{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_35108/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_35108","id":"gutenberg_35108","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35108","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: German Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Nibelungenlied -- Adaptations"],"text":"</pre>\n\n\n\nProduced by Juliet Sutherland, Emmy and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: THE MEETING OF SIEGFRIED AND MIMI]\n\n\n\n\nStories of the\n\nNibelungen\n\n_for_\n\nYoung People\n\n          _Arranged by_\n          Gertrude R. Schottenfels\n          Chicago Public Schools\n\n          Illustrated\n\n          Chicago\n          A. Flanagan Company\n\n\n\n\n          COPYRIGHT, 1905\n          BY\n          A. FLANAGAN COMPANY\n\n\n\n\nSTORIES OF THE NIBELUNGEN\n\n\n             I. YOUNG SIEGFRIED                        7\n            II. MIMI'S STORY                          21\n           III. SIEGFRIED'S SWORD                     34\n            IV. THE DEATH OF THE DRAGON               43\n             V. THE STORY OF BRUNHILDA                53\n            VI. GUNTHER AND KRIEMHILD                 61\n           VII. SIEGFRIED'S RETURN TO IRELAND         72\n          VIII. HOW GUNTHER WON HIS BRIDE             81\n            IX. KRIEMHILD AND BRUNHILDA'S QUARREL     91\n             X. KRIEMHILD'S REVENGE                  112\n\n\n\n\nPRONOUNCING VOCABULARY\n\nTranscriber's note:\n\nThe following notation is used to show the pronunciation symbols used in\nthis text. An image of this page may be found in the HTML edition.\n\n      [=x] = macron above a letter\n      [)x] = breve above a letter\n      [.x] = dot above a letter\n      [x.] = dot below a letter\n      [+x] = tack above a letter\n      ['x] = accent above a letter\n\n\n          NIBELUNGEN     n[=e]\u00b4b[)e]-l[u.]ng-[+e]n\n          SANTUM         s[)a]n\u00b4t[)u]m\n          SIEGMUND       s[=e]g\u00b4m[u.]nd\n          NIEDERLAND     n[=e]\u00b4der-l[)a]nd\n          SIEGELINDA     s[=e]-[+g][)e]l-in\u00b4d[)a]\n          SIEGFRIED      s[=e]g\u00b4frid\n          MIMI           m[=e]\u00b4m[=e]\n          FAFNER         f[)a]f\u00b4ner\n          ALBERICH       [)a]l\u00b4ber-[)i]ck\n          WOTAN          w[=o]\u00b4t[)a]n\n          LOKI           l[=o]\u00b4k[=e]\n          BRUNHILDA      br[u.]n-h[=i]l\u00b4d[)a]\n          ISENHEIM       [=e]\u00b4s[)e]n-h[=i]me\n          GUNTHER        g[)u]n\u00b4ter\n          HAGEN          h\u00e4\u00b4gen\n          UOTA           [=u]-[=o]\u00b4t[)a]\n          KRIEMHILD      kr[=e]m\u00b4h[=i]ld\n          GISELHERR      ['g][=e]\u00b4s[)e]l-h\u00e2re\n          GERNOT         g[=e]r\u00b4n[=o]\n          ETZEL          et\u00b4z[)e]l\n          ORTLIEB        \u00f4rt\u00b4l[=e]b\n          RUDIGER        ru\u00b4d[)i]g-er\n          BECHLARN       b[)e]ck\u00b4l\u00e4rn\n          DIETRICH       d[=e]t\u00b4r[=i]ck\n          ETZELBURG      [)e]t\u00b4z[)e]l-berg\n          DANKWART       d\u00e4nk\u00b4wert\n          WALKYRIE       w[)o]l-k[=i]r\u00b4[=i]\n\n\n\n\nStories of the Nibelungen\n\n\n\n\nI\n\nYOUNG SIEGFRIED\n\n\nIN THE good old days of Long Ago, when kings had absolute power over all\ntheir subjects, even in the matter of life and death, there dwelt in the\ncity of Santum, on the beautiful Rhine River, a great and good king\nnamed Siegmund.\n\nHe was very powerful, and ruled over the kingdom of Niederland so wisely\nand so well that he was loved and honored by all his people. He shared\nhis throne with Siegelinda, his beautiful wife, who also was noble and\nkind of heart.\n\nSiegmund and Siegelinda had one son, called Siegfried--a handsome,\nwell-built lad, with eyes as blue and sunny as the sky above on a fair\nspring morning. He was the only child of the king and queen, but he was\nmore of a sorrow than a joy to them, for he was as willful and\ndisobedient as he was beautiful. He could not bear to be crossed in any\nway, and wished that he were a man, so that he might do exactly as he\npleased.\n\nSiegfried's parents loved him dearly in spite of his faults and all the\nsorrow his wild ways caused them. But one fine morning, while the king\nand queen were still asleep, he quietly took his hat, and stole out of\nthe castle, for he had made up his mind to go out into the wide world to\nseek his fortune.\n\nSiegfried walked through the beautiful city, and then for some time\nfollowed a winding country road, until at length he found himself in\nthe midst of a dense forest. But he was not afraid; he could hear the\nbirds singing and calling to one another in the green trees overhead,\nand now and then a rabbit or a timid squirrel ran across his pathway,\nand disappeared in the bushes.\n\nSo he wandered along, quite happy. Sometimes he would come to a little\nbrook, winding its way through the trees and grass, and babbling and\nsinging among its pebbles. Across the stream he would leap, as lightly\nas a hare.\n\nThus the day wore on, and as twilight gathered, he began to feel very\ntired and hungry. He was just beginning to wonder what he should do,\nwhen he noticed that he was nearing the edge of the forest, and a little\nfarther on what should he see but a blacksmith's shop among the bushes.\n\nIn the doorway stood the smith himself in his leathern apron--a little,\nodd, misshapen dwarf named Mimi. He looked in wonder at the beautiful\nboy, who smiled upon him in a friendly way, and said:\n\n\"Good-evening. I am almost dead with thirst and hunger; will you not\ntake me in, and let me be your helper?\"\n\nMimi was about to say no, when he chanced to look at Siegfried the\nsecond time. He noticed how strong and well built the boy was; so he\nsaid:\n\n\"I am not really in need of a helper, for in this out-of-the-way place\nthere is very little work to be done; but if you wish to learn my\ntrade, I am willing to give you a trial.\"\n\nSiegfried was happy to hear this, and with a hearty relish he ate the\ncoarse brown bread and bowl of milk which Mimi brought to him.\n\nThe next morning the blacksmith showed Siegfried how to blow the\nbellows, and swing the sledge-hammer, and also how to shape a horseshoe.\n\n\"Now, you try it,\" he said, laying a red-hot piece of iron on the\nanvil.\n\nSiegfried was eager to try. He raised the hammer above his head, and\nbrought it down with such force that the iron flew to pieces and the\nanvil was buried in the ground.\n\nMimi was very angry. He gave the boy a box on the ear that nearly\nknocked him over. Now, Siegfried was a king's son, and never before in\nall his life had any one but his parents dared to punish him. Therefore\nhe was indignant, and without giving Mimi a moment's warning, he seized\nthe dwarf by the collar and dashed him to the ground.\n\nWhen Mimi came to his senses, he was almost dead with pain and fright.\nHe made up his mind then and there that he would have his revenge, but\nhe knew he was no match for Siegfried in strength; so he picked himself\nup, and pretended that he was not in the least angry. After a while he\nsent Siegfried to fetch a basket of coal from the colliery, which was\nnear a great linden tree in the forest. Under this tree dwelt a\nterrible monster, and Mimi hoped that the huge beast would make an end\nof the lad.\n\nAs Siegfried reached the tree, out rushed the monster, with open jaws,\nready to devour him. But the boy nimbly sprang aside, and uprooting a\ntree which stood near, he brought it down with such force on the\nmonster's back that the huge creature was dazed by the blow, and lay\nwrithing in pain.\n\nThen quick as thought, Siegfried pulled up tree after tree, and piled\nthem high above the struggling monster, pinning him fast to the earth.\nThus he slowly crushed the terrible beast to death.\n\nAs he stood there watching, a pool of blood oozed slowly out from under\nthe pile of trees. He dipped his finger in it without thinking, and was\nsurprised and delighted to find that his finger had become as hard as\nhorn, and that he could neither scratch nor pierce it.\n\n\"What a fine thing!\" thought the lad. \"I will bathe myself in the pool,\nand then nothing on earth can harm me.\"\n\nAccordingly, he quickly undressed and bathed himself in the pool; but as\nhe was stooping over, a broad leaf from the linden tree fell upon his\nback, between the shoulders, and the spot where it lay was not touched\nby the monster's blood. Siegfried knew nothing of the leaf. \"Now,\" said\nhe to himself, \"I am safe; neither sword nor spear can wound me.\" Then\nhe cut off the monster's head, filled Mimi's basket with coal, and\ncarried both back to the smithy.\n\nMimi could hardly believe his eyes when Siegfried appeared; he began to\nfear the wonderful strength of this half-grown boy, and to hate him with\na deadly hatred. However, he was far too wise to let Siegfried know his\nfeelings, and so he praised the lad's courage highly. But he at once\nbegan to think of another plan to get rid of him.\n\nThat night, while they were sitting together before the fire, Mimi\nsaid:\n\n\"I know of an adventure which would just suit you, Siegfried. If you\nsucceed in it, it will make you famous all over the world, and you will\nbe very rich.\"\n\nThe boy was eager to be off at once, but the dwarf declared that\nSiegfried must first listen to a long, strange story. Mimi bade him give\ngood heed to what he was about to hear.\n\n\n\n\nII\n\nMIMI'S STORY\n\n\nMY FATHER was a dwarf, and belonged to a race of dwarfs called the\nNibelungs. He had three sons, Fafner, Otto, and myself. Fafner was the\neldest; I was the youngest. Otto, my second brother, was very fond of\nfishing, and liked nothing better than to spend whole days at the sport.\n\nMy father had a magic cap called a tarnhelm. Any one who put this cap on\ncould make himself invisible, or assume any form he desired. Otto would\nborrow this tarnhelm, and assuming the form of an otter, he would go to\na waterfall near our home to fish. He would go right into the water, and\ncatching the fish in his mouth, would lay them down on the bank, one\nafter another, until he had enough. Then he would become himself once\nmore and would carry the fish home for supper.\n\nNear this waterfall there lived another dwarf, named Alberich, who also\nbelonged to the race of the Nibelungs. He possessed a great treasure of\ngold, which he had captured from the nymphs of the Rhine. The father of\nthe nymphs, the God of the Rhine, had entrusted the treasure to their\ncare.\n\nAlberich gained possession of the Rhine gold, but in doing so he lost\neverything which helps to make life beautiful. Like my brother, he was\nvery fond of fishing, and taking the form of a huge pike, he would go\nwith Otto to the waterfall, and fish all day.\n\nOne day Wotan, the King of the Gods, was wandering through the forest\nwith Loki, the God of Fire. They were both very tired and hungry, and as\nthey came near the waterfall, what should they spy but an otter in the\nwater, with a large salmon in its mouth. Here was a chance not to be\nmissed.\n\nSeizing a big stone, Loki hurled it with all his might at the otter,\nkilling it instantly. Then they carried it to my father's house, and\nbegged for a night's lodging.\n\nAs soon as my father saw the otter, he told them that they had killed\nhis son. Both Wotan and Loki were very sorry to hear this, and regretted\nthat they could not restore my brother to life. To make up to my father\nfor what they had done, they agreed to fill the otter skin with gold,\nand also to cover the outside of it with the same precious metal. Then\nWotan sent Loki out in search of gold.\n\nNow Loki knew that the dwarf Alberich possessed the Rhine gold; so he\nhastened to the waterfall, and demanded the entire treasure.\n\nAt first Alberich refused to part with the gold; but Loki threatened to\nkill him unless he gave it up. So Alberich unwillingly gave the treasure\nto Loki--all except a ring of gold, which he kept hidden in his hand.\nBut the god's eyes were sharp, and he saw what Alberich had done.\n\nNow this ring was a magic ring, and whoever owned it might claim all the\ngold in all the rivers and mountains upon earth. Alberich believed that\nif he kept it he could some day get back his treasure through its magic\npower.\n\nLoki commanded him to give it up, and the dwarf refused to do so. Seeing\nthat words were useless, the god snatched it from Alberich's hand, and\nstarted off. Alberich fell into a terrible fury, and cried:\n\n\"A curse upon the gold! Death to all its possessors!\"\n\nBut Loki had obtained that which he set out to get. The gold was not to\nbe his, and he cared nothing for the dwarf and his curses. He only\nlaughed at Alberich, and hastened with his burden to my father's house.\n\nWhen Wotan saw the gold ring, he was so pleased with its beauty that he\nplaced it on his finger, intending to keep it for himself. Then they\nfilled the otter's skin with gold, and also covered it over, according\nto their promise. When they had finished, my father discovered one spot\non its head upon which there was no gold. He insisted upon having this\ncovered up, and since there was no more gold to be had, Wotan\nunwillingly took the ring from his finger, and placed it there.\n\nLoki was displeased, and cried:\n\n\"Now, you ingrate, you have the most enormous gold treasure in the\nworld, and I hope you are satisfied! But remember what I say: The gold\nwill prove your ruin, and it will also cause your son to fill an early\ngrave.\"\n\nThen the gods took their departure.\n\nFafner and I asked our father to give us each a share of the gold; but\nhe only laughed in a disagreeable way, and declared his dead son was far\nmore precious to him than were his living sons. He said that every hair\non Otto's head was dear to him. Then he ran after us with a stone club,\nand swore that he would kill us if we said another word. We said no\nmore, and crept away in fear.\n\n[Illustration: \"FLEE FOR YOUR LIFE ERE I SMITE YOU DEAD\"]\n\nBut that night as my father lay asleep, Fafner stole into his room and\nslew him. Then I came forward, and told my brother that I had witnessed\nhis evil deed, and demanded that he give me half of the gold. But he\nturned upon me in a blind rage, and cried:\n\n\"Flee for your life ere I smite you dead!\"\n\nI fled in fear, without another word. Then Fafner put on my father's\ntarnhelm and escaped with his treasure to the heath, where he hid it in\na cave among the rocks. But, fearful lest it be taken from him, he\nassumed the form of a frightful dragon, that he might protect it better.\n\nAnd there he lies day and night, guarding the entrance of the cave, and\nleaves it only when he goes to drink at a neighboring spring. No one has\ndared attack him, for no one has the strength to match him.\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\nSIEGFRIED'S SWORD\n\n\nWHEN Mimi had finished his story, he looked at Siegfried, who had been\ndrinking in every word with breathless interest, and asked:\n\n\"Well, my lad, what do you think of that? Do you think you could kill\nthe dragon?\"\n\nSiegfried answered, with shining eyes:\n\n\"Come, Mimi, forge me a mighty sword, and lead the way to Fafner's\ncave, and I will show you what I can do.\"\n\nSo Mimi set to work to fashion a sword for Siegfried. It was to be the\nstrongest, sharpest one that man had ever made. The dwarf worked day and\nnight until it was finished.\n\nWhen he gave it to Siegfried, the boy examined it carefully, shook his\nhead as though in doubt, and then strode to the anvil. He struck the\niron one powerful blow with the sword, and the weapon lay in pieces.\n\nMimi told him not to worry, and at once set to work upon some of his\nmost finely tempered steel, resolved to make a sword that would be a\nmatch for Siegfried's unheard-of strength.\n\nBut when it was finished, Siegfried took it as he had taken the first,\nand in a moment the blade was shattered on the anvil. Then he grew angry\nand rushed at the dwarf, crying:\n\n\"Oh! you worthless fellow, get you hence or I will kill you!\"\n\nMimi was badly frightened, and hid himself behind the fireplace not\nknowing what might happen next. But after a while Siegfried's anger\nbegan to cool; then Mimi emerged from his hiding-place, and Siegfried\nsaw that he held something in each hand. When the dwarf came close\nenough, the lad saw that he carried two halves of a splendid sword.\n\nThis Mimi declared was none other than the sword Wotan had carried on\nthe day upon which Otto was killed. \"And,\" he continued, \"if I can but\nweld it together, you will have the finest sword that ever a hero\nwielded.\" Siegfried could scarcely wait until Mimi finished the work, so\nanxious was he to try the weapon.\n\n[Illustration: THE MIGHTY SWORD WAS UNHURT]\n\nAt length it was ready, and he seized it, crying: \"Now for the test! Now\nfor the test!\" Then he raised the mighty blade high above his head, and\nbrought it down with all his strength upon the anvil. The whole house\nshook and trembled, and the anvil was split in two, but the\nweapon--the mighty sword that Wotan himself had flourished--was\nunhurt.\n\nAnd now Mimi was thoroughly frightened, for he thought that Siegfried\nmust be Thor himself. But he hid his fear, and cried:\n\n\"Avenge me, Siegfried! Slay this dragon, and one-half of the Rhine gold\nshall be yours.\"\n\n\"Lead the way,\" the lad replied, \"and I will make short work of him.\"\n\nSo Mimi started for the heath, and Siegfried followed him joyfully.\n\nWhen they drew near the place, Mimi pointed out a wide, blackened trail\nleading through the grass. This, he said, had been made by Fafner, for\nit was the path the dragon took each day when he went to the spring to\ndrink. The dwarf told the boy that Fafner spouted flames to the right\nand left as he went along, and threshed the grass with his monstrous\ntail at every step.\n\nThen he advised Siegfried to dig a deep pit, hide himself in it, and as\nthe dragon crawled over it, to pierce him to the heart from underneath.\nSiegfried thought the plan a good one, and proceeded at once to dig.\n\nHe did not hear Mimi chuckling to himself, behind his back. For Mimi was\nbent upon destroying him, and knew that as soon as he had killed the\nmonster, its blood would fill the pit, and drown him. Therefore the\ndwarf rejoiced. He withdrew to a safe distance, and hid himself, to\nawait the coming of the dragon, which he greatly feared.\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\nTHE DEATH OF THE DRAGON\n\n\nAS SIEGFRIED was digging, he became aware of a tall one-eyed stranger,\nclad in a long gray cloak, who was standing near by, watching him\nintently. The stranger inquired what Siegfried was doing, and upon being\ntold, earnestly advised the youth to dig several pits, each opening out\nof the other, so that he might escape the flow of blood which would\notherwise drown him.\n\nSiegfried was very grateful for the advice, and began to act upon it at\nonce. Then Wotan (for the one-eyed stranger was none other than the god)\ndisappeared from view. When he was through digging, Siegfried heaped\nbrush and weeds above the first pit, so that it might not be noticed,\nand getting down into it, awaited the coming of the dragon.\n\nHe had not long to wait. Of a sudden, a great noise, like the tramping\nof a thousand horses, fell upon his ear. Then came a roaring as of the\nsea, and he saw the huge monster come slowly along, thrashing the earth\nwith its great tail, and spouting flames to the left and the right.\n\nOn and on it came, until he could feel its breath hot above his face. He\nfirmly grasped his sword, and gave one swift upward thrust, quickly\nwithdrawing it, and then he nimbly leaped into the next pit, followed by\na rush of blood, and then through the next, and so on, till he reached\nsafe ground.\n\nWhen he went back to the first pit, he found the dragon writhing and\ngroaning in its death agony. As soon as it saw him, it cried out, for it\nstill retained the power of human speech:\n\n\"Oh! you unlucky one, the gold will prove your ruin as it has mine. A\ncurse is on it. Who has it is accursed!\"\n\nSaying this, the creature died.\n\n[Illustration: \"THE GOLD WILL PROVE YOUR RUIN!\"]\n\nThen Siegfried carefully cleaned his sword, and replaced it in its\nsheath, and as he did so, he noticed some blood upon his hand. He\nlicked it off, and no sooner had it touched his tongue, than a strange\nthing happened. He could understand everything which the birds overhead\nwere saying. He stood still and listened, and what was his astonishment\nto find that they were actually talking to him!\n\nOne told him that Mimi was untrue to him, and was constantly plotting\nhis death; that even at that very moment the dwarf was approaching with\na poisoned drink which he would offer to Siegfried, so that he might not\nhave to keep his promise of sharing the Rhine gold. The bird advised\nhim to kill the dwarf.\n\nSure enough, at that very moment Mimi came forward, praising Siegfried's\nbravery, and offering him the poisoned drink in the most friendly\nmanner, smiling deceitfully all the while. Our hero turned upon him in\nanger, and forced him to drain the cup himself, whereupon the wretched\ndwarf fell to earth, lifeless.\n\nThen the birds told Siegfried to enter the dragon's cave, and get the\nring and the tarnhelm, the possession of which would make him\nall-powerful. This he did, and then he rolled the dragon's enormous body\nto the entrance of the cave, where the Rhine gold still lay, and sealed\nup the entrance with it.\n\nAs he stood there, wondering what he should do next, he heard the birds\nsinging of a mountain far away, where a maiden named Brunhilda lay in an\nenchanted sleep, surrounded by a ring of magic flames. Here she must\nslumber till there should appear a man strong and brave enough to dash\nthrough the flames and waken her with a kiss.\n\nSiegfried determined to journey to the mountain. So he returned to the\nsmithy, and saddled Mimi's horse, which was a strong, faithful creature,\nand then he rode away to seek the sleeping maiden.\n\nMany days and nights he wandered, and at length, early one morning as he\nascended the highlands, he saw a rosy glow in the distance, which grew\never brighter and brighter. \"The rising sun,\" he said to himself, but\nhe knew that it was not the rising sun. On and on he rode, and ever\nbrighter and brighter grew the sky, until at length he came upon the\nflames themselves, and he knew that he had reached his journey's end.\n\n\n\n\nV\n\nTHE STORY OF BRUNHILDA\n\n\nAS SIEGFRIED drew nearer, he could hear the crackling of the flames, and\nwhen his horse saw the fire, the animal reared up on its hind legs, and\nsnorted in terror. But Siegfried knew no fear. Putting spurs to his\nhorse, he boldly forced it through the flames, and, lo! both horse and\nrider passed through unharmed.\n\nBefore Siegfried's eyes was a wondrous sight. On the mountain stood a\ncastle, the strangest ever seen, for it was built entirely of green\nmarble, as were all the buildings round it; and there, on the grassy\nslope before the castle, lay a young warrior, clad in shining armor,\nwith a helmet on his head.\n\n[Illustration: PUTTING SPURS TO HIS HORSE, HE BOLDLY FORCED IT THROUGH\nTHE FLAMES]\n\nSiegfried went up to him, to ask him where he might find the maiden. But\nthe warrior was sunk in slumber, and made no reply when Siegfried spoke.\nSiegfried shook him roughly, to waken him, but he still slept on. Then\nSiegfried opened the young man's visor and removed his helmet. What\nwas his surprise to find, within, the long fair hair and rosy face of a\nbeautiful woman!\n\nThis, then, was Brunhilda; it could be no other. Bending over her, he\npressed a kiss lightly on her lips. Immediately Brunhilda awoke, and\nthanked the young hero for breaking the magic spell which bound her.\nThen, as they sat together in the marble palace, Brunhilda told her\nstory.\n\nShe was one of Wotan's eight daughters who were called Walkyries. They\nwere beautiful goddesses of immense size and strength, and used to\nfollow Wotan when he went into battle. Occasionally, when two knights or\ntwo countries battled against each other, they would award the palm of\nvictory to one or the other. It was also their duty to carry all slain\nheroes to Walhalla, the beautiful palace of Wotan.\n\nOne day Brunhilda disobeyed her father's orders, and awarded the victory\nto the hero whom Wotan wished overthrown. Wotan was very angry, and as\na punishment he forbade her to dwell among the gods and goddesses, and\ndeclared that never again should she set foot in Walhalla. Furthermore,\nhe would cause her to wed a mortal man, thus becoming a mortal woman,\ninstead of a goddess.\n\nBrunhilda was overcome with grief, as were all of her sisters. They all\npleaded with Wotan not to punish her in this way. But he had already\npronounced sentence upon her, and could not retract his word. Then\nBrunhilda wept piteously, and begged him at least to grant that her\nhusband might be a hero. This he promised, and then disclosed his plan.\n\nHe would sink her in a magic sleep, and would order Loki, the fire-god,\nto kindle some magic flames, which were to encircle her. She was to\nslumber until awakened by a man brave enough to go through fire for her\nsake. \"And,\" continued Wotan, \"of course only a hero would show such\ncourage.\" Then he assured her that when the hero came he should be\nunharmed by the ring of fire.\n\nAnd so, with streaming eyes, Brunhilda bade her sisters a long farewell.\nNever again, so long as she lived, would she behold them. Wotan was\ndeeply touched when he saw her grief, and with a last tender kiss upon\nher beautiful brow, he laid her on the grassy slope, and pronounced the\nmagic words which bound her.\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\nGUNTHER AND KRIEMHILD\n\n\nSIEGFRIED remained for a long time with Brunhilda at Isenheim (which was\nthe ancient name for Ireland), where all the buildings were of green\nmarble. He then started for home, promising her that he would return and\nmarry her, as soon as he had visited his parents, whom he now felt he\nhad treated very cruelly.\n\nBrunhilda replied that she too thought that he ought to visit his\nmother and father, but that he must promise to return as soon as he had\ndone so. He readily promised, and sealed his pledge by placing his magic\nring upon her finger. Then he set out for Niederland.\n\nOn the way thither, he had to pass through the city of Worms in\nBurgundy. Now in this city dwelt a powerful king called Gunther, who\nruled over all Burgundy. He had an uncle named Hagen, who was his dead\nfather's brother, and who was also Gunther's most valued adviser on all\noccasions. Gunther was so great and mighty that four and twenty kings\npaid him tribute.\n\nHe had a sister, named Kriemhild, who was noted far and wide for her\nwondrous beauty. Once Kriemhild had had a strange dream: She thought\nthat she was out hunting with her pet falcon, and that two fierce eagles\nswooped down from the sky, and killed the bird before her eyes.\n\nNow in these olden times people were very superstitious, and believed\nthat every dream had a meaning. Kriemhild related her dream to her\nmother, Uota, and asked what it meant. Uota replied:\n\n\"The falcon signifies a noble man who will win you for his bride; but\nthe two eagles stand for two powerful enemies, who will cause his\ndeath.\"\n\nThen Kriemhild was very sad, and declared that she did not wish to marry\nany one, as it would bring her only sorrow.\n\nNot long after this Siegfried arrived at Worms, and although he knew no\none in all the city, everybody was anxious to learn who he was, he was\nso handsome and noble looking. Hagen advised Gunther to make friends\nwith him, for he thought it very likely that the stranger might prove to\nbe Siegfried, whose fame was spreading fast.\n\nHagen related how Siegfried had killed the linden-monster, slain the\ndragon, won the Rhine gold, and gained possession of the magic cap and\nring. When Uota heard all this, she determined that Siegfried should\nmarry her beautiful daughter. When he entered the castle at Worms,\nGunther received him cordially, and made haste to offer him both food\nand drink. Siegfried accepted both gratefully, for he was hungry and\nthirsty. Uota hastily prepared a magic potion, and no sooner had the\nhero drunk it than all memory of the past, Brunhilda included, faded\nfrom his mind.\n\n[Illustration: UOTA GIVES SIEGFRIED THE MAGIC POTION]\n\nSiegfried remained at Worms for one whole year, and in all that time he\nnever once got a glimpse of Kriemhild, although the fame of her beauty\nreached him from every side. She, however, had seen him from her window\nwhile he was tilting with her brother's knights, and she thought that\nnever before had she seen any one so brave and handsome.\n\nNot long after this, the Danes and the Saxons declared war against\nGunther. He quickly gathered together his army, and set out to battle\nwith them. His two younger brothers, Giselherr and Gernot, went with\nhim, and Siegfried accompanied him as his body-guard.\n\nAnd now began anxious days and nights for Kriemhild. She was filled with\ndread lest her brothers or Siegfried be slain. She eagerly awaited\ntidings of every battle. She heard that the Saxons and Danes were being\nhard pressed, and also that the most brave and reckless warrior among\nall the Burgundian hosts was her brother's guest and body-guard.\n\nNot long after this, the Burgundians were victorious, and captured both\nthe Danish and the Saxon king. This ended the war, and Gunther and all\nhis troops returned to Worms, where the king held a great feast to\ncelebrate his victory. And here for the first time Siegfried saw\nKriemhild, and he thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.\n\nHe was almost afraid to speak to her, so wondrous was her beauty, but\nshe thanked him very prettily and gratefully for all that he had done\nfor her brother; and when he replied that everything he had done had\nbeen done for her sake, she smiled and was content. Siegfried had fallen\ndeeply in love with her, and made up his mind to spare no effort to win\nher for his bride.\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\nSIEGFRIED RETURNS TO IRELAND\n\n\nMEANWHILE, in Ireland, Brunhilda was eagerly awaiting Siegfried's\nreturn. Days grew into weeks, weeks lengthened into months, and still he\ndid not come. At first she could not believe that he had deserted her.\nShe would look at the beautiful ring which he had given her, and all her\nfaith and trust in him would return.\n\nBut when months slowly lengthened into years, and the years passed one\nafter another, she began to give up the hope of ever seeing him again.\n\nNow, as I have said before, Brunhilda was very beautiful, and soon\nsuitors began flocking around her, anxious to win her hand in marriage.\nBut Brunhilda loved Siegfried very dearly and had no desire to marry any\none else. Therefore she declared that whoever sought to marry her must\nmatch his strength with hers; if he were victorious, she would wed him,\nbut if he failed, he should lose his head in forfeit, according to the\ncustom of these olden days.\n\nMany gallant suitors came, entered the contest, failed and lost their\nheads, for Brunhilda was a Walkyrie, and more than a match in strength\nfor any man. She did not like to kill her lovers, but they persisted in\ncoming, and she continued to do her best at every trial.\n\nMeanwhile the fame of her strength and beauty traveled afar, and reached\nGunther at Worms. He determined to journey to Isenheim, and enter the\nlists against her. Accordingly he went to Siegfried, and asked aid of\nhim. Siegfried replied:\n\n\"I will gladly help you, if you, on your part, will help me win the hand\nof your beautiful sister.\"\n\nGunther was very grateful for the aid Siegfried had given him in the\nlate Saxon war. So he promised that on the day Brunhilda arrived in\nWorms he would give him Kriemhild for his bride. Siegfried was\nsatisfied, and agreed to travel to Ireland with Gunther, as his vassal,\nand to present his petition to Brunhilda.\n\nThen they arrayed themselves in costly garments and set sail, and after\na twelve-day voyage, they reached the coast of Ireland. When Siegfried\nbeheld the green palaces of marble, he felt a vague uneasiness, for it\nall had a strangely familiar look. Where had he seen this place before?\nHe remembered it dimly, as in a dream.\n\nWhen he entered Brunhilda's palace, she advanced to meet him, with both\nhands outstretched, crying:\n\n\"Siegfried, is it indeed you, and have you come to tilt with me?\"\n\nHe looked at her with the eyes of a stranger, and replied:\n\n\"I come to represent Gunther, King of Burgundy. He wishes to sue for\nyour heart and hand. He is my lord; I am his vassal, and have come to do\nhis bidding.\"\n\nBrunhilda was sorely grieved and perplexed; she could not in the least\nunderstand Siegfried's behavior. Surely it was he who had aroused her\nfrom her magic sleep, and surely it was he who had placed the beautiful\nring upon her hand, vowing that he would return and claim her for his\nbride. But as he continued to look at her as though he had never seen\nher before, she felt that she must give him a reply.\n\nAnd as she had no reasonable excuse for refusing his request, she said\nthat Gunther might enter the lists with her. She felt sure that he, too,\nwould be overthrown. Siegfried thanked her gravely for her kindness,\nand made haste to carry her reply back to Gunther.\n\nHe then disclosed his plan to aid Gunther in the undertaking. Gunther\nwas to appear clad in armor and mounted upon Siegfried's horse, the one\nwhich had belonged to Mimi; then he, Siegfried, would put on his\ntarnhelm and become invisible; Gunther was to ride boldly into the\nfield, and go through all the necessary motions, while Siegfried, unseen\nby the others, would do all the actual fighting. Gunther said he\nconsidered the plan a capital one, and declared that Siegfried was as\nclever as he was brave.\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\nHOW GUNTHER WON HIS BRIDE\n\n\nTHE day of the tournament dawned bright and fair. The field was crowded\nwith lovely women and brave knights. Twelve men now appeared, bearing an\nimmense round stone, which was so large that it took all their united\nstrength to handle it. They set it down in that part of the field where\nthe contest was to take place.\n\nAt length all was ready. From the castle issued forth the warrior-king\nand the warrior-maiden. They were clad in glistening armor, and mounted\non prancing chargers. The signal was given, and then began a test of\nstrength such as had never before been witnessed.\n\n[Illustration: BRUNHILDA WAS THROWN TO THE GROUND]\n\nBrunhilda seized her javelin, and hurled it with such force that when\nSiegfried caught it upon Gunther's shield the shield was shattered into\npieces. Then Siegfried, still invisible, grasped Gunther's javelin, and\nhurled it with such force at Brunhilda that she was thrown to the\nground. She was overcome with surprise and anger; never before had such\na thing befallen her.\n\nQuickly recovering herself, she sprang to her feet, and grasping the\nhuge stone which twelve men had found hard to carry, she whirled it\ndeftly thrice around her head, and then threw it far into the distance.\nThen, while the people sat spell-bound, she leaped after it, and sprang\nlightly over the stone.\n\n\"Now,\" thought she to herself, \"surely no one can do more than that.\"\n\nBut she had reckoned without Siegfried. Hastily seizing the stone, he\nhurled it much farther than Brunhilda had thrown it, and not to be\noutdone by her, he grasped Gunther firmly under the arms, and sprang\nwith him over the stone, landing much farther beyond it than she had.\n\nThen a mighty shout from thousands of throats rent the air, and while\nthe people were crowding around, hailing Gunther as victor, Siegfried\ntore off his tarnhelm, and took his place among the crowd.\n\nAnd now what could Brunhilda do? She had publicly proclaimed that she\nwould marry any man whose strength was greater than her own, so sure had\nshe felt of her power. She would not break her word, and so with a\nsorrowful heart she made ready to travel back to Worms with Gunther.\n\nAt Worms Kriemhild joyfully accepted Siegfried's hand, and there was a\ngrand double wedding, at which all Burgundy was present. The festivities\nlasted fourteen days.\n\nOne evening, while Gunther and his bride were sitting together, Gunther\nnoticed tears on Brunhilda's lashes, and asked what was troubling her.\nShe replied that she was grieving that his sister had married his\nvassal. This was not the truth. She was feeling sad and lonely because\nthe man she loved so well had taken Kriemhild for his bride.\n\nGunther told her not to worry, as he could explain all that to her, and\npromised to do so at some future time. He said that Siegfried was\ngreater than she knew.\n\nAfter the wedding, Siegfried and Kriemhild journeyed to Santum, to visit\nSiegmund and Siegelinda, whom he had left in his youth. They were\noverjoyed to see him, and listened with breathless interest to all he\nhad to tell. They knew all about the dragon, and the Rhine gold, and the\nmagic cap which he had won, for the fame of his wondrous deeds had\ntraveled far and wide. And now, strange to tell, Siegfried had recovered\nthe memory of almost all his past; only Brunhilda and the magic ring\nremained forgotten.\n\nAfter the young couple had been at Santum for some time, Siegmund\nwithdrew from his throne, and made Siegfried and Kriemhild the rulers of\nthe kingdom. The people of Niederland hailed the hero with delight,\nalthough they grieved to give up their old king and queen, who had won\nthe hearts of all their subjects by their wisdom and kindness.\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\nKRIEMHILD AND BRUNHILDA'S QUARREL\n\n\nYEARS passed by, and Brunhilda had come to love her husband very dearly.\nThey had one child, a little boy whom they had named Siegfried.\nKriemhild, meanwhile, had been living very happily with her husband in\nNiederland. They had had two great sorrows, the death of the old king\nand that of the queen, and all the people of Niederland still mourned\nthe loss of these two.\n\nThen there arrived one day in Niederland a messenger from the King and\nQueen of Burgundy, inviting Siegfried and Kriemhild to attend a great\nfeast which was to be held in Worms. They accepted with pleasure.\nKriemhild was anxious to see her mother and brothers again, for she\nloved them dearly. So they started for Burgundy.\n\nFor some days after they arrived in Worms everything went happily. But\nthen the tournaments began, and Siegfried won every honor as he had\ndone in days gone by, for he had lost none of his wonderful strength.\nBoth the queens were present at the contests, and as he overthrew one\nknight after another, Kriemhild looked at him lovingly, and said that he\nwas the best and greatest king the world had ever seen, and that no king\ncould stand against him; all paid him tribute.\n\nBrunhilda replied: \"All except Gunther; next to him Siegfried is the\nmost powerful king on earth; but strong as your husband is, he could\nnever hold his own against Gunther.\"\n\nKriemhild controlled her temper, and made no reply, but that evening\nwhen they attended vespers, Kriemhild attempted to enter the cathedral\nfirst. Brunhilda interfered, saying:\n\n\"The wife of a vassal should never precede the wife of his lord!\"\n\n\"And who says that King Siegfried is Gunther's vassal?\" demanded\nKriemhild.\n\n\"I have his own word for it,\" Brunhilda replied. \"When they first\nappeared in Ireland, Siegfried approached me, saying: 'I come to\nrepresent the King of Burgundy; I am his vassal, he is my lord.'\"\n\nThen Kriemhild lost all patience, for well she knew by what trick\nGunther had won his bride. She cried:\n\n\"And do you think that Gunther overthrew you in the tilt? Gunther only\npretended to fight. It was Siegfried, made invisible by his tarnhelm,\nwho did the real fighting; it was Siegfried who hurled the javelin\nwhich unhorsed you; it was Siegfried who threw the heavy stone, and he\nit was, invisible to you, but holding Gunther in his arms, who sprang\nover the stone, and vanquished you,\" she declared.\n\nLooking at Kriemhild's heaving breast and blazing eye, Brunhilda knew\nshe spoke the truth. And at the same time, there flashed across her mind\nsomething that Gunther had once said to her about Siegfried being\ngreater than she knew.\n\n[Illustration: \"IT WAS SIEGFRIED WHO DID THE REAL FIGHTING\"]\n\nAnd now she fell into a royal rage, and her indignation knew no bounds.\nThere was but one way of atonement; Siegfried must die for the deceit\npracticed on her. So she went to Hagen, Gunther's uncle, who had\npromised always to defend her rights, and demanded Siegfried's life.\n\nWhen Hagen first spoke to Gunther of the matter, Gunther would not hear\nof the plan to do away with Siegfried, and vowed that no harm should\nbefall the man with whom he had sworn blood brothership ere they set\nout for Ireland. But Brunhilda was firm in her resolve; nothing less\nthan his death would satisfy her honor, nor wipe out the stain of his\ndeceit.\n\nAnd finally Gunther gave an unwilling consent. However, they could not\nfall upon Siegfried, and kill him in cold blood, so Hagen made a clever\nplan: they would receive a false summons to war. Accordingly, a few days\nlater, a messenger rode posthaste into Worms, bearing the false tidings\nthat the enemy was approaching.\n\nThen everything was in great confusion, and Gunther assembled his hosts,\nand set out to meet the enemy. Siegfried accompanied him, to render what\nassistance he could, for he loved his kinsman as a brother. Just before\nthe army started on the march, Kriemhild went to Hagen, and begged him\nto watch over her husband, and see to it that no one attacked him from\nbehind, for she explained that Siegfried could not be wounded anywhere\nexcept in the spot on his back where the linden-leaf had fallen.\n\nHagen readily promised. He craftily suggested that Kriemhild should sew\nsome mark above the spot, so that he might know exactly when danger\nthreatened. Kriemhild fell in at once with his plan; with loving care\nshe stitched a white silk cross upon her husband's clothes. Then Gunther\nand his troops rode away.\n\nAfter they had ridden some distance, they were met by another\nmessenger, with the false tidings that the enemy had begun a retreat.\n\nGunther appeared to be overjoyed at the news, and suggested that a\nmighty hunt should be held, to celebrate the occasion. The troops were\ndispatched back to Worms, and the royal party set out for the chase,\nwhich they greatly enjoyed.\n\nWhen the dinner-horn sounded for the hunters to assemble to their meal,\nSiegfried appeared, dragging a live bear behind him. He was received\nwith shouts of applause. They at once proceeded to kill and roast the\nbear. Every one was in the best of spirits, and as hungry as could be;\nbut when they sat down to eat, it was discovered that the wine was\nmissing; Hagen had purposely left it behind.\n\nSiegfried, especially, was very thirsty, and playfully chided Hagen for\nforgetting so important an article. Thereupon Hagen said that he knew of\na spring, not far away, where Siegfried might quench his thirst, and\ndared him to run a race there. Siegfried accepted the challenge, and\neasily won the race, as Hagen knew he would.\n\nHe had laid aside his weapons, and was already kneeling to drink, when\nHagen came up behind him. \"Ha, ha,\" laughed Siegfried, \"I have won the\nrace, and am therefore entitled to the first drink.\"\n\n[Illustration: \"THE HERO HURLED IT WITH ALL HIS MIGHT AT HAGEN\"]\n\n\"You are,\" answered Hagen quietly, picking up Siegfried's sword, and\npoising it above the spot where Kriemhild had sewn the white cross;\nand without saying another word, he drove it home with such force that\nthe point of it pierced Siegfried's breast.\n\nIn agony, the hero sprang to his feet, and seizing his shield, hurled it\nwith all his might at Hagen, throwing him to the ground. Then he, too,\nfell, and the blood from his wounds stained the grass a deep crimson;\nand thus died Siegfried, the great and mighty hero, calling upon\nKriemhild with his last breath to avenge his foul murder.\n\nThen they placed his body on his shield and carried it back to Worms,\nand laid it at Kriemhild's door. Next morning, as she was going to mass,\nher waiting-maid, who preceded her on the way out, suddenly gave a\nscream, and cried:\n\n\"Go back, go back, and do not come this way, for here lies the body of a\ndead warrior.\"\n\nBut Kriemhild's heart misgave her, and she would not go back, and when\nshe saw the body she uttered a great cry, for she knew instantly that\nit was Siegfried.\n\nShe bade the servants carry it inside, and lay it on his bed, and her\ngrief knew no bounds. Then she sent for Gunther, and wildly accused him\nof the deed, and he as wildly denied his guilt. Then she said:\n\n\"If you are indeed innocent, you need not fear to stand in the presence\nof the dead.\"\n\nGunther was not afraid, and went with her into the death chamber. While\nthey were standing there, looking at Siegfried, Hagen suddenly entered\nthe room, and lo! all the dead man's wounds began to bleed afresh.\n\nShe knew by this sign that Hagen was guilty of her husband's death, and\nshe swore undying vengeance. She supposed that he had killed him to gain\npossession of his vast riches, and she determined to spoil his plan. But\nHagen was as crafty as he was clever, and so he induced Brunhilda to\ngive him the gold ring as a reward for his services to her. She knew\nnothing of its great value, and she hated it now because it reminded her\nof the false Siegfried. So she willingly gave it to Hagen, whom she\nconsidered her greatest benefactor.\n\nNo sooner had he the ring in his possession than he journeyed to\nNiederland, and there by its magic power he gained possession of the\nRhine gold. It took him fourteen days and nights to remove the treasure\nfrom the cave on the heath. He then sunk it in the Rhine, where he\nintended to leave it hidden until after Kriemhild's death; but no\nsooner had he flung it into the river than the Rhine nymphs seized it\nfor their own, determined to guard it so well this time that never again\nshould their father, the God of the Rhine, have occasion to bewail its\nloss, and their unfaithfulness.\n\nWhen Kriemhild reached Niederland, and found that the gold had been\nstolen from Fafner's cave, she was even more determined than before that\nshe would be revenged upon Hagen.\n\n\n\n\nX\n\nKRIEMHILD'S REVENGE\n\n\nYEARS passed by, and Kriemhild still mourned the loss of her noble\nhusband. Often and often she recalled the dream that she had had in the\ndays before Siegfried appeared in Worms. How truly her mother had\ninterpreted its meaning!\n\nAnd now she had but one wish on earth, and that was to avenge his death.\nShe was not so beautiful as she had once been; constant tears had\nwashed the brightness from her eyes, and her cheeks were pale.\n\nOne day there appeared in the castle a noble-looking stranger, who asked\nto speak with the queen. He was admitted to her presence, and she asked\nhim his name, and also to what she owed the honor of his presence at her\ncourt.\n\nHe replied: \"I am Rudiger of Bechlarn, of the court of Etzelburg. I have\ncome hither at the request of my master, Etzel the King of the Huns, to\nask your hand for him in marriage.\"\n\nAt first Kriemhild refused to listen to him. What had she to do with\nlove and marriage? All the love of her heart lay buried in Siegfried's\ngrave; all the joy of her life had vanished when he died. All that she\nwished for was revenge, and after that to share her dear one's tomb.\n\nBut Rudiger would not take no for an answer. Then, when he found that\nrevenge was what she longed for, he saw his opportunity. He told her\nthat if she would but become King Etzel's wife, he, himself, would\npromise to avenge her every wrong, not only those which might arise in\ntime to come, but even those which she had suffered in the past.\n\nHere at last was the chance she had so patiently awaited, and she\neagerly seized it. She consented to become Etzel's bride, and Rudiger\nwillingly swore undying fealty to her and her cause. And so she returned\nwith him to Etzelburg, where the marriage was celebrated with royal\npomp and ceremony.\n\nKing Etzel loved Kriemhild dearly, and was very kind to her. She was\ntruly grateful to him, but she could not forget Siegfried, not even when\na dear little son came to her. The child was named Ortlieb. And so time\nsped by, until the little boy's fifth birthday.\n\nKriemhild had now been in Etzelburg thirteen years, and in all this time\nshe had neither seen nor heard from her home and kindred. One day she\nwent to her husband, and told him that she was becoming ashamed of\nbeing a stranger in a foreign land without any kinspeople of her own.\nShe said she thought it was high time that some of her family should\ncome to visit her, and begged him to make a feast, and invite them all\nto be present.\n\nHer slightest wish was Etzel's law, and so he willingly granted her\nrequest. He at once dispatched a messenger with the invitation. Just\nbefore the messenger set out, Kriemhild went to him and told him to be\nsure that every one of her relatives accepted the invitation. In this\nway, she hoped to get her uncle Hagen within reach, without rousing any\none's suspicions.\n\nNow, when it had become known in Worms that Etzel had asked Kriemhild to\nmarry him, Hagen had been filled with alarm. He told Gunther that it\nmight mean great disaster for them, should Kriemhild marry Etzel, as he\nwas one of the most powerful kings of the time.\n\nBut now thirteen years had passed, and they had neither seen nor heard\nfrom the Hunnish king and queen, and Gunther no longer feared trouble\nfrom that source. Then came Kriemhild's invitation, and for seven days\nit was discussed by the royal family at Worms.\n\nShould they accept it? Gunther and his two brothers, Giselherr and\nGernot, were anxious to do so, for they thought it meant that their\nsister wished to be at peace with her family. Gunther, particularly,\nwas eager to be friendly, as he loved Kriemhild dearly.\n\nHagen alone had misgivings, and well might he dread meeting her, for he\nknew how sorely she had suffered at his hands. He sullenly refused to\ngo, until Gernot at length cried out:\n\n\"I know what ails Hagen! He is thinking of Siegfried's death, and fears\nto go to Etzelburg.\"\n\nHagen did not wish to be thought afraid, so he consented to go, and they\nall prepared to accompany the messenger to Etzel's court on the\nfollowing day--all except Uota, who was getting too old and feeble to\nleave home.\n\nThat night Uota had a dreadful dream; she thought that all the birds lay\ndead in the forests, and when she awoke, she hated to see her sons go,\nfor she knew that her dream meant danger to them.\n\nHowever, they set out, accompanied by one thousand brave men. On their\nway to Etzel's country, they came to a river that they had to cross; but\nthey found they could not cross it on horseback, as it was swollen too\nhigh. So they had to wait until a boat should appear.\n\nWhile they were waiting, they chanced to see two swan-maidens, who had\ncome to the stream to bathe; the maidens had laid aside their feathers,\nand were playing about in the water like mermaids. Now Hagen knew they\npossessed the gift of foretelling the future, and he laid a clever plan.\n\nWhen they came out of the water, they found their clothes gone, and they\nwere very much troubled, for without their feather garments they could\nnot fly away. Then Hagen approached them, and said he would give their\nfeathers back if they would tell him what was to happen to the\nBurgundians in Etzel's land. Then one of the maidens, who cared nothing\nfor him or his friends, and thought only of regaining her clothes,\nwithout which she could never reach her home in the sky, replied:\n\n\"Everything is fair and clear for the men of Burgundy. Sail on, sail\non. You have naught to fear.\"\n\nHagen was delighted, and returned their garments with a light heart. The\nmaidens quickly put their feathers on, and spread their wings in flight;\nbut as they rose into the blue sky the second one cried to Hagen:\n\n\"Turn back, turn back; death and bloodshed await you in Etzelburg! Only\none, of all your number, will ever live to see your native land again.\"\n\nThen they disappeared in the azure depths above, and Hagen was left\nwith a heavy heart.\n\nAt length the Burgundians secured a vessel, and embarked. They were met\non the other side of the river by Dietrich von Bern, one of the lords of\nthe Hunnish court, who greeted Hagen with these words of friendly\nwarning:\n\n\"Kriemhild still mourns for Siegfried's loss.\"\n\nBut poor Hagen had no way of turning back; he had to accompany the\nothers, whether he would or no. And sure enough, when he came into\nKriemhild's presence she drew herself up haughtily, and asked:\n\n\"And pray, who invited you here, Sir Hagen? Who bid you to this feast?\"\n\nHagen replied that he was a retainer of Gunther's, and that wherever\nGunther went, he, too, must go; but her attitude and greeting showed him\nplainly that she had not forgiven him for his treachery.\n\n[Illustration: \"AND, PRAY, WHO INVITED YOU HERE, SIR HAGEN?\"]\n\nKriemhild greeted her brothers very cordially, and seemed rejoiced to\nsee them, and for a few days all went well. Then came the banquet, in\nthe midst of which in rushed Dankwart, Hagen's brother, with blood\nflowing from a dozen wounds, and told them that the Huns had fallen upon\nGunther's men and slain them all.\n\nAnd immediately everything was in the wildest confusion. Protected by\nRudiger, Kriemhild and Etzel escaped from the banquet hall. Then ensued\na fierce battle in which all of the Huns, with the exception of\nDietrich, and all the Burgundians, except Gunther and Hagen, were\nslain. Finally Dietrich vanquished these two, and bound them hand and\nfoot. Then he sought Kriemhild, and made her give her word of honor that\nhe, and he alone, should be permitted to put them to death. After that\nhe turned the prisoners over into her keeping. She ordered them to be\nconfined in separate dungeons.\n\nThen she visited Hagen and sought by every means in her power to\ndiscover what he had done with the Rhine gold. This he refused to tell,\nsaying he had taken a solemn oath never to reveal its hiding-place so\nlong as one of his lords remained alive. Then she said that she would\nspare Gunther's life if Hagen would tell her where the gold was\nsecreted.\n\nBut Hagen would not tell his secret, even to save the life of his liege\nlord and kinsman. And so she ordered that both of them should be\nbeheaded, according to the custom of these olden times. And thus at\nlast was Siegfried's death avenged by the once gentle and beautiful\nqueen.\n\nAnd of all the men of Burgundy who had crossed the water to attend King\nEtzel's feast, but one remained to carry the sad news back to their\nnative land; and that was the old chaplain of Gunther's court.\nEverything had come to pass just as the swan-maiden had predicted. And\nback in Burgundy, Uota sorrowfully lived out her days with none in all\nthat broad land to brew for her lips the cup of forgetfulness, such as\nshe had given Siegfried. And so we must leave her alone with her sad\nmemories.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTranscriber's Notes:\n\nPage 52, period added to end of chapter.\n\n\n\n\n\n<pre id=\"pg-footer\">","title":"Stories of the Nibelungen for Young People","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":9609}