carlyle_the nibelungen lied - an essay (1890)

7/29/2019 Carlyle_The Nibelungen Lied - An Essay (1890)

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Series I. to IV. (comprising 24 books) now readyFor full list, see end of this volume


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literary ema

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Hleitrotypeil, Printed, and Bound l>yUbc Iknicfscrbockcr iPrees, IRew ll?orl?

(".. P. Putnam's Sons


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NIBEIvUNGEN LIED.


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THE NIBKLUNGKN I.IKD.*BY THOMAS CARI^YIyK.

IN the year 1757, the Swiss Pro-fessor Bodmer printed an ancientpoetical manuscript, under the titleof " Chriemhilden Rache und dieKlage " (" Chriemhilde's Revenge,and the lyament " ) ; which may beconsidered as the first of a series, orstream of publications and specula-tions still rolling on, with increasedcurrent, to the present day. Not,indeed, that all these had their sourceor determining cause in so insignificant

* JVestminsier Review, No. 29." Das Nibelungenlyied," iibersetzt von Karl Simrock ("The Nibelun-gen I,ied," translated by Karl Simrock). 2 vols,i2mo. Berlin, 1827


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Ubc IRibclungcn XieDa circumstance ; their source, or ratherthousand sources, lay far elsewhere.As has often been remarked, a certainantiquarian tendency in literature, afonder, more earnest looking back intothe Past, began about that time tomanifest itself in all nations (witnessour own "Percy's Reliques ") : thiswas among the first distinct symptomsof it in Germany ; where, as with our-selves, its manifold effects are still visi-ble enough.Some fifteen years after Bodmer's

publication, which, for the rest, is notcelebrated as an editorial feat, one C.H. Miiller undertook a " Collection ofGerman Poems from the Twelfth, Thir-teenth, and Fourteenth Centuries ' ' ;wherein, among other articles, he re-printed Bodmer's " Chriemhilde " and" Klage," with a highly remarkableaddition prefixed to the former, es^^en-


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Ebe IRibelungen XieDtial indeed to the right understandingof it ; and the whole now stood beforethe world as one Poem, under the nameof the ' ' Nibelungen Lied, " or " Lay ofthe Nibelungen." It has since beenascertained that the ' ' Klage " is aforeign appendage ; at best, related onlyas epilogue to the main work. Mean-while out of this " Nibelungen," suchas it was, there soon proceeded newinquiries and kindred enterprises. Formuch a-s the Poem, in the shape it herebore, was defaced and marred, it failednot to attract observation : to all open-minded lovers of poetry, especiallywhere a strong patriotic feeling existed,the singular antique ' ' Nibelungen 'was an interesting appearance. Jo-hannes Miiller, in his famous ' ' SwissHistor>^, ' ' spoke of it in warm terms ;subsequently, August Wilhelm Schle-gel, through the medium of the


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Zbc IRlbelungen Xie&*' Deutsclie Museum," succeeded inawakening something like a universalpopular feeling on the subject ; and,as a natural consequence, a whole hostof Editors and Critics, of deep and ofshallow endeavor, whose labors weyet see in progress. The " Nibelun-gen " hasnow been investigated, trans-lated, collated, commented upon, withmore or less result, to almost bound-less lengths ; besides the Work namedat the head of this Paper, and whichstands there simply as one of the latest,we have Versions into the moderntongue by Von der Hagen, by Hins-berg, Lachmann, Biisching, Zeune, thelast in Prose, and said to be worthless ;Criticisms, Introductions, Keys, and soforth, by innumerable others, of whomwe mention only Docen and the Broth-ers Grimm.By which means, not only has the


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Zbc IRibelungen XieDPoem itself been elucidated with allmanner of researches, but its wholeenvironment has come forth in newlight ; the scene and personages it re-lates to, the other fictions and tradi-tions connected with it, have attaineda new importance and coherence.Manuscripts, that for ages have laindormant, have issued from their ar-chives into public view ; books thathad circulated only in mean guise forthe amusement of the people, have be-come important, not to one or twovirtuosos, but to the general body ofthe learned : and now a whole Systemof antique Teutonic Fiction and Myth-ology unfolds itself, shedding here andthere a real though feeble and uncer-tain glimmer over what was once thetotal darkness of the old Time. Nofewer than Fourteen ancient Tradi-tionary Poems, all strangely inter-


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trbe IRibelungen XieDtwisted, and growing out of and intoone another, have come to light amongthe Germans ; who now, in lookingback, find that they too, as well as theGreeks, have their Heroic Age, andround the old Valhalla, as their North-ern Pantheon, a world of demi-godsand wonders.Such a phenomenon, unexpected

till of late, cannot but interest a deep-thinking, enthusiastic people. For the*

' Nibelungen ' ' especiall}^which lies asthe centre and distinct keystone of thewhole too chaotic System,let us sayrather, blooms as a firm sunny islandin the middle of these cloud-covered,ever-shifting sand-whirlpools, theycannot sufficiently testify their loveand veneration. lycarned professorslecture on the * ' Nibelungen ' ' in pub-lic schools, with a praiseworthy viewto initiate the German youth in love of


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Zhc IRlbeUingen XieDtheir father-land ; from many zealousand nowise ignorant critics we heartalk of a ' ' great Northern Epos, " of a*' German Iliad " ; the more saturnineare shamed into silence, or hollowmouth-homage. Thus from all quarterscomes a sound of joyful acclamation ;the ' ' Nibelungen ' ' is welcomed as aprecious national possession, recoveredafter six centuries of neglect, and takesundisputed place among the sacredbooks of German literature.Of these curious transactions some

rumor has not failed to reach us inEngland, where our minds, from theirown antiquarian disposition, were will-ing enough to receive it. Abstractsand extracts of the * ' Nibelungen 'have been printed in our languagethere have been disquisitions on it inour Reviews ; hitherto, however, suchas nowise to exhaust the subject. On


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^be Bibelungen Xfc&the contraty, where so much was to betold at once, the speaker might besomewhat puzzled where to begin. Itwas a much readier method to beginwith the end, or with any part of themiddle, than like Hamilton's Ram(whose example is too little followedin literary narrative) to begin with thebeginning. Thus has our stock of in-telligence come rushing out on us quitepromiscuously and pellmell ; wherebythe whole matter could not but acquirea tortuous, confused, altogether inex-plicable and even dreary aspect ; andthe class of " well-informed persons "now find themselves in that uncom-fortable position, where they areobliged to profess admiration, and atthe same time feel that, except byname, they know not what the thingadmired is. Such a position towardsthe venerable " Nibelungen," which


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Zbc IRlbelunaen Xle&is no less bright and graceful thanhistorically significant, cannot be theright one. Moreover, as appears tous, it might be somewhat mended b}^very simple means. I^et any one thathas honestly read the ' ' Nibelungen, 'which in these days is no surprisingachievement, only tell us what hefound there, and nothing that he didnot find. We should then know some-thing, and, what were still better, beready for knowing more. To search outthe secret roots of such a production,ramified through successive layers ofcenturies, and drawing nourishmentfrom each, ma}^ be work, and too hardwork, for the deepest philosopher andcritic ; but to look with natural eyes onwhat part of it stands visibly aboveground, and record his own experi-ences thereof, is what an}^ reasonablemortal, if be will take heed, can do.


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10 ^be IFlibelungen %ic^Some such slight service we here in-

tend proffering to our readers. Letthem glance with us a little into thatmighty maze ofNorthern Archaeology ;where, it may be, some pleasant pros-pects will open. If the ' ' Nibelungen 'is what we have called it, a firm sunnyisland amid the weltering chaos ofantique tradition, it must be worthvisiting on general grounds ; nay, ifthe primeval rudiments of it have theantiquity assigned them, it belongsespecially to us English Teuto7ies aswell as to the German.

Far be it from us, meanwhile, toventure rashly, or farther than is need-ful, into that same traditionary chaos,fondly named the * ' Cycle of NorthernFiction, ' ' with its Fourteen Sectors (orseparate Poems), which are ratherFourteen shoreless Limbos, where wehear of pieces containing ' ' a hundred


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^be IRlbelungen %ic^thousand verses, ' ' and ' ' seventy thou-sand verses," as of a quite naturalaffair ! How travel through that inanecountry ; by what art discover the littlegrain of Substance that casts such mul-tiplied immeasurable Shadows ? Theprimeval Mythus, were it at first philo-sophical truth, or were it historicalincident, floats too vaguely on thebreath of men : each successive Singerand Redactor furnishes it with newpersonages, new scenery, to please anew audience ; each has the privilegeof inventing, and the far wider privi-lege of borrowing and new-modellingfrom all that have preceded him. Thus,though Tradition may have but oneroot, it grows like a Banian, into awhole over-arching labyrinth of trees.Or rather might we say, it is a Hall ofMirrors, where in pale light each mir-ror reflects, convexly or concavely,


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Zhc mibelungen XieDnot only some real Object, but theShadows of this in other mirrors

;

which again do the like for it ; till insuch reflection and re-reflection thewhole immensity is filled with dimmerand dimmer shapes ; and no firm scenelies around us, but a dislocated, dis-torted chaos, fading away on all hands,,in the distance, into utter night. Onlyto some brave Von der Hagen, fur-nished with indefatigable ardor, anda deep, almost religious love, is it givento find sure footing there, and see hisway. All those ' ' Dukes of Aquitania, 'therefore, and Ktzel's " Court-hold-ings, ' ' and * ' Dietrichs, ' ' and ' ' Sige-nots, ' ' we shall leave standing wherethey are. Such as desire farther in-formation will find an intelligibleaccount of the whole Series or Cj^cle,in Messrs. Weber and Jamieson's " Il-lustrations of Northern Antiquities ' ' ;


