NIBELUNGENLIED: Medieval Myth

 

Nibelungenlied or das Nibelungenlied is a German myth and the perfect masterpiece for medieval literature. In this period oral literature is more highlighted. So that you will see the main themes of oral language and fairy tales like kissing a cursed princess and waking her up with a kiss.

Although It is a Germanic-Scandinavian myth It is also linked to European- Hun’s mythology. That means Two cultures in mythology will be mixed. The myth is separated into two main parts. In the first part, we will see the Germanic theme but more fairy tale-legend. The other part is the part that is linked to huns.

Let’s start with the First part. The first part starts with Siegfried. Siegfried started to work with blacksmiths. He was annoying to the blacksmith. So he made a plan to get rid of him. He sent Siegfried to the forest to get some coal. Plan was clear. He would be killed by a dragon on his way to the forest. Siegfried took the sword that he made himself, then killed the dragon and burned him. While the dragon was under fire he spilled some liquid- oil. He accidentally touches his finger with that. He figured out that this liquid made armor off his finger. So He tried to cover his whole body with it but while he was covering a leaf fell on his body, the point between his shoulders back. That means there was a point he was weak. In all stories, tales even life people always used to have a weaker point. Because human is human in the end. 

Anyways Let’s keep on the myth. He was an Avenger. Here he was becoming a hero. A dragon monster attacked the city and our hero saw He was covered with armor that none of the guns could kill him. He killed that monster and become a hero. He had the treasure but would share it with the city’s kings. The kings offered that they would give him the king of the swords called Balmung. But things changed with the arrogance of the kings. They decided to kill him But Siegfried was too strong and he killed them. Their dwarf Alberic wanted to take revenge but couldn’t then he became a vassal of him. Seigfried was not in to the treasure so he picked a ring and gave up on the treasure. Alberic said that the ring would not bring any luck to him but he didn’t take a lesson. He wanted an adventure so he went to Iceland.

 

 

He saw a cursed princess and kissed her. She woke up. He gave that ring to her. She was a Valkyrie of Wodan. She was a rebel so Wodan punished her with a curse. Until Siegfried kissed her she was under the curse. Her name was Brunhild. He stayed for a while in the castle of Brünhild then left.

He was in the country of Burgundians. He was a guess for a year there until the end of his appearance he didn’t see the kriemhild the sister of Gunther. Kriemhild was aware of him and She had a crush on him. On the last day When he saw her, he wanted her as a wife but thought that never happened then He wanted to try his chance. He talked with Gunther about it. He said that if only he helped to have Brünhild as his wife, he could marry Kriemhild. He did whatever he wanted. Gunther married with Brünhild and had a son named after Siegfried. The Kriemhild and Siegfried had a son, they named him Gunther. 

Everything was fine until the fight between the wives. They were praising their husbands then it turned into competence. Then Kriemhild confesses everything that he husband did to Brünhild to marry her brother. She told that Siegfried made a trick by being invisible to marry Gunther then how he took back the ring while he was invisible. Brünhild was angry, mad, and disappointed with him. She wanted to take revenge on her husband Gunther. They made a plan that they would take him to hunt then they would kill him on the weak point of his body. Before that day the kriemhild saw a vision of her dream. Two wild pigs attacked her husband. Everything, every flower was in blood. She told the dream to her husband but he didn’t take a lesson which he did the same about the ring. Hagen killed him. She was desperate when she figured out that he died. When Hagen approached the dead body, It was bleeding which shows he was the murderer but she couldn’t prove it. She swore the god she would take revenge.

The last part begins with the revenge plan of Kriemhild. She married Etzel/ Atilla the ruler of the Huns. After years She wanted to see her country. That was the revenge time. Her plan turned into a Russian bullet. Kriemhild side killed a person on the other side, other side killed a person on Kriemhild's side. End of it All people, who should have died, died.

 

We see that women suffered from men even in fictional stories. I am just joking but We see that the dominant feature of the tales is back to ancient times. A man punishes the woman and another man saves her. And the woman should be under a sleeping curse that a hero can save her with a kiss. Another point is that You can stop a woman who is blind for revenge. As we see if a woman is mad at something she can be evil and can bring the end of everything. In mythology, many mad women do evil things and don’t care who is suffering, such as in Lilith’s story or Aphrodite. OH, that is another text on the way. Spoiler alert!!!

 

Don’t mess with a woman, especially with a mom...