transcript
show notes
The Nibelungenlied has been called the Germanic Iliad. Written down in the 1200s a.d., the tale goes back to the 400s, drawing upon Germanic and Nordic history, legend, and mythology, including the Poetic Edda and the Volsungasaga. It includes the well known hero of Siegfried, who slew Fafnir and gained Balmung and the Nibelung hoard. Siegfried then seeks the hand of Kriemhild, but tragedy soon befalls them, with Kriemhild seeking revenge at great cost.
The Nibelungenlied is a Germanic epic that illustrates a different romance than English and French chivalric tales. The Nibelungenlied involves fatalism and heroic tragedy that are peculiarly German in character. The scenes are lusciously painted in high relief, with all the trappings of courtly grandeur. This only serves to make the fall even more poignant.
We have two versions: World Oxford Classics and The Nibelungenlied: with The Klage
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