The Song of the Nibelungs

The mythic tale of love (deceitfully won), swashbuckling (with a warrior queen), and revenge!


The story:
Krimhilde, the princess of Burgundy,
had dreamt a hideous dream:
above her flew a noble falcon,
when her hands gave birth to dreadful birds of prey
which tore the falcon tumbling down to earth.
Krimhilde's mother said the dream portended death
for the man she would eventually wed.
Krimhilde said, "I will not marry anyone.
I'd sooner stay a maid than risk a hero's death."

Sigfried, prince of Nederland, had bested fifty knights.
Sigfried, master of the sword, had won a secret cloak.
Sigfried, mighty warrior, had slain the dragon Balderung
and bathed in a basin of its lifeblood,
rendering him invincible,
but for one too human spot of skin.
Sigfried, son of Sigemund and Sigelinde,
had taken over Nibelung:
their horde of gold, their cloak of night,
and from their king, a perfect song,
eternal song of the Nibelung,
which granted him power over love itself.
And Prince Siegfried vowed that he would have no woman but Krimhilde,
and, to that end, made himself invaluable to Gunther, King of Burgundy,
and the lady's brother.

King Gunther had decided he would take to wife
Brunhilde, virgin warrior queen of Iceland,
who had made it known that she would not be wed
until a man could best her in a feat of strength,
and risk his life in the attempt.
King Gunther was intrigued.
He asked that Sigfried come to Iceland
to assist him in his wooing.
And Sigfried, hot with the light of Krimhilde's love,
agreed.

In Iceland, Queen Brunhilde boldly asked Sir Sigfried,
whose renown was wide, if he had come to claim her for his own.
"Not I," he said, "but Gunther, King of Burgundy."
The Queen was not impressed,
but all repaired to the playing field and the games began.

Brunhilde hefted such a stone that Gunther quailed,
but Sigfried, in his hidden cloak, took on the weight,
to his friend's credit.
Then, Brunhilde threw a spear that landed half a mile away,
and Sigfried once again did what his friend appeared to do
and hurled it one full mile.
Finally, the Queen and King faced each other hand to hand,
but Sigfried's swordsmanship was so superior
that Iceland's queen was forced to yield.
"Much have I misjudged you, King of Burgundy,"
Brunhilde said, and offered him her loyalty and her love.

King Gunther now gave Siegfried leave to woo Krimhilde
who, we should remember, had long promised
she would never wed, and though King Siegfried tried,
he failed to sway her dedication.
But when he sang the song he stole from the Nibelungs,
it crept into her heart, reminding her
that childhood promises, even well meant,
are not so easily kept.

On the bed, King Gunther lay his bride
and spoke to her tenderly.
But Brunhilde was no blushing maid,
to do his bidding quietly.
Her muscle overpowered his offensive:
She trussed him like a pig
and hung him neatly in the corner,
after which she fell asleep.

Come daybreak, Siegfried asked his friend
just how good the night had been,
and, hearing his dejected answer,
swore to bring the haughty queen to heel.
When next night fell, with Gunther at the window,
Siegfried slipped invisible into the bridal chamber

and Siegfried, prince of Nederland, attacked the sleeping queen;
Siegfried, master of the sword, made fast her stubborn hands.
Siegfried, mighty warrior, untied her silken belt
and forced her to concede her lord was master of her heart.

Years passed, but Brunhilde could not quite forget
her stolen belt and sovereignty.
Spitefully, she filled her husband's ear with tales
of Siegfried and his winsome ways,
and Gunther, with his pride at stake,
signed a declaration that would undo his friend:
A war against the Saxons, for which Sir Sigfried's fealty was needed.

Krimhilde saw this with foreboding and,
remembering her dream, she begged her husband not to go.
When he refused, she asked her brother how she could
protect a man who neared invincibility. And Gunther said
to sew a cross where he was unprotected.
This she did, and long she wept,
but when they rode for battle,
it was Gunther who betrayed his friend and ally
at the urging of his wife.
It was thus that Siegfried died.

Legends told of knights of old and widows at the gate
Do not approach Krimhilde's grief at the news of her lover's death.
Her mourning was a fire, an eternity, a stop-
The one she loved who mattered most, the one whose grave she dug.
His murderers are silent and she waits and weeps and hates,
And holds her tongue and bides her time,
(they, too, know what must end the rhyme)
her justice and her rage.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Nibelungenlied
• mythology
• myth
• german
• poetry
• stop motion animation
• stop motion
• photography
• greek gods
• norse gods
• folklore
• fairy tales
• fairy tale
• animation
• art
• Wagner
• song of the Nibelungen
• Siegfried
• Brunhilde
• Krimhilde
• Gunther
• fantasy
• heroes
• romance
• swashbuckling
• sword fighting
• music
• magic
• Nibelungen
• Brown University

[FlandriaVCF]

@RaistlinsRose: Vielen Dank! Auf Deutsch (besonders althochdeutsch) klingt fast alles besser :)

[RaistlinsRose]

Es tut mir leid...aber auf Englisch klingt das einfach nicht so, wie es auf althochdeutsch klingen sollte... es klingt unbeabsichtigt sogar fast überheblich und "nachgeahmt".. sicher klingt es gut, wenn man Engländer ist, aber...

dennoch gut! Sich damit auseinanderzusetzen ist top, und das Video ist wirklich super!!!!!

lg