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^be IRibelunQcn XieD 13and all possible furtherance in tlienumerous German works above al-luded to ; among which Von derHagen's writings, though not thereadiest, are probably the safest guides.But for us, our business here is withthe " Nibelungen," the inhabited po-etic countr}^ round which all thesewildernesses lie ; only as environmentsof which, as routes to which, are theyof moment to us. Perhaps our short-est and smoothest route will bethrough the ' ' Heldenbuch " ( " Hero-book " ) ; which is greatly the most im-portant of these subsidiary Fictions,not without interest of its own, andclosely related to the " Nibelungen."This "Heldenbuch," therefore, wemust now address ourselves to traversewith all despatch. At the presentstage of the business, too, we shall for-bear any historical inquirj^ and argu-


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14 tTbe mfbelungen XieOment concerning the date and localhabitation of those Traditions ; reserv-ing what little is to be said on thatmatter till the Traditions themselveshave become better known to us. I^etthe reader, on trust for the present,transport himself into the twelfth orthirteenth centur}^ ; and therefromlooking back into the sixth or fifth,see what presents itself.Of the " Heldenbuch," tried on its

own merits, and except as illustratingthat other far worthier Poem, or at mostas an old national, and still in somemeasure popular book, we should havefelt strongly inclined to say, as the Cu-rate in * ' Don Quixote ' ' so often did, Alcorral con ello. Out of window with it !Doubtless there are touches of beautyin the work, and e^^en a sort of hearti-ness and antique quaintness in itswildest follies : but on the whole that


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XTbe Iftlbelungen XteO 15

George-and-Dragon species of compo-sition has long ceased to find favorwith any one ; and except for itsgroundwork, more or less discernible,of old Northern Fiction, this *' Helden-buch ' ' has little to distinguish it fromthese. Nevertheless, what is worthremark, it seems to have been a farhigher favorite than the " Nibelun-gen ' ' with ancient readers. It wasprinted soon after the invention ofprinting ; some think in 1472, for thereis no place or date on the first edition ;at all events, in 1491, in 1509, and re-peatedly since ; whereas the ' ' Nibe-lungen," though written earlier, and inworth immeasurably superior, had toremain in manuscript three centurieslonger. From which, for the thou-sandth time, inferences might be drawnas to the infallibility of popular taste,and its value as a criterion for poetry.


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i6 Zbc IRfbclungcn XlcDHowever, it is probabl}^ in virtue ofthis neglect, that the ' ' Nibelungen 'boasts of its actual purity ; that it nowcomes before us, clear and graceful asit issued from the old singer's head andheart ; not overloaded with Ass-earedGiants, Fiery Dragons, Dwarfs, andHairj^ Women, as the ^' Heldenbuch '*is, many of which, as charity wouldhope, may be the produce of a laterage than that famed ' ' Swabian Kra, 'to which these poems, as we now seethem, are commonly referred. Indeed,one Casper von Roen is understood tohave passed the whole * * Heldenbuch 'through his limbec, in the fifteenthcentur>^ ; but like other rectifiers, in-stead of purifying it, to have onlydrugged it with still fiercer ingredientsto suit the sick appetite of the time.Of this drugged and adulterated

' * Hero-book ' ' (the only one we yet


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XLbc Blbelungen XleO 17have, though there is talk of a better)we shall quote the long Title-page oflyessing's Copy, the edition of 1560 ;from which, with a few intercalatedobservations, the reader's curiositymay probably obtain what little satis-faction it wants :Das Heldenbuch^ welchs auffs new

corrigirt und gebessert ist, mit shonenFigure7i geziert. Gedruckt zu Frank-furt am Mayti, du7xh Weygaiid Ha7iund Sygmund Feyerabend^ etc. Thatis to say :

'' The ' Hero-book,' which is of newcorrected and improved, adorned withbeautiful Figures. Printed at Frank-furt on the Mayn, through WeygandHan and Sygmund Feyerabend.

''Part First saith of Kaiser Ottnitand the little King Blberich, how theywith great peril, over sea, in Heathen-dom, won from a king his daughter


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i8 tibe mibelungen OLieD(and how he in lawful marriage tookher to wife)."From which announcement thereader already guesses the contents

:

how this little King Klberich was aDwarf or Klf, some half-span long, 3- etfull of cunning practices and the mosthelpful activity ; nay, stranger still,had been Kaiser Ottnit of Lamparteior Lombardy's father,having had hisown ulterior views in that indiscretion.How they sailed with Messina ships,into Paynim land ; fought with thatunspeakable Turk, King Machabol, inand about his fortress and metropolisof Montebur, which was all stuckround with Christian heads ; slew fromseventy to a hundred thousand of theinfidels at one heat ; saw the lady onthe battlements ; and at length, chieflyby Dwarf Elberich's help, carried heroff in triumph ; wedded her in Messina


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Zbc 'Uibclimgcn XleD ig

and without difficulty, rooting out theMohammedan prejudice, converted herto the creed of Mother Church. Thefair runaway seems to have been of agentle, tractable disposition, very dif-ferent from old Machabol ; concerningwhom it is here chiefly to be noted thatDwarf Elberich, rendering himself in-visible on their first inter\dew, plucksout a handful of hair from his chin,thereby increasing to a tenfold pitchthe royal choler ; and, what is stillmore remarkable, furnishing the poetWieland, six centuries afterwards, withthe critical incident in his '' Oberon."As for the young lady herself, we can-not but admit that she was well worthsailing to Heathendom for, and shallhere, as our sole specimen of that oldGerman doggerel, give the descriptionof her as she first appeared on the bat-tlements during the fight ; subjoining a


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XLbc IWlbelungen Xie&version as verbal and literal as theplainest prose can make it. Consideredas a detached passage, it is, perhaps,the finest we have met with in the"Heldenbuch."I/ir herz brann also schoneyRecht als ein rot riibein,Gleich dent vollen nioneGaben ihr duglein schein.Sick hett die maget reineMil Rosen wohl bekleidUnd audi mit berlin kleineNieinand da trost die ineid.

Her heart burnt (with anxiety) as beautifulJust as a red ruby,Ivike the full moonHer eyes (eyelings, pretty eyes) gave

sheen.Herself had the maiden pureWell adorned with roses.And also with pearls small :No one there comforted the maid.


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(Tbe IFllbclungen ILieD 21

Sie war schon an detn leibe,Und zu den seiten schmalRecht als ein kertze scheibeWohlgeschaffen iiderail :Ihrbeyden handgemeineDars ihrgentz nichts gebrach ;Ihr 7idglein schon und reine^Das man sich darin besach.She was fair of body,And in the waist slender ;Right as a (golden) candlestickWell-fashioned everywhere :Her two hands proper,So that she wanted nought

:

Her little nails fair and pure,That you could see yourself therein,Ihr har war schon umbfangenMil edler seiden fein ;Das Hess sie nieder hangen,Das hilbsche magedlein.Sie Irug ein kron mil sleinen,Sie war von gold so rol ;Elberich detn viel kleinenWar zu der magte not.


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^be IFlibelungen XlcOHer hair was beautifully girtWith noble silk (band) fine ;She let it flow down,The lovely maidling.She wore a crown with jewels,It was of gold so red :For Blberich the very smallThe maid had need (to console her).Da vornen in den kronenLag ein karfunkelstein,Der in dem pallast schonenAecht als ein kertz erschein ;Aufjrem haupt das hareWar lauter und auchfein^Es leuchtet also klareRecht als der sonnen schein.There in front of the crownIvay a carbuncle-stone,Which in the palace fairEven as a taper seemed

;

On her head the hairWas glossy and also fine,It shone as brightEven as the sun's sheen.


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^be IFlibelunaen XleD 23Die magt die stand alleine,Gar trawrig zuarjr niutIhrfarb U7id die war reine^Lieblich we milch und blutHer durchjr zopffe reinenSchien jr hals aIs der schnee :Elberich dent viel kleine^iThat der magetjammer weh.The maid she stood alone,Right sad was her mind ;Her color it was pure,Lovely as milk and blood ;Out through her pure locksShone her neck like the snow.Elberich the very smallWas touched with the maiden's sorrow.Happy man was Kaiser Ottnit,

blessed with such a wife, after all histravail ;had not the Turk Machabolcunningly sent him, in revenge, a boxof young Dragons, or Dragon-eggs, bythe hands of a caitiff Infidel, contriver


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24 Zbc IWibelungen Xie^of the mischief; by whom in duecourse of time they were hatched andnursed, to the infinite woe of all lyam-partei, and ultimately to the death ofKaiser Ottnit himself, whom they swal-lowed and attempted to digest, oncewithout effect, but the next time toofatally, crown and all !

''Part Second announceth (meldef)of Herr Hugdietrich and his son Wolf-dietrich ; how the}^, for justice-sake,oft by their doughty acts succored dis-tressed persons, with other bold heroesthat stood by them in extremity."Concerning which Hugdietrich, Em-peror of Greece, and his son Wolf-

dietrich, one day the renowned Die-trich of Bern, we can here say littlemore than that the former trained him-self to sempstress-work ; and for manyweeks plied his needle, before he couldget wedded and produce Wolfdietrich ;


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Zbc IWibelungen %ic^ 25who coming into the world in this clan-destine manner, was let down into thecastle-ditch, and like Romulus andRemus nursed by a Wolf, whence hisname. However, after never-imaginedadventures, with enchanters and en-chantresses, pagans and giants, in allquarters of the globe, he finally, withutmost effort, slaughtered those lyom-bardy Dragons ; then married KaiserOttnit's widow, whom he had ratherflirted with before ; and so lived uni-versally respected in his new empire,performing yet other notable achieve-ments. One strange property he had,sometimes useful to him, sometimeshurtful : that his breath, when he be-came angry, grew flame, red-hot, andwould take the temper out of swords.We find him again in the ' ' Nibelun-gen," among King Etzel's (Attila's)followers ; a staid, cautious, ^xt still


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26 XLbc IRibelunsen XieDinvincible man ; on which occasion,though with great reluctance, he isforced to interfere, and does so witheffect. Dietrich is the favorite hero ofall those Southern Fictions, and wellacknowledged in the Northern also,where the chief man, however, as weshall find, is not he but Siegfried.

'' Pari Third showeth of the Rose-

garden at Worms, which was plantedby Chrimhilte, King Gibich's daugh-ter ; whereby afterwards most part ofthose Heroes and Giants came to de-struction and were slain."

In this Third Part the Southern orLombard Heroes come into contactand collision with another as notableNorthern class, and for us much moreimportant. Chriemhild, whose ulte-rior history makes such a figure in the" Nibelungen," had, it would seem,near the ancient city of Worms, a


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Rose-garden, some seven Englishmiles in circuit ; fenced only b}^ a silkthread ; wherein, however, she main-tained Twelve stout fighting-men ;several of whom, as Hagen, Volker,her three Brothers, above all the gal-lant Siegfried her betrothed, we shallmeet with again ; these, so unspeaka-ble was their prowess, sufficed to de-fend the silk-thread Garden against allmortals. Our good antiquar>% Vonder Hagen, imagines that this Rose-garden business (in the primeval Tra-dition) glances obliquel}' at the Eclip-tic with its Twelve Signs, at Jupiter'sfight with the Titans, and we knownot what confused skirmishing in theUtgard, or Asgard, or Midgard of theScandinavians. Be this as it may,Chriemhild, we are here told, beingvery beautiful and vers^ wilful, boasts,in the pride of her heart, that no he-


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28 Zbc IRlbelungen %ict>roes on earth are to be compared withhers ; and hearing accidentally thatDietrich of Bern has a high characterin this line, forthwith challenges himto visit Worms, and with eleven pickedmen to do battle there against thoseother Twelve champions of Christen-dom that watch her Rose-garden.Dietrich, in a towering passion at thestyle of the message, which was*

' surly and stout, ' ' instantly pitchesupon his eleven seconds, who also areto be principals ; and with a retinueof other sixty thousand, by quickstages, in which obstacles enough areovercome, reaches Worms, and de-clares himself ready. Among theseeleven lyombard heroes of his are like-wise several whom w^e meet with againin the * ' Nibelungen ' ' ; beside Dietrichhimself, we have the old Duke Hilde-brand, Wolfhart, Ortwin. Notable


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Zbc IRibelungen XieD 29among them, in another wa}^ is MonkIlsan, a truculent gray-bearded fellow,equal to any Friar Tuck in '' RobinHood."The conditions of fight are soon

agreed on : there are to be twelvesuccessive duels, each challenger beingexpected to find his match ; and theprize of victory is a Rose-garland fromChriemhild and ei?i Helssen und einK'iissen, that is to say virtuall}^, onekiss from her fair lips to each. Buthere, as it ever should do, Pride gets afall ; for Chriemhild' s bully-hectorsare, in divers ways, all successivelyfelled to the ground by the Bemers ;some of whom, as old Hildebrand, willnot even take her Kiss when it is due ;even Siegfried himself, most reluctantlyengaged with by Dietrich, and for awhile victorious, is at last forced toseek shelter in her lap. Nay, Monk


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30 Jlhc IRibclungcn %ictf

Ilsan, after the regular fight is over,and his part in it well performed, callsout in succession fifty-two other idleChampions of the Garden, part ofthemGiants, and routs the whole fraternity,thereby earning, besides his own regu-lar allowance, fifty-two spare Garlandsand fifty-two several Kisses ; in thecourse of which latter, Chriemhild'scheek, a just punishment, as seemed,was scratched to the drawing of bloodby his rough beard. It only remainsto be added, that King Gibich, Chriem-hild's Father, is now fain to do homagefor his kingdom to Dietrich, whoreturns triumphant to his own country ;where also Monk Ilsan, according topromise, distributes these fifty-twoGarlands among his fellow Friars,crushing a garland on the bare crownof each, till ''the red blood ran overtheir ears." Under which hard but


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not undeserved treatment they allagreed to pray for remission of Ilsan'ssins ; indeed, such as continued refrac-tor}^ he tied together by the beards andhung pair-wise over poles, wherebythe stoutest soon gave in.

So endeth here this dittyOf strife from woman's pride :God on our griefs take pity,And Mary still by us abide.

" In Par^ Fourth is announced(^gemeW) of the little King I^aurin, theDwarf, how he encompassed his Rose-garden with so great manhood and art-magic, till at last he was vanquished bythe heroes, and forced to become theirJuggler, with etc. , etc. 'Of which Fourth and, happily, last

part we shall here say nothing, inas-much as, except that certain of ourold heroes again figure there, it has


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32 Zbc IRibelungcn XieDno coherence or connection with therest of the " Heldenbuch," and issimply a new tale, which, by way ofepisode, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, aswe learn from his own words, had sub-sequently appended thereto. He says :

Heinrich von OfterdingenThis story hath been singing,To the joy of Princes bold,They gave him silver and gold.Moreover pennies and garments rich :Here endeth this Book the whichDoth sing our noble Heroes' story :God help us all to heavenly glory.

Such is some outline of the famous" Heldenbuch," on which it is not ourbusiness here to add any criticism.The fact that it has so long been popu-lar betokens a certain worth in it, thekind and degree of which is also insome measure apparent. In poetry"the rude man," it has been said,


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^be IRibelungen XfeD 33'

' requires only to see something goingon ; the man ofmore refinement wishesto feel ; the truly refined man must bemade to reflect. ' ' For the first oftheseclasses our " Hero-book," as has beenapparent enough, provides in abun-dance ; for the other two scantily,in-deed for the second not at all. Nev-ertheless our estimate of this work,which, as a series ofAntique Traditions,may have considerable meaning, is aptrather to be too low. Let us rememberthat this is not the original ' ' Helden-buch ' ' which we now see, but only aversion of it into the Knight-errantdialect of the thirteenth, indeed partlyof the fourteenth and fifteenth cen-turies, with all the fantastic monstrosi-ties, now so trivial, pertaining to thatstyle ; under which disguises the reallyantique earnest groundwork, interest-ing as old Thought if not as old

3


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34 tTbe IRibelungen XleDPoetry, is all but quite obscured fromus. But Antiquarian diligence is nowbusy with the " Heldenbuch " also,from which what light is in it willdoubtless be elicited, and here andthere a deformity removed. Thoughthe Kthiop cannot change his skin,there is no need that even he shouldgo abroad unwashed.*

Casper von Roen, or whoever wasthe ultimate redactor of the ' ' Helden-buch," whom lycssing designates as"a highly ill-informed man," wouldhave done better had he quite omittedOur inconsiderable knowledge of the " Helden-

buch ' ' is derived from various secondary sources,chiefly from Ivcssing's " Werke " (b. xiii.), wherethe reader will find an epitome of the whole Poem,with Extracts by Herr Fiilleborn, from which theabove are taken. A still more accessible and largerAbstract, with long specimens translated into verse,stands in the " Illustrations of Northern Antiquities "(pp. 45-167). Von der Hagen has .since been employedspecially on the "Heldenbuch," with what resultwe have not yet learned.


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XTbe Btbelimgcn Xie& 35that little King lyaurin, ' ' and his lit-tle Rose-garden, ' ' which properly is noRose-garden at all ; and insteadthereof introduced the " GehomteSiegfried" (Behorned Siegfried), whosehistory lies at the heart of the wholeNorthern Traditions ; and, under arude prose dress, is to this day a realchild' s-book and people's-book amongthe Germans. Of this Siegfried wehave already seen somewhat in theRose-garden at Worms ; and shall ere-long see much more elsewhere ; for heis the chief hero of the ' ' Nibelungen ' '

:

indeed nowhere can we dip into thoseold Fictions, whether in Scandinaviaor the Rhine-land, but under one figureor another, whether as Dragon-killerand Prince-royal, or as Blacksmith andHorse-subduer, as Sigurd, Sivrit, Sieg-fried, we are sure to light on him. Ashis early adventures belong to the


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36 Zbe IFllbelungen %ict>strange sort, and will afterwards con-cern us not a little, we shall here en-deavor to piece together some consistentoutline of them ; so far, indeed, as thatma}^ be possible ; for his biographers,agreeing in the main points, differwidely in the details.

First, then, let no one from the title''Gehornte" (Homed, Behomed),fancy that our brave Siegfried, whowas the loveliest as well as the bravestof men, was actually cornuted, and hadhorns on his brow, though likeMichael Angelo's Moses ; or even thathis skin, to which the epithet Behomedrefers, was hard like a crocodile's, andnot softer than the softest sliamoy ; forthe truth is, his Hornedness meansonly an Invulnerability, like that ofAchilles ; which he came by in the fol-lowing manner : All men agree thatSiegfried was a king's son ; he was


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tTbe IWibelungen XieD 37born, as we here have good reason toknow, ' ' at Santen in Netherland, ' ' ofSiegemund and the fair Siegelinde ;yet by some family misfortune or dis-cord, of which the accounts are veryvarious, he came into singular straitsduring boj^hood ; having passed thathappy period of life, not under thecanopies of costlj^ state, but by thesooty stithy, in one Mimer a Black-smith's shop. Here, however, he wasnowise in his proper element ; everquarrelling with his fellow-apprentices;nay, as some say, breaking the hardestanvils into shivers by his too stouthammering. So that Mimer, other-wise a first-rate Smith, could by nomeans do with him there. He sendshim, accordingly, to the neighboringforest to fetch charcoal ; well awarethat a monstrous Dragon, one Regin,the Smith's own Brother, would meet


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38 ^be IRlbelungen XieDhim and devour him. But far other-wise it proved. Siegfried by mainforce slew this Dragon, or ratherDragonized Smith's-Brother; madebroth of him ; and, warned by somesignificant phenomena, bathed therein;or, as others assert, bathed directly inthe monster's blood, without cookery ;and hereby attained that Invulner-ability, complete in all respects, savethat between his shoulders, where alime-tree leaf chanced to settle andstick during the process, there was onelittle spot, a fatal spot as afterwardsturned out, left in its natural state.

Siegfried, now seeing through thecraft of the Smith, returned home andslew him ; then set forth in search ofadventures, the bare catalogue ofwhichwere long to recite. We mention onlytwo, as subsequently of moment bothfor him and for us. He is by some


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^be naibelungen X(eD 39said to have courted, and then jilted,the fair and proud Queen Brunhild ofIsenland ; nay, to have thrown downthe seven gates of her Castle ; andthen ridden off with her wild horseGana, having mounted him in themeadow, and instantly broken him.Some cross passages between him andQueen Brunhild, who understood nojesting, there must clearly have been,so angry is her recognition of him inthe * ' Nibelungen ' ' ; nay, she bears alasting grudge against him there ; ashe, and indeed she also, one day toosorely felt.His other grand adventure is with

the two sons of the deceased KingNibelung, in Nibelungen-land. Thesetwo youths, to whom their father hadbequeathed a Hoard or Treasure, be-yond all price or computation, Sieg-fried, " riding by alone," found on the


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40 ^be IRibeluncien XtcDside of a mountain, in a state of greatperplexity. They had brought outthe Treasure from the cave where itusually lay ; but how to part it wasthe dijB&cult}^ ; for, not to speak of gold,there were as man}^ jewels alone "astwelve wagons in four days and nights,each going three journeys, could carryaway ' ' ; nay, ' ' however much youtook from it, there was no diminu-tion " : besides, in real property, aSword, Balmung, of great potency ; aDivining-rod, * ' which gave powerover every one"; and a Tarnkappe(or Cloak of Darkness), which notonly rendered the wearer invisible, butalso gave him twelve men's strength.So that the two Princes Ro^^al, withoutcounsel save from their Twelve stupidGiants, knew not how to fall upon anyamicable arrangement ; and, seeingSiegfried ride by so opportunely, re-


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Zbc IRlbelungen XfeD 41quested him to be arbiter ; offering alsothe Sword Balmung for his trouble.Siegfried, who readily undertook theimpossible problem, did his best toaccomplish it ; but, of course, withouteffect; nay, the two Nibelungen Princes,being of choleric temper, grew impa-tient, and provoked him ; whereuponwith the Sword Balmung he slew themboth, and their Twelve Giants (per-haps originally Signs of the Zodiac) toboot. Thus did the famous Nibehui-gen Hort (Hoard), and indeed thewhole Nibelungen-land, come into hispossession ; wearing the Sword Bal-mung, and having slain the twoPrinces and their Champions, what wasthere further to oppose him ? Vainlydid the Dwarf Alberich, our old friendElberich of the *' Heldenbuch," w^hohad now become special keeper of thisHoard, attempt some resistance with a


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42 ^be IFlibelungcn XieDDwarf Army ; he was driven backinto the cave ; plundered of his Tarn-kappe ; and obliged, with all his myr-midons, to swear fealty to the con-queror, whom indeed thenceforth heand they punctually obeyed.Whereby Siegfriedmightnow furtherstyle himself King of the Nibelungen

;

master of the infinite NibelungenHoard (collected doubtless by art-magic in the beginning of Time, inthe deep bowels of the Universe),withthe Wunschelruthe (Wishing or Divin-ing-rod) pertaining thereto ; owner ofthe Tarnkappe^ which he ever afterkept by him, to put on at will ; andthough last not least, Bearer andWielder of the Sword Balmung,* by

* By this Sword Balmuiig also hangs a tale. Doubt-less it was one of those invaluable weapons some-times fabricated by the old Northern Smiths, com-pared with which our modern Foxes and Ferrarasand Toledos are mere leaden tools. Von der Hagen


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XLbc 'UibclnrxQcn XlcD 43the keen edge of which all this gainhad come to him. To which lastacquisitions adding his previouslyacquired Invulnerability, and hisnatural dignities as Prince of Nether-land, he might well show himselfbeforethe foremost at Worms or elsewhere,and attempt any the highest adventurethat fortune could cut out for him.seems to think it simply the Sword Mimung underanother name ; in which case Siegfried's old master,Mimer, had been the maker of it, and called it afterhimself, as if it had been his son. In Scandinavianchronicles, veridical or not, we have the followingaccount of that transaction. Mimer (or, as somehave it, surely without ground, one Velint, once anapprentice of his) was challenged by another Crafts-man, named Amilias, who boasted that he had madea suit ofarmor which no stroke could dint,to equalthat feat, or own himself the second Smith thenextant. This last the stout Mimer would in no casedo, but proceeded to forge the Sword INIimung ; withwhich, when it was finished, he, "in presence of theKing," cut asunder " a thread of wool floating onwater." This would have seemed a fair fire-edge tomost smiths : not so to ]Mimer ; he sawed the bladein pieces, welded it in "a red-hot fire for three days, '

'


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44 ^be Iftibelungen XieDHowever, his subsequent history be-longs all to the * ' Nibelungen Song " ; atwhich fair garden of poesy we are now,through all these shaggy wildernessesand enchanted w^oods, finally arrived.Apart from its antiquarian value,

and not only as by far the finest monu-ment of old German art, but intrinsi-tempered it " with milk and oatmeal," and by muchother cunning brought out a sword that severed " aball of wool floating on water." But neither wouldthis suffice him ; he returned to his smithy, and, bymeans known only to himself, produced, in thecourse of seven weeks, a third and final edition ofMimung, which split asunder a whole floating packof wool. The comparative trial now took placeforthwith. Amilias, cased in his impenetrable coatof mail, sat down on a bench, in presence of assem-bled thousands, and bade Mimer strike him. Mimerfetched of course his best blow, on which Amiliasobserved, that there was a strange feeling of coldiron in his inwards. " Shake thyself," said Mimer ;the luckless wight did so, and fell in two halves,being cleft sheer through from collar to haunch,never more to swing hammer in this world. See" Illustrations of Northern Antiquities," p. 31.


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tlbe BibelunQen %ict> 45cally, and as a mere detached composi-tion, this *' Nibelungen " has anexcellence that cannot but surprise us.With little preparation, any reader ofpoetry, even in these days, might findit interesting. It is not without acertain Unity of interest and purport,,an internal coherence and complete-ness ; it is a Whole, and some spirit ofMusic informs it : these are the highestcharacteristics of a true Poem. Con-sidering further what intellectualenvironment we now find it in, it isdoubly to be prized and wondered atfor it differs from those " Hero-books,"as molten or carved metal does fromrude agglomerated ore ; almost as someShakespeare from his fellow Drama-tists, whose " Tamburlaines " and" Island Princesses," themselves notdestitute of merit, first show us clearlyin what pure loftiness and loneliness


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46 ^be IFllbelunQcn XicDthe ''Hamlets" and "Tempests"reign.The unknown Singer of the ' ' Nibe-lungen," though no Shakespeare,must have had a deep poetic soulwherein things discontinuous and in-animate shaped themselves togetherinto life, and the Universe with itswondrous purport stood significantlyimaged ; overarching, as with heavenly-firmaments and eternal harmonies, thelittle scene where men strut and frettheir hour. His Poem, unlike so manyold and new pretenders to that name,has a basis and organic structure, abeginning, middle, and end ; there isone great principle and idea set forthin it, round which all its multifariousparts combine in living union. Re-markable it is, moreover, how alongwith this essence and primary condi-tion of all poetic virtue, the minor


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^be IFlibcIungen XfeD 47external virtues of what we call Tasteand so forth, are, as it were, presup-posed ; and the living soul of Poetry-being there, its body of incidents, itsgarment of language, come of theirown accord. So too in the case ofShakespeare : his feeling of propriety,as compared with that of the Marlowesand Fletchers, his quick sure sense ofwhat is fit and unfit, either in act orword, might astonish us, had he noother superiority. But true Inspira-tion, as it may well do, includes thatsame Taste, or rather a far higher andheartfelt Taste, of which that other'

' elegant ' ' species is but an ineffectual,irrational apery. Let us see the heraldMercury actually descend from hisHeaven, and the bright wings, andthe graceful movement of these, willnot be wanting.With an instinctive art, far different


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48 ^be IFlibelungen XieDfrom acquired artifice, this Poet of the''Nibelungen," working in the sameprovince with his contemporaries ofthe " Heldenbuch," on the samematerial of tradition, has, in a wonder-ful degree, possessed himself of whatthese could only strive after ; and, withhis " clear feeling of fictitious truth,"avoided as false the errors and mon-strous perplexities in which they vainlystruggled. He is of another speciesthan they ; in language, in purityand depth of feeling, in fineness ofinvention, stands quite apart fromthem.The language of the " Heldenbuch,"as we saw above, was a feeble half-articulate child' s-speech, the metrenothing better than a miserable dog-gerel ; whereas here in the old Prankish{Oberdeutsch') dialect of the " Nibe-lungen," we have a clear, decisive


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tibe IKKbcUingcn %ic^ 49utterance, and in a real system ofverse,not without essential regularity, greatliveliness, and now and then even har-mou}^ of rhythm. Doubtless we mustoften call it a diffuse, diluted utterance ;at the same time it is genuine, with acertain antique, garrulous heartiness,and has a rhythm in the thoughts aswell as the words. The simplicity isnever silly : even in that perpetualrecurrence of epithets, sometimes ofrhymes, as where two words, for in-stance lip (body, life, /ez5) and wzp(woman, wife, wetd) are indissolublywedded together, and the one nevershows itself without the other follow^-ing,there is something which remindsus not so much of poverty, as of trust-fulness and childlike innocence. In-deed a strange charm lies in those oldtones, where, in gay dancing melodies,the sternest tidings are sung to us ;


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50 ^be IRibelunên Xieând deep floods of Sadness and Strifeplay lightly in little curling billows,like seas in summer. It is as a meeksmile, in whose still, thoughtful depthsa whole infinitude of patience, andlove, and heroic strength lie revealed.But in other cases too, we have seenthis outward sport and inward earnest-ness offer grateful contrast, and cun-ning excitement ; for example, inTasso ; of whom, though otherwisedifferent enough, this old NorthernSinger has more than once remindedus. There too, as here, wê have adark, solemn meaning in light guise

;

deeds ofhigh temper, harsh self-denial,daring, and death stand embodied inthat soft, quick-flowing, joyfullymodulated verse. Nay, further, as ifthe implement, much more than wemight fancy, had influenced the workdone, these two Poems, could we trust


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Zbc IRibelungen XleD 51our individual feeling, have in onerespect the same poetical result for us.In the ' ' Nibelungen " as in the ' ' Geru-salemme, ' ' the persons and their story-are indeed brought vividly before us,yet not near and palpably present ; itis rather as if we looked on that scenethrough an inverted telescope, wherebythe whole was carried far away intothe distance, the life-large figurescompressed into brilliant miniatures,so clear, so real, yet tiny, elf-like andbeautified as well as lessened, theircolors being now closer and brighter,the shadows and trivial features nolonger visible. This, as we partlyapprehend, comes of singing EpicPoems ; most part of which only pre-tend to be sung. Tasso's rich melody-still lives among the Italian people ;the ' ' Nibelungen ' ' also is what itprofesses to be, a *' Song."


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52 ^be Bibelungcn XieONo less striking than the verse and

language is the quality of the inven-tion manifested here. Of the Fable,or narrative material of the ' ' Nibelun-gen ' ' we should say that it had high,almost the highest merit ; so daintilyyet firmly is it put together ; with suchfelicitous selection of the beautiful,the essential, and no less felicitous re-jection of whatever was unbeautiful oreven extraneous. The reader is nolonger afflicted with that chaotic broodof Fire-drakes, Giants, and malicious,turbaned Turks, so fatally rife in the' * Heldenbuch. ' ' All this is swept away,or only hovers in faint shadows afar off,and free field is open for legitimateperennial interests. Yet neither is the" Nibelungen " without its wonders,for it is poetry and not prose ; here,too, a supernatural world encompassesthe natural, and, though at rare inter-


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Zbc IRibelungen XieD 53vals and in calm manner, reveals itselfthere. It is truly wonderful, withwhat skill our simple untaught Poetdeals with the marvellous ; admittingit without reluctance or criticism, yetprecisely in the degree and shape thatwill best avail him. Here, if in noother respect, we should say that hehas a decided superiority to Homerhimself. The whole story of the'' Nibelungen " is fateful, mysterious,guided on by unseen influences ; yetthe actual marvels are few, and donein the far distance. Those Dwarfs,and Cloaks of Darkness, and charmedTreasure-caves are heard of ratherthan beheld ; the tidings of them seemto issue from unknown space. Vainwere it to inquire where that Nibelun-gen-land specially is : its very name isNebel-land or Nifl-land, the land ofDarkness, of Invisibility. The " Nibe-


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54 ^be IRibelungen XieDlungen-Heroes," that muster in thou-sands and tens of thousands, thoughthey march to the Rhine or Danube,and we see their strong limbs and shin-ing armor, we could almost fancy tobe children of the air. Far beyondthe firm horizon, that wonder-bearingregion swims on the infinite waters ;unseen by bodily eye, or at most dis-cerned as a faint streak, hanging in theblue depths, uncertain whether islandor cloud. And thus the ' ' NibelungenSong, ' ' though based on the bottomlessfoundations of Spirit, and not unvis-ited of skyey messengers, is a real,rounded, habitable Earth, where wefind firm footing, and the wondrous andthe common live amicably together.Perhaps it would be difiicult to find anyPoet of ancient or modern times, whoin this trying problem has steered hisway with greater delicacy and success.


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^be IFlibelunaen XicD 55To any of our readers who may

have personally studied the " Nibe-lungen," these high praises of ourswill not seem exaggerated : the rest,who are the vast majority, must en-deavor to accept them with some de-gree of faith, at least of curiosity ; tovindicate, and judicially substantiatethem would far exceed our present op-portunities. Nay, in any case, thecriticisms, the alleged Characteristicsof a Poem are so many Theorems,which are indeed enunciated, truly orfalsely, but the Demonstration ofwhichmust be sought for in the reader's ownstudy and experience. Nearly allthat can be attempted here is somehasty epitome of the mere Narrative ;no substantial image of the work, but afeeble outline and shadow. To whichtask, as the personages and their en-vironment have already been in some


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56 ^bc IRibelungcn XieDdegree illustrated, we can now proceedwithout obstacle.The ' ' Nibelungen ' ' has been calledthe Northern Epos ; j^et it has, in greatpart, a Dramatic character : thosethirty-nine Aventitiren (Adventures),which it consists of, might be so manyscenes in a Tragedy. The catastropheis dimly prophesied from the begin-ning ; and, at every fresh step, risesmore and more clearly into view. Ashadow of coming Fate, as it were, alow inarticulate voice of Doom falls,from the first, out of that charmedNibelungen-land : the discord of twowomen is as a little spark of evil pas-sion, which erelong enlarges itselfinto a crime ; foul murder is done ;and now the Sin rolls on like a de-vouring fire, till the guilty and the in-nocent are alike encircled with it, and


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Zbc IFlibeluncjen %\c^ 57a whole land is ashes, and a wholerace is swept away.C/ns ist in alien mcsren Wunders vil geseit,Von helden lobebcsren Von grozer chiion-

heitVon vrouden und' hoch-geziten, Von zvei-nen tend von chlagen,Von chuner rechcn strifen, Miiget ir nuwunder horen sagen.

We find in ancient story Wonders manytold,Of heroes in great glory With spirit free

and bold ;Ofjoyances and high-tides, Ofweeping andof woe,

Of noble Recken striving. Mote ye nowwonders know.

This is the brief artless Proem ; andthe promise contained in it proceedsdirectly towards fulfilment. In thevery second stanza we learn :


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58 ^be IRibeluncjcn %\ct>Es wuhs m Burgonden Ein vil edel mage-

din,Das in alien landen Niht schoners mohtesin ;

Chrienihilt was si geheien, Si wart ei?tschone zvip ;

Darumbe nmsett degene Vil verliesen denlip.A right noble maiden Did grow in Bur-

gundy,That in all lands of earth Nought fairermote there be ;Chriemhild of Worms she hight, She was a

fairest wife ;For the which must warriors A many lose

their life.** This is the first of a thousand instances in which

the two inseparables, wip and lip, or in moderntongue weib and leib, as mentioned above, appeartogether. From these two opening stanzas of the*' Nibelungen L,ied," in its purest form, the readermay obtain some idea ofthe versification. It runs onin more or less regular Alexandrines, with a ccesuralpause in each, where the capital letter occurs ; in-deed, the lines seem originally to have been dividedinto two at that point, for sometimes, as in Stanza


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Ebe IFllbelungen XicD 59Chriemhild, this world's-wonder, a

king's daughter and king's sister, andno less coy and proud than fair, dreamsone night that ' ' she had petted a fal-con, strong, beautiful, and wild ; whichtwo eagles snatched away from her :this she was forced to see ; greater sor-row felt she never in the world. ' ' Hermother, Ute, to whom she relates thevision, soon redes it for her ; the falconis a noble husband, whom, God keephim, she must suddenly lose. Chriem-hild declares warmly for the singlestate ; as, indeed, living there at theCourt of Worms, with her brothers,Gunther, Gemot, Geiselher, " threeFirst, the middle words {mczren, lobebceren ; geziten,striten) also rhyme ; but this is rather a rare case.The word rechen or recken, used iu the First Stanza,is the constant designation for bold fighters, and hasthe same root with rich (thus in old French, ho7nmesriches ; in Spanish, ricos hombres), which last is herealso synonymous with powerful, and is applied tokings, and even to the Almighty, Got dent richen.


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6o nbe Bibclungen Xic&kings noble and ricli," in such pompand renown, the pride of Burgunden-land and Earth, she might readilyenough have changed for the worse.However, dame Ute bids her not to betoo emphatical ; for '' if ever she haveheartfelt joy in life, it will be fromman's love, and she shall be a fair wife(wip), when God sends her a rightworthy Ritter's lip.'' Chriemhild ismore in earnest than maidens usuallyare when they talk thus ; it appearsshe guarded against love, ' ' for manya lief-long day ' ' ; nevertheless, shetoo must yield to destiny. * ' Honora-bly she was to become a most nobleRitter ' s wife. " '' This, ' ' adds the oldSinger, "was that same falcon shedreamed of : how sorely she since re-venged him on her nearest kindred !For that one death died full many amother's son."


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XLhc IRfbelunQen XteD 6i

It may be observed, that the Poethere, and at all times, shows a markedpartiality for Chriemhild ; ever striv-ing, unlike his fellow-singers, to mag-nify her worth, her faithfulness, andloveliness ; and softening, as much asmay be, whatever makes against her.No less a favorite with him is Sieg-fried, the prompt, gay, peaceably fear-less hero ; to whom, in the SecondAventiure^ we are here suddenly in-troduced, at Santen (Xanten), theCourt of Netherland ; whither, to hisglad parents, after achievements (to uspartially known) ' ' of which one mightsing and tell forever," that nobleprince has returned. Much as he hasdone and conquered, he is but justarrived at man's years ; it is on occa-sion of this jo3^ful event that a high-tide {JiochgezW) is now held there, withinfinitejoustings, minstrels}^, largesses,


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62 Zbc IRibelungen XieDand other chivalrous doings, all whichis sung with utmost heartiness. Theold King Siegemund offers to resign hiscrown to him ; but Siegfried has othergame a-field : the unparalleled beautyof Chriemhild has reached his ear andhis fancy ; and now he will to Wormsand woo her, at least ' * see how itstands with her." Fruitless is it forSiegemund and the mother Siegelindeto represent the perils of that enter-prise, the pride of those BurgundianGunthers and Gemots, the fierce tem-per of their uncle Hagen ; Siegfried isas obstinate as young men are in thesecases, and can hear no counsel. Nay,he will not accept the much more lib-eral proposition, to take an army withhim, and conquer the country, if itmust be so ; he will ride forth, likehimself, with twelve champions only,and so defy the future. Whereupon,


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XLbc IFllbelunQen XieD 63

the old people finding that there is noother course, proceed to make himclothes * ;at least, the good queenwith ' ' her fair women sitting nightand day," and sewing, does so, thefather furnishing noblest battle andriding gear ;and so dismiss him withmany blessings and lamentations.'

' For him wept sore the king and hiswife, but he comforted both their bodies(lip) ; he said : ' Ye must not weep, formy body ever shall ye be without care. 'Sad was it to the Recken, Stood weeping

many a maid ;I ween their heart had them The tidings

true foresaid,That of their friends so many Death thereby

should findCause had they of lamenting. Such boding

in their mind.* This is a never-failing preparative for all expedi-

tions, and always specified and insisted on with asimple, loving, almost female impressiveness.


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64 XLbc IFlibelungen XieDNevertheless, on the seventh morning,that adventurous company * ' ride upthe sand," on the Rhine-beach, toWorms, in high temper, in dress andtrappings, aspect and bearing morethan kingly.

Siegfried's reception at King Gun-ther's court, and his brave sayings anddoings there for some time, we mustomit. One fine trait of his chivalrousdelicacy it is that, for a whole year, henever hints at his errand ; never oncesees or speaks of Chriemhild, whom,nevertheless, he is longing day andnight to meet. She, on her side, hasoften through her lattices noticed thegallant stranger, victorious in all tilt-ings and knightly exercises ; wherebyit would seem, in spite of her rigorouspredeterminations, some kindness forhim is already gliding in. Meanwhile,mighty wars and threats of invasion


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XLbc IRibelungen XieD 65arise, and Siegfried does the state goodservice. Returning victorious, both asgeneral and soldier, from Hessen(Hessia), where, by help of his owncourage and the sword Balmung, hehas captured a Danish king, and ut-terly discomforted a Saxon one ; hecan now show himself before Chriem-hild without other blushes than thoseof timid love. Nay, the maiden hasherself inquired pointedly of the mes-sengers, touching his exploits; and' * her fair face grew rose-red when sheheard them." A gay High-tide, byway of triumph, is appointed ; severalkings, and two-and-thirty princes, andknights enough with " gold-red sad-dles," come to joust; and better thanwhole infinities of kings and princeswith their saddles, the fair Chriemhildherself, under guidance of her mother,chiefly too in honor of the victor, is to

5


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66 Zhc IRlbelutiQcn XieDgrace that sport. '* Ute the full rich "fails not to set her needle-women towork, and " clothes of price are takenfrom their presses," for the love of herchild, "wherewith to deck manywomen and maids. ' ' And now, ' * onthe Whitsun-moming, " all is ready,and glorious as heart could desire it

;

brave Ritters, ' ' five thousand ormore," all glancing in the lists; butgrander still, Chriemhild herselfis advancing beside her mother,with a hundred body-guards, allsword in hand, and many a noblemaid "wearing rich raiment," Inher train !"Now issued forth the lovely one {mtn-

nechliche), as the red moruing doth fromtroubled clouds ; much care fled away fromhim who bore her in his heart, and long haddone ; he saw the lovely one stand in herbeauty.


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Zbc tMbclumcn Xlc& 67"There glanced from her garments full

many precious stones, her rose-red colorshone full lovely : try what he might, eachman must confess that in this world he hadnot seen aught so fair.

" Like as the light moon stands beforethe stars, and its sheen so clear goes over theclouds, even so stood she now before manyfair women ; whereat cheered was the mindof the hero.

'' The rich chamberlains you saw go before

her, the high-spirited Recken would not for-bear, but pressed on where they saw thelovely maiden. Siegfried the lord was bothglad and sad.

'* He thought in his mind, How could thisbe that I should woo thee? That was afoolish dream ; yet must I forever be astranger, I were rather {sanfter, softer)dead. He became, from these thoughts, inquick changes, pale and red.

" Thus stood so lovely the child of Siege-linde, as if he were limned on parchment bya master's art ; for all granted that hero sobeautiful they had never seen."


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68 ^be IRlbelungen %iet>In this passage, which we have ren-

dered from the Fifth Azmitiure intothe closest prose, it is to be remarked,among other singularities, that thereare two similes : in which figure ofspeech our old Singer deals very spar-ingly. The first, that comparison ofChriemhild to the moon among starswith its sheen going over the clouds,has now for many centuries had littlenovelty or merit : but the second, thatof Siegfried to a Figure in some illu-minated Manuscript, is graceful initself ; and unspeakably so to antiqua-ries, seldom honored, in their Black-letter stubbing and grubbing, withsuch a poetic wind-fallA prince and a princess of thisquality are clearly made for one an-other. Nay, on the motion of youngHerr Gemot, fair Chriemhild is bidvSpecially to salute Siegfried, she who


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C^be IPllbelungen %ict> 69

had never saluted man ; which unpar-alleled grace the lovely one, in allcourtliness, openly does him. ''Bewelcome," said she, " Herr Siegfried,a noble Ritter good"; from whichsalute, for this seems to have been all,'

' much raised was his mind. ' ' Hebowed with graceful reverence, as hismanner was with women ; she tookhim by the hand, and with fond stolenglances they looked at each other.Whether in that ceremonial joining ofhands there might not be some soft,slight pressure, of far deeper import, iswhat our Singer will not take uponhim to say ; however, he thinks theaffirmative more probable. Hence-forth, in that bright May weather, thetwo were seen constantly together,nothing but felicity around and beforethem. In these days, truly, it musthave been that the famous Prize-fight,


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70 Zbc IRibclunGcn X(e&with Dietricli of Bern and his ElevenLombardy champions, took place, littleto the profit of the two I^overs ; wereit not rather that the whole of thatRose-garden transaction, as given inthe " Heldenbuch," might be falsifiedand even imaginary ; for no mention orhint of it occurs here. War or battleis not heard of ; Siegfried the peerlesswalks wooingly by the side of Chriem-hild the peerless ; matters, it is evident,are in the best possible course.But now comes a new side-wind,

which, however, in the long-run alsoforwards the voyage. Tidings, namely,reached over the Rhine, not so sur-prising we might hope, ' ' that there wasmany a fair maiden" ; whereuponGunther the King ' * thought with him-self to win one of them." It was anhonest purpose in King Gunther, onlyhis choice was not the discreetest.


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Zhc Iftlbelunoen XicD 71For no fair maiden will content himbut Queen Brunhild, a lady who rulesin Iseyiland^ far over sea, famed indeedfor her beauty, yet no less so for hercaprices. Fables we have met with ofthis Brunhild being properly a Valkyr^or Scandinavian Houri, such as werewont to lead old northern warriorsfrom their last battle-field into Val-halla ; and that her castle of Isensteinstood amidst a lake of fire. But this, aswe said, is fable and groundless cal-umny, of w^hich there is not so muchas notice taken here. Brunhild, it isplain enough, was a flesh-and-bloodmaiden, glorious in look and faculty,only wath some preternatural talentsgiven her, and the strangest w^aywardhabits. It appears, for example, thatany suitor proposing for her has thisbrief condition to proceed upon : hemust try the adorable in the three sev-


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72 Zbc IRtbclunaen XieOeral games of hurling the Spear (at oneanother), lyeaping, and throwing theStone. If victorious, he gains herhand ;if vanquished, he loses his own head ;which latter issue, such is the fairAmazon's strength, frequent fatal ex-periment has shown to be the only-probable one.

Siegfried, who knows something ofBrunhild and her wa3^s, votes clearlyagainst the whole enterprise ; however,Gunther has once for all got the whimin him, and must see it out. Theprudent Hagen von Troneg, uncle tolove-sick Gunther, and ever true tohim, then advises that Siegfried be re-quested to take part in the adventure ;to which request Siegfried readilyaccedes on one condition : that, shouldthey prove fortunate, he himself is tohave Chrierahild to wife when theyreturn. This readily settled, he now


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Zbc IWtbelun^en %ictf 73takes charge of the business andthrows a httle light on it for the others.They must lead no army thither ; onlytwo, Hagen and Dankwart, besidesthe king and himself, shall go. Thegrand subject of waeie'^ (clothes) isnext hinted at, and in general termselucidated ; whereupon a solemn con-sultation Tvdth Chriemhild ensues ; anda great cutting-out, on her part, ofwhite silk from Araby, of green silkfrom Zazemang, of strange fish-skinscovered with morocco silk ; a greatsewing thereof for seven weeks, on thepart of her maids ; lastly, a fitting-onof the three suits by each hero, foreach had three ; and heartiest thanksin return, seeing all fitted perfectly,and was of grace and price unuttera-ble. What is still more to the point,

* Hence our English weeds, and Scotch wad(pledge) ; and, say the etymologists, wadding^ andeven wedding.


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74 Zbc IRibelunacn Xie&Siegfried takes his Cloak of Darknesswith him, fancying he may need itthere. The good old Singer, who hashitherto alluded only in the faintestway to Siegfried's prior adventuresand miraculous possessions, introducesthis of the Tarnkappe with great frank-ness and simplicity. ' ' Of wild dwarfs{getwergefi),'' says he, *' I have heardtell, they are in hollow mountains, andfor defence wear somewhat calledTarnkappe, of wondrous sort ' ' ; thequalities of which garment, that itrenders invisible, and gives twelvemen's strength, are already known tous.The voyage to Isenstein, Siegfried

steering the ship thither, is happilyaccomplished in twenty days. Gun-ther admires to a high degree the finemasonry of the place ; as indeed hewell might, there being some eighty-


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^be IRibelungen XieD 75six towers, three immense palaces andone immense hall, the whole built of'

' marble green as grass ' ' ; further hesees many fair women looking fromthe windows down on the bark, andthinks the loveliest is she in the snow-white dress ; which, Siegfried informshim, is a worthy choice ; the snow-white maiden being no other thanBrunhild. It is also to be kept inmind that Siegfried, for reasons bestknown to himself, had previously stipu-lated that, though a free king, theyshould all treat him as vassal of Gun-ther, for whom accordingly he holdsthe stirrup, as they mount on thebeach ; thereby giving rise to a mis-conception, which in the end led tosaddest consequences.Queen Brunhild, who had called

back her maidens from the windows,being a strict disciplinarian, and re-


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76 ^be mibclun^en XieDtired into the interior of her green-marble Isenstein, to dress still better,now inquires of some attendant, Whothese strangers of such lordly aspectare, and what brings them ? The at-tendant professes himself at a loss tosay ; one of them looks like Sieg-fried, the other is evidently by his porta noble king. His notice of VonTroneg Hagen is peculiarly vivid :The third of those companions He is of as-

pect stem.And yet with lovely body. Rich queen, asye might discern ;From those his rapid glances, For the eyesnought rest in him,

Meseems this foreign Recke Is of temperfierce and grim.

This is one of those little graphictouches, scattered all over our Poem,which do more for picturing out anobject, especially a man, than whole


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^be naibelungen XleD 77pages of enumeration and mensura-tion. Never after do we hear of thisstout, indomitable Hagen, in all thewild deeds and sufferings he passesthrough, but those swindeii blickeyiof his come before us, with the rest-less, deep, dauntless spirit that looksthrough them.

Brunhild's reception of Siegfried isnot without tartness ; which, however,he, with polished courtesy and thenimblest address, ever at his com-mand, softens down, or hurries over.He is here, without will of his own,and so forth, only as attendant on hismaster, the renowned King Gunther,who comes to sue for her hand, as thesummit and keystone of all earthlyblessings. Brunhild, w^ho had deter-mined on fighting Siegfried himself,if so he w^illed it, makes small accountof this King Gunther or his prow^ess ;


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78 Zbc naibclungcn XicDand instantly clears the ground, andequips her for battle. The royal wooermust have looked a little blank whenhe saw a shield brought in for his fairone's handling, "three spans thickwith gold and iron,

'' which four cham-berlains could hardly bear, and a spear

or javelin she meant to shoot or hurl,which w^as a burden for three. Hagen,in angry apprehension for his king andnephew, exclaims that they shall alllose their life (/ip), and that she is thetiuvels wip, or Devil's wife. Neverthe-less Siegfried is already there in hisCloak of Darkness, twelve men strong,and privily whispers in the ear of roy-alty to be of comfort ; takes the shieldto himself, Gunther only affecting tohold it, and so fronts the edge of bat-tle. Brunhild performs prodigies ofspear-hurling, of leaping, and stone-pitching ; but Gunther, or rather Sieg-


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Zbc IPiibclnnQcn %ict> 79fried, '' who does tlie work, lie only-acting the gestures," nay, who evensnatches him up into the air, and leapscarrying him,gains a decided vic-tory, and the lovely Amazon mustown with surprise and shame that sheis fairly won. Siegfried presently ap-pears without Tarnkappe, and askswith a grave face. When the games,then, are to begin ?So far well; yet somewhat still re-

mains to be done. Brunhild will notsail for Worms, to be wedded, till shehave assembled a fit train of warriors ;wherein the Burgundians, being herewithout retinue, see symptoms or pos-sibilities of mischief. The deft Sieg-fried, ablest of men, again knows aresource. In his Tarnkappe he stepson board the bark, which, seen fromthe shore, appears to drift off of its ownaccord ; and therein, stoutly steering


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8o Zbc IRibelungen XieDtowards Nibelungen-land^ lie reachesthat mysterious country and the moun-tain where his Hoard lies, before thesecond morning ; finds DwarfAlberichand all his giant sentinels at their post,and faithful almost to the death ; thesesoon rouse him thirty thousand Nibe-lungen Recken, from whom he hasonly to choose one thousand of thebest ; equip them splendidly enough ;and therewith return to Gunther, sim-ply as if they were that sovereign'sown bodyguard, that had been delayeda little by stress of weather.The final arrival at Worms ; thebridal feasts, for there are two, Sieg-

fried also receiving his reward; andthe jo3^ance and splendor of man andmaid, at this lordliest of high-tidesand the joustings, greater than thoseat Aspramont or Montauban,everyreader can fancy for himself. Remark-


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XTbe BibelunGcn XfcD 8i

able only is the evil eye with whichQueen Brunhild still continues to re-gard the noble Siegfried. She cannotunderstand how Gunther, the I^and-lord of the Rhine,* should have be-stowed his sister on a vassal. Theassurance that Siegfried also is a princeand heir-apparent, the prince namelyof Netherland, and little inferior toBurgundian majest}^ itself, yields nocomplete satisfaction ; and Brunhildhints plainly that, unless the truth betold her, unpleasant consequences mayfollow. Thus is there ever a ravelledthread in the web of life ! But for thislittle cloud of spleen, these bridalfeasts had been all bright and balmyas the month of June. Unluckily, too,

* Der Wirt von Rine : singular enough, the wordWit-th^ often applied to royalty in that old dialect,is now also the title of innkeepers. To such baseuses may we come.

6


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82 XLbc IFlibelunaen %ict>

the cloud is an electric one ; spreadsitself in time into a general earth-quake ; nay, that very night, becomesa thunder-storm, or tornado, unparal-leled we may hope in the annals ofconnubial happiness.The Singer of the " Nibelungen,"unlike the author of ' ' Roderick Ran-dom," cares little for intermeddlingwith "the chaste mysteries of H}^-men." Could we, in the corruptambiguous modern tongue, hope toexhibit any shadow of the old simple,true-hearted, merely historical spirit,with which, in perfect purity of soul,he describes things unattempted yetin prose or rhyme,we could a taleunfold ! Suffice it to say. King Gun-ther. Landlord of the Rhine, fallingsheer down from the third heaven ofhope, finds his spouse the most athleticand intractable of women ; and him-


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^be Bibelungen XleD 83self, at the close of the adventure, no-wise encircled in her arms, but tiedhard and fast, hand and foot, in hergirdle, and hung thereby, at consider-able elevation, on a nail in the wall.lyCt any reader of sensibility figure theemotions of the royal breast, there ashe vibrates suspended on his peg, andhis inexorable bride sleeping sound inher bed below ! Towards morning hecapitulates ; engaging to observe theprescribed line of conduct with utmoststrictness, so he may but avoid becom-ing a laughing-stock to all men.No wonder the dread king lookedrather grave next morning, and re-ceived the congratulations of mankindin a cold manner. He confesses toSiegfried, who partly suspects how itmay be, that he has brought the ' ' evildevil ' ' home to his house in the shapeof wife, whereby he is wretched


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G:be IRibelungen %iet>

enough. However, there are remediesfor all things but death. The ever-serviceable Siegfried undertakes evenhere to make the crooked straight.What may not an honest friend withTarnkappe and twelve men's strengthperform ? Proud Brunhild, next night,after a fierce contest, owns herselfagain vanquished ; Gunther is thereto reap the fruits of another's victory ;the noble Siegfried withdraws, takingnothing with him but the luxury ofdoing good, and the proud queen'sRing and Girdle gained from her inthat struggle ; which small trophieshe, with the last infirmity of a noblemind, presents to his own fond wife,little dreaming that they would oneday cost him and her, and all of them,so dear. Such readers as take au}^ in-terest in poor Gunther will be gratifiedto learn, that from this hour Brunhild's


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Zbc IRibelungcn XleD 85preternatural faculties quite left her,being all dependent on her maidhood

;

so that any more spear-hurling, orother the like extraordinary work, isnot to be apprehended from her.

If we add, that Siegfried formallymade over to his dear Chriemhild theNibelungen Hoard, by way of Morgeri-gabe (or, as we may say. Jointure) ;and the high-tide, though not thehoneymoon, being past, returned toNetherland with his spouse, to be wel-comed there with infinite rejoicings,we have gone through as it were theFirst Act of this Tragedy ; and mayhere pause to look round us for amoment. The main characters arenow introduced on the scene, the rela-tions that bind them together are dimlysketched out : there is the prompt,cheerfully heroic, invulnerable, andinvincible Siegfried, now happiest of


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86 xrbe IRibelunQcn Xle&men ; tlie high Chriemhild, fitly-mated, and if a moon, revolving glo-rious round her sun, or Friedel (joyand darling) ; not without pride andfemale aspirings, yet not prouder thanone so gifted and placed is pardonablefor being. On the other hand, we haveKing Gunther, or rather let us sayking's-mantle Gunther, for never ex-cept in that one enterprise of courtingBrunhild, in which too, without help,he would have cut so poor a figure,does the worthy sovereign show willof his own, or character other than thatof good potter's clay ; further, thesuspicious, forecasting, yet stout andreckless Hagen, him with the rapidglanceSy and these turned not tookindly on Siegfried, whose prowess hehas used yet dreads, whose NibelungenHoard he perhaps already covets ;lastly the rigorous and vigorous Brun-


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XLbc 'Uibclnmcn XleD 87Mid, of whom also more is to be fearedthan hoped. Considering the fiercenature of these now mingled ingredi-ents ; and how, except perhaps in thecase ofGunther, there is no menstruumof placid stupidity to soften them ;except in Siegfried, no element ofheroic truth to master them and bindthem together,unquiet fermentationmay readily be apprehended.Meanwhile, for a season all is peace

and sunshine. Siegfried reigns inNetherland, of which his father hassurrendered him the crown ; Chriem-hild brings him a son, whom in honorof the uncle he christens Gunther,which courtesy the uncle and Brunhildrepay in kind. The Nibelungen Hoardis still open and inexhaustible ; DwarfAlberich and all the Recken there stillloyal ; outward relations friendly, in-ternal supremely prosperous : these are


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88 Zbc IRibelungen XieDhalcyon days. But, alas, they cannotlast. Queen Brunhild, retaining withtrue female tenacity her first notion,right or wrong, reflects one day thatSiegfried, who is and shall be nothingbut her husband's vassal, has for along while paid him no service ; and,determined on a remedy, manages thatSiegfried and his queen shall be in-vited to a high-tide at Worms, whereopportunity may chance for enforcingthat claim. Thither accordingly, afterten years' absence, we find these illus-trious guests returning ; Siegfriedescorted by a thousand NibelungenRitters, and, further, by his fatherSiegemund, who leads a train of Neth-erlanders. Here for eleven days,amid infinite joustings, there is a trueheaven-on-earth ; but the apple ofdiscord is already lying in the knightlyring, and two Women, the proudest


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tTbe Bibelungen XlcD 89and keenest-tempered of the world,simultaneously stoop to lift it. Aven-there Fourteenth is entitled ' ' How thetwo queens rated one another. ' ' Neverwas courtlier Billingsgate uttered, orwhich came more directly home to thebusiness and bosoms of women. Thesubject is that old story of Precedence,which indeed, from the time of Cainand Abel downwards, has wroughtsuch effusion of blood and bile bothamong men and women ; lying at thebottom of all armaments and bat-tle-fields, whether Blenheims andWaterloos, or only plate-displays,and tongue-and-eye skirmishes, in thecircle of domestic Tea : nay, the veryanimals have it ; and horses, were theybut the miserablest Shelties andWelsh ponies, will not graze togethertill it has been ascertained, bj^ clearfight, who is master of whom, and a


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go tibe Iftibelunaen XlcDproper drawing-room etiquette estab-lished.

Brunhild and Chriemhild take toarguing about the merits of their hus-bands : the latter, fondly expatiatingon the pre-eminence of her Friedel,how he walks ' ' like the moon amongstars ' ' before all other men, is remindedby her sister that one man at leastmust be excepted, the mighty KingGunther of Worms, to whom, by hisown confession long ago at Isenstein,he is vassal and servant. Chriemhildwill sooner admit that clay is abovesunbeams, than any such proposition ;which therefore she, in all politenessrequests of her sister never more totouch upon while she lives. The re-sult may be foreseen : rejoinder followsreply, statement grows assertion ; flint-sparks have fallen on the dry flax,which from smoke bursts into confla-


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^be IRibelungcn %ict> 91gration. The two queens part in hot-test, though still clear-flaming anger.Not, however, to let their anger bumout, but only to feed it with more solidfuel. Chriemhild dresses her fortymaids in finer than royal apparel ;orders out all her husband's Recken ;and so attended, walks foremost to theMinster, where mass is to be said ;thus practically asserting that she isnot only a true queen, but the worthierof the two. Brunhild, quite outdonein splendor, and enraged beyond allpatience, overtakes her at the door ofthe Minster, with peremptor}^ order tostop : " Before king's wife shall vas-sal's never go."

Then said the fair Chriemhilde, Right an-gry was her mood :

" Couldest thou but hold thy peace. It weresurely for thy good ;


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92 XLbc fUMbclnngcn XieDTh3'self hast all polluted With shame thy

fair bodye ;How can a Concubine By right a King'swife be ? "

**Whom hast thou Concubined ? " TheKing's wife quickly spake ;

**That do I thee," said Chriemhild ; *' Forthy pride and vaunting's sake ;Who first had thy fair body Was Siegfriedmy beloved Man ;

My Brother it was not That thy maidhoodfrom thee wan."In proof of which outrageous saying,

she produces that Ring and Girdle ;the innocent conquest of which, as wewell know, had a far other origin.Brunhild burst into tears ; ' ' sadderday she never saw. ' ' Nay, perhaps anew light now rose on her over muchthat had been dark in her late history ;'

' she rued full sore that ever she wasbom.*'


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Zbc IRlbelungen XlcD 93Here, then, is the black injury which

only blood will wash away. The evilfiend has begun his work ; and theissue of it lies beyond man's control.Siegfried may protest his innocence ofthat calumny, and chastise his indis-creet spouse for uttering it even in theheat of anger : the female heart iswounded beyond healing ; the oldsprings of bitterness against this herounite into a fell flood of hate ; while hesees the sunlight, she cannot know ajoyful hour. Vengeance is soon offeredher : Hagen, who lives only for hisprince, undertakes this bad service ; bytreacherous professions of attachment,and anxiety to guard Siegfried's life, hegains from Chriemhild the secret ofhis vulnerability ; Siegfried is carriedout to hunt ; and in the hour of frank-est gayety is stabbed through the fatalspot ; and, felling the murderer to the


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94 ^be Wbelungen XtcOground, dies upbraiding his false kin-dred, 5^et, with a touching simplicit}^recommending his child and wife totheir protection. '' ' I^et her feel thatshe is your sister ; was there ever vir-tue in princes, be true to her ; forme my Father and my men shall longwait.' The flowers all around werewetted with blood, then he struggledwith death ; not long did he this, theweapon cut him too keen ; so he couldspeak nought more, the Recke boldand noble. 'At this point, we might say, ends

the Third Act of our Tragedy ; thewhole story henceforth takes a darkercharacter ; it is as if a tone of sorrowand fateful boding became more andmore audible in its free, light music.Evil has produced new evil in fatalaugmentation, injury is abolished,but in its stead there is guilt and de-


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Zhc IRibeluncjen %ict> 95spair. Chriemhild, an hour ago sorich, is now robbed of all ; her griefis boundless as her love has been. Noglad thought can ever more dwell inher ; darkness, utter night has comeover her, as she looked into the redof morning. The spoiler too walksabroad unpunished ; the bleedingcorpse witnesses against Hagen, nay,he himself cares not to hide the deed.But who is there to avenge the friend-less ? Siegfried's Father has returnedin haste to his own land ; Chriemhildis now alone on the earth, her hus-band's grave is all that remains toher ; there only can she sit, as if wait-ing at the threshold of her own darkhome ; and in prayers and tears pourout the sorrow and love that have noend. Still further injuries are heapedon her : by advice of the crafty Hagen,Gunther, who had not planned the


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96 ^be mibelun^en %ict>murder, yet permitted and witnessedit, now comes with whining professionsof repentance and good-will ; per-suades her to send for the NibelungenHoard to Worms ; where no sooner isit arrived, than Hagen and the restforcibl}^ take it from her ; and her lasttrust in affection or truth from mortalis rudely cut away. Bent to the earth,she weeps only for her lost Siegfried,knows no comfort, but will weep for-ever.One lurid gleam of hope, after long

years of darkness, breaks in on her, inthe prospect of revenge. King Etzelsends from his far country to solicither hand : the embassy she hears atfirst, as a woman of ice

carlyle_the nibelungen lied - an essay (1890)

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