings of Siegfried’s prowess and its potential danger.
Siegfried is far more than an ordinary prince. He once vanquished the sons of King Nibelung in a land “more than a hundred miles from Iceland,” claiming a powerful treasure, a cloak of invisibility, and superhuman strength. He even bathed in a dragon’s blood, rendering his skin invulnerable. Despite Hagen's suspicions, Siegfried is welcomed at Worms—though, as fate would have it, he must first assist Gunther in winning Brünhild, a formidable queen of Iceland whose powers hinge on her maidenhood.
Brünhild challenges Gunther in three contests, but he cannot hope to win without Siegfried's hidden aid. With Siegfried’s help, concealed by his cloak of invisibility, Gunther succeeds and marries Brünhild, while Siegfried weds Kriemhild. But the joy of their marriages does not last. Kriemhild, unaware of the dangers, reveals to Brünhild that Gunther only won her with Siegfried’s invisible help. Brünhild feels humiliated and demands vengeance. Hagen, wary of Siegfried’s strength and influence, conspires to kill him.
Through trickery, Hagen learns of Siegfried’s sole vulnerability—a spot on his shoulder where a linden leaf shielded him from the dragon’s blood. Seizing the chance, Hagen kills Siegfried on a hunting trip, laying his body before Kriemhild’s chamber. He then sinks the Nibelung treasure into the Rhine, dooming it to the ages. Betrayed and grieving, Kriemhild remains in Worms for thirteen powerless years until a marriage offer from King Etzel of the Huns arrives, and she sees a path to vengeance.
The Cursed Treasure of the Nibelungs
Many years later, Kriemhild, now Queen of the Huns, invites her brothers to Etzel’s court. Though Hagen suspects foul play, the Burgundians, now called “Nibelungs” after the cursed treasure, set off for Etzel’s palace. This name change hints at the doom awaiting them—the treasure’s curse has already claimed Siegfried’s life and soon will take the lives of Kriemhild’s brothers.
Once at Etzel’s court, tensions rise until a fierce and deadly battle breaks out. The Burgundians are outnumbered and eventually trapped, forced to make their final stand in a burning hall. One by one, they fall in battle until only Gunther and Hagen remain. Both are captured by Dietrich of Bern, a powerful ally of the Huns. In her desire for revenge, Kriemhild orders her brother’s execution and, shocking all, kills Hagen herself. This act is so violent that Dietrich’s weapons master strikes her down, and with her death, the line of the Nibelungs and the cursed treasure fade into legend.
The Anonymous Poet of the Epic
Who crafted this dark tale? The Nibelungenlied’s original manuscript is lost to time, and the poet left no name, leaving scholars to comb through 36 medieval copies, the oldest dating back to 1200–1225. The poem was likely composed in the Bavarian dialect of Middle High German, suggesting the author’s connection to the Danube region, as he describes it with remarkable detail, yet paints Worms and Xanten only in broad strokes.
One compelling theory proposes the poet as Walther von der Vogelweide, a Minnesänger funded by Wolfger of Erla, the Bishop of Passau, who supported poets at his court. Walther’s reputation as a gifted poet fits, and Passau, along the Danube, is referenced so reverently in the epic that it may hold more than geographical importance.
Despite its fantastical elements, the Nibelungenlied might preserve ancient events. The setting between the Rhine and Danube, with the constant presence of the Huns, reflects actual events from the Migration Period, a time of vast movement, upheaval, and kingdoms lost to history.
Historical references hidden within the epic connect the Nibelungenlied to real-life stories that would have been passed down for generations. Among the most compelling references:
Attila and the Huns
The Huns appeared in Europe around 400 AD, building an empire across the continent. By 434, Attila, or “Etzel” as he’s called in the saga, became their leader, uniting various tribes under his rule. His court, possibly located near modern-day Budapest, became a center of power, and tales of his conquests spread across Europe. His mysterious death in 453, allegedly in the presence of his new Burgundian bride, gave rise to rumors that she killed him—a possible source of inspiration for Kriemhild’s story.
The Fall of the Burgundians
Originally from between the Vistula and Oder rivers, the Burgundians migrated toward the Roman Empire and eventually established a kingdom along the Middle Rhine. In 436, Roman forces, with help from Hunnic allies, destroyed their kingdom, forcing survivors to settle in what is now France. Here, they continued their tradition of ruling in pairs, a detail mirrored in the Nibelungenlied’s brother-kings.
Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths
Theodoric, known in the saga as “Dietrich of Bern,” was a historical figure born around 454 AD. He ruled over Italy and became famous as one of the most powerful Germanic rulers of his time. His reign and subsequent downfall parallel the story’s recurring theme of kingdoms rising and falling, creating a link between the historical figure and the literary character of Dietrich.
The Mystery of the Nibelung Treasure
The Nibelung treasure, often called a “Hort” (hidden treasure), echoes real discoveries of buried artifacts from the Migration Period. Many Germanic tribes hid their treasures during times of unrest. A particularly striking example is the Neupotz discovery, about 70 kilometers from Worms, where over 700 kilograms of Roman silver and metal objects, likely taken during a raid, were found buried near the Rhine.
While no actual Nibelung treasure has been found in Worms, these types of discoveries fueled the belief that legendary treasures lay hidden across the land, lost to history but alive in myth. The Rhine, central to this epic, becomes both a real location and a symbol of mystery, a place that holds hidden stories from a distant time.
Pagan Myths and Christian Influences
The Nibelungenlied, though wrapped in a Christian setting, keeps alive elements of Germanic mythology. Siegfried’s dragon slaying, magical powers, and interactions with dwarves have a distinctly pagan flavor. Brünhild, a mighty queen with supernatural powers, mirrors the Valkyries from Norse legend, warrior spirits who chose the fates of fallen soldiers.
There’s an interesting blend of Christian and pagan elements here: Kriemhild and Brünhild quarrel on the steps of a church, but the story itself feels rooted in a far older, mystical world. This blend shows us the cultural shift that Europe was undergoing—ancient myths were reshaped to fit a new, Christianized world, yet traces of their original power remain.
In some versions of the tale, historians note similarities between Siegfried and Arminius, the Germanic chieftain who defeated the Romans in 9 AD. The story’s Rhine and Danube setting, paired with Siegfried’s hometown of Xanten, a Roman military fort, suggest a connection to Roman-Germanic conflicts. Interestingly, some versions link Siegfried with a stag, an animal symbolic to the Cherusci, Arminius’s tribe, who called themselves “stag people.”
image source: https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/738115, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons