The Main Characters

Siegfried-Lord of the Netherlands, Norway, and Nibelungland who married Kriemhild, princess of
Burgundy. Siegfried assists King Gunther in his pursuit of the Queen Brunhild's hand in marriage and is
ultimately taken out by Hagen.
Kriemhild-Princess of Burgundy and loved by Siegfried. Revenge is taken against Hagen using the
sword of Siegfried, but ultimately dies at the hand of Hildebrand.
Gunther-The king of Burgundy who wins the hand of Brunhild with assistance from Siegfrid.
Before too long, however, he bears some responsibility for the death of Siegfried and is ordered to be
killed by Kriemhild.
Brunhild-The queen of Iceland and as strong as she is beautiful and, oh man, is she a hottie! Such a
catch is Brunhild that Gunther not only travels all the way to Iceland to win her over, but performs an
increasingly difficult series of acts to reveal his own strength. Of course, these displays of majestic power
are helped to no small end by having his buddy Siegfrid helping out courtesy of a cloak of invisibility.
Hagen-Lord of Troneck, brother of Dancwart, son of Aldrian and chief vassal of the kings of
Burgundy. As if that weren’t enough, Hagen is also held hostage at Etzel’s court, is responsible for the
death of Siegfried and becomes target of a revenge plot by Kriemhild.
King Etzel-King of the Huns.Second husband of Kriemhild. Perhaps better known by another, more
familiar name: Attila.
Alberich-A dwarf who becomes the former owner of the cloak of invisibility after a run-in with
Siegfried.Alberich guarded the nibelung treasure.

GROUP 2: WE CAN DO IT TOO

MEMBERS:
1. Baguan, Moh'd Razol Q.
2. Calapiz, Mel John P. ( Leader )
3. Mohaimen, Abdulhakim
4. Yusoph, Abdul Mughni
5. Ampuan, Norjana A. ( Assistant Leader )
6. Badron, Nor-Ain M.
7. Hassanoden, Hidaya B.
8. Sultan, Johailah D.

Kriemhild, a beautiful Burgundian princess, lives a happy life at her brother King
Gunther’s court in Worms. As a child, she experiences a dream in which she raises a
falcon that is killed by two eagles. Kriemhild’s mother, Uote, tells her that the falcon
represents Kriemhild’s future husband, but the child retorts that she will never marry.
Years later, bold Prince Siegfried of the Netherlands comes of age and decides to ask
for Kriemhild’s hand in marriage. He arrives in Worms and lives at Gunther’s court for a
year without ever seeing Kriemhild though Kriemhild watches him joust from her
window. One day, envoys arrive in Burgundy to warn Gunther about an invasion of
Saxons and Danes. Siegfried volunteers to help Gunther’s army fight and, together,
they succeed. Siegfried’s prowess on the battlefield earns him Gunther’s respect, but
Gunther’s mightiest vassal Hagen remains ambivalent towards him. After the battle,
Gunther holds a festival and allows Siegfried to meet Kriemhild.

Gunther hears rumors of the beautiful but deadly Queen Brunhild of Iceland and
becomes determined to marry her. Siegfried promises to help Gunther if he allows him
to marry Kriemhild. Gunther agrees to Siegfried’s terms. Gunther, Siegfried, Hagen, and
Hagen’s brother Dancwart sail to Iceland so Gunther can woo Brunhild by participating
in an athletic competition against her. Brunhild requires her suitors to beat her in
javelin, weight tossing, and leaping—with those who lose decapitated. When the party
disembarks in Iceland, Siegfried tells Gunther to pretend that he is only a vassal rather
than royalty. Siegfried uses a cloak of invisibility to help Gunther beat Brunhild, who
reluctantly agrees to marry him. Siegfried and the Burgundians return to Worms with
Brunhild, and wedding festivities begin. Gunther does not forget his promise to
Siegfried, and Siegfried and Kriemhild also marry.

While Siegfried and Kriemhild have no issue consummating their marriage, Brunhild
refuses to have sexual intercourse with Gunther and binds him with her girdle.
Siegfried, seeing his friend humiliated by a woman, breaks Brunhild’s spirit by
sneaking into her chamber dressed in his cloak of invisibility and subduing her.
Siegfried steals Brunhild’s girdle and ring to give to Kriemhild, and Brunhild loses her
strength.

Brunhild believes that Siegfried is only a vassal for several years and one day asks
Gunther to invite Siegfried and Kriemhild to a festival in Worms. Siegfried and
Kriemhild travel from Norway to attend. Kriemhild and Brunhild argue over whose
husband ranks highest—only for Kriemhild to announce that Siegfried deflowered
Brunhild. To prove her scandalous claim, she shows Brunhild the girdle and ring
Siegfried stole. Hagen plots to kill Siegfried in order to restore Brunhild’s honor.
Gunther tries to stop Hagen, but ultimately concedes.

Hagen learns from Kriemhild that Siegfried can be mortally wounded in a spot
between his shoulder blades and asks her to sew a cross on his shirt to highlight the
exact spot. Hagen kills Siegfried by piercing his weak spot with a javelin as the latter
drinks from a stream. Kriemhild mourns and instinctively knows Hagen murdered
Siegfried. Gunther tries to console his sister by bringing Siegfried’s treasure from
Nibelungland to Burgundy, but Hagen sinks the treasure in the Rhine out of fear that
Kriemhild will use the riches to raise an army against him.
Long after Siegfried’s death, King Etzel of Hungary sends his vassal Rüdiger of
Pöchlarn to woo Kriemhild and bring her back to be Etzel’s bride. Though she has
reservations about marrying a pagan, Kriemhild agrees to marry Etzel as it will help her
avenge Siegfried’s death. Thirteen years after marrying Etzel, Kriemhild invites her
family and Hagen to Hungary. Hagen senses that Kriemhild means to exact her
revenge and wishes to stay in Burgundy, but Kriemhild’s brothers goad him into going
with them.

While traveling to Hungary, Hagen comes across water-fairies (or nixies) swimming in
the Danube. One tells Hagen that all the Burgundians except for the chaplain are
destined to die at Etzel’s court. Hagen tries to prevent the prophecy by throwing the
chaplain overboard, hoping he will drown.

The Burgundians reach Hungary and meet once-great lord Dietrich, who warns them of
Kriemhild’s wrath. Kriemhild confronts Hagen in the courtyard before sending a horde
of Hunnish knights to Dancwart’s chamber. Soon, the whole castle becomes a
battleground as the Burgundians clash with horde after horde of Hunnish knights. All
Burgundians aside from Hagen and Gunther die.

Dietrich captures both Hagen and Gunther and brings them to Kriemhild. Kriemhild lets
them live—though she locks Hagen in a dungeon and interrogates him about
Siegfried’s treasure. When Hagen refuses to answer, Kriemhild orders Gunther to be
beheaded. Gunther’s beheading does not motivate Hagen to reveal his secret, and
Kriemhild hacks off his head as well. Hildebrand, one of Dietrich’s men, kills Kriemhild
to end the gory bloodbath, and Dietrich and Etzel are left to weep.
 NIBELUNGENLIED
 Background/History • The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in
Middle High German. The story tells of dragonslayer Siegfried at the court of the Burundians, how he was
murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge. •A historical nucleus of the saga lies in events of the
Germanic Migration Period, in particular the defeat of the Burundians by Flavius Etuis with the aid of
Hunnish mercenaries near Worms in ca. AD 436. Other possible influences are the feud between the 6th
century Merovingian queens Brunhilda and Frede gunde, as well as the marriage of Attila with the
Burgundian princess Ildikó in AD 453.

 Settings: The Nibelungenlied is a German epic poem which was written sometime around 1200, probably
in what is today Austria.

The Summary

Siegfried arrived in Worms (is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River) with the hopes
in wooing Kriemhild. Upon his arrival, Hagen, one of King Gunther's vassals, tells Gunther about Siegfried's
youthful exploits that involved winning a treasure and lands from a pair of brothers, Nibelung and
Schilbung, whom Siegfried had killed when he was unable to divide the treasure between them and,
almost incidentally, the killing of a dragon. Siegfried leaves his treasure in the charge of a dwarf named
Alberich.After killing the dragon, Siegfried then bathed in its blood, which rendered him invulnerable.
Unfortunately for Siegfried, a leaf fell onto his back from a linden tree, and the small patch of skin that the
leaf covered did not come into contact with the dragon's blood, leaving Siegfried vulnerable in that single
spot.Siegfried finally meets Kriemhild. Gunther requests Siegfried to sail with him to the fictional city of
Isenstein in Iceland to win the hand of the Iceland's Queen, Brünhild. Siegfried agrees, though only if
Gunther allows him to marry Gunther's sister, Kriemhild, whom Siegfried pines for.Gunther, Siegfried and a
group of Burgundians set sail for Iceland with Siegfried pretending to be Gunther's vassal. Upon their arrival,
Brünhild challenges Gunther to a trial of strength with her hand in marriage as a reward. If they lose, however,
they will be sentenced to death. She challenges Gunther to three athletic contests, throwing a javelin, tossing a
boulder, and a leap. After seeing the boulder and javelin, it becomes apparent to the group that Brünhild is
immensely strong and they fear for their lives. Gunther wins only because of Siegfried, putting on his cloak of
invinsibility and performs all the actions for him.Gunther wins Brunhild for his wife and a doble wedding is
performed in the Burgundy. Gunther is married to Brunhild and Siegfried is married to Kriemhild. They had a
son, Brunhild named his son Siegfried while Kriemhild named his son Gunther.However, on their wedding
night, Brünhild suspects something is amiss with her situation, particularly suspecting Siegfried a potential
cause. Gunther attempts to sleep with her and, with her great strength, she easily ties Gunther up and leaves
him that way all night. Siegfried slips into the room according to plan and after a difficult and violent struggle,
an invisible Siegfried defeats Brünhild. Siegfried then takes her ring and belt, which are symbols of
defloration. Here it is implied that Siegfried sleeps with Brünhild despite Gunther's request. Afterwards,
Brünhild no longer possesses her once-great strength and says she will no longer refuse Gunther. Siegfried
gives the ring and belt to his own newly wed, Kriemhild.The two queens had an argument and is both a risk for
the marriage of Gunther and Brünhild and a potential cause for a lethal rivalry between Gunther and Siegfried,
which both Gunther and Siegfried attempt to avoid. Hagen contrives a false military threat to Gunther and
Siegfried, considering Gunther a great friend, volunteers to help Gunther once again.
Under the context of this threat of war, Hagen persuades Kriemhild, who still trusts Hagen, to mark Siegfried's
single vulnerable point on his clothing with a cross under the premise of protecting him. Now knowing
Siegfried's weakness, the fake campaign is called off and Hagen then uses the cross as a target on a hunting
trip, killing Siegfried with a spear as he is drinking from a brook. Further dishonoring Siegfried, Hagen steals
the hoard from Kriemhild and throws it into theRhine (Rheingold), to prevent Kriemhild from using it to
establish an army of her own.

The Revenge

Kriemhild swears to take revenge for the murder of her husband and the theft of her treasure. Many years
later, King Etzel of the Huns (Attila the Hun) proposes to Kriemhild, she journeys to the land of the Huns,
and they are married. For the baptism of their son, she invites her brothers, the Burgundians, to a feast at
Etzel's castle in Hungary. Hagen does not want to go, but is taunted until he does: he realizes that it is a
trick of Kriemhild in order to take revenge and kill them all. As the Burgundians cross the Danube, this
fate is confirmed by Nixes, who predict that all but one monk will die. Hagen tries to drown the monk in
order to render the prophecy futile, but he survives.The Burgundians arrive at Etzel's castle and are
welcomed by Kriemhild "with lying smiles and graces". But the lord Dietrich of Bern, an ally of Etzel's,
advises the Burgundians to keep their weapons with them at all times, which is normally not allowed. The
tragedy unfolds. Kriemhild comes before Hagen, reproaches him for her husband Siegfried's death, and
demands the return of her Nibelungenschatz. Hagen answers her boldly, admitting that he killed Siegfried
and sank the Nibelungen treasure into the Rhine, but blames these acts on Kriemhild's own
behaviour.King Etzel then welcomes his wife's brothers warmly. But outside a tense feast in the great
hall, a fight breaks out between Huns and Burgundians, and soon there is general mayhem. When word of
the fight arrives at the feast, Hagen decapitates Kriemhild and Etzel's little son before his parents' eyes.
The Burgundians take control of the hall, which is besieged by Etzel's warriors. Kriemhild offers her
brothers their lives if they hand over Hagen, but they refuse. The battle lasts all day, until the queen
orders the hall to be burned with the Burgundians inside.All of the Burgundians are killed except for
Hagen and Gunther, who are bound and held prisoner by Dietrich of Bern. Kriemhild has the men brought
before her and orders her brother Gunther to be killed. Even after seeing Gunther's head, Hagen refuses to
tell the queen what he has done with the Nibelungen treasure. Furious, Kriemhild herself cuts off Hagen's
head. Old Hildebrand, the mentor of Dietrich of Bern, is infuriated by the shameful deaths of the
Burgundian guests.He hews Kriemhild to pieces with his sword. In a fifteenth century manuscript, he is
said to strike Kriemhild a single clean blow to the waist; she feels no pain, however, and declares that his
sword is useless. Hildebrand then drops a ring and commands Kriemhild to pick it up. As she bends
down, her body falls into pieces. Dietrich and Etzel and all the people of the court lament the deaths of so
many heroes.

1. 1
What does the name Nibelungs means?
The name appears for the first time in the old Norse legends but then it spreads to other
Germanic countries until it becomes a common fixture in the Germanic folklore. Initially, the
name was used to denote a specific group but in Germanic mythology, it is most commonly
used to make reference to the royal house which ruled over the Burgundy or to any King or
ruler in general. In more modern times, the name was associated with the mythological
world and is a common proper name given to dwarfs in various legends and stories.

2. 2
Why is the poem referred to as being a song?
The term “song” appears even from the title of the poem, “lied” being a word in German
meaning just that. It is highly unlikely the poem was written as a song and as such the term
 most likely transmits the idea that it is an epic tale. Another reason why this may be called a
song might have to do with the way in which poems and stories were told in the time before
Christ. Because some nations had yet to develop a writing system and the vast majority of
the population was illiterate, with no possibility of learning how to write or read, these
stories were transmitted orally through generations. To make help the audience remember
them easily, the stories are composed often times as songs, with rhythm and rhyme which
makes it instinctual the act of committing them to mind. It is also possible these stories and
poems were at one time sung in one way or another, to make them even more appealing to
the audience.

3. 3
What were some historic events which influenced the writing of
the poem?
It is largely believed the poem was composed around 450 AD, during the time of the
infamous Attila the Hun. During that time, Attila was the sole ruler of the Huns, his brother
already dead. After signing several treaties with the European forces, the Huns began an
invasion of the Balkans , eventually reaching the territory where Italy now is. The Huns
eventually reached the Kingdom of Burgundy and terrorized the territory for a few long
years. Some of the characters in the poem have a historic counterpart, for example Etzel
most likely representing Attila and Gunther being the name also used to refer to the historic
king and the king ruling Burgundy in the poem.