The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs (Oxford World's Classics)
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Wallachians: Romance-speaking habitants of Romania.
Pechenegs: a Turkic people living in the Steppes between the sixth and twelfth centuries.
welcome the proud king here: here the translation follows Bartsch’s reading in emphasizing the special importance assigned to Rüedeger. De Boor’s reading is: ‘the proud king wishes to welcome you here.’
the queen’s wealth: here again the translation follows Bartsch, while de Boor has, less cynically, ‘the good queen’. Strophe 2129 confirms Bartsch’s interpretation.
that he should kindly grant her: the switch from direct to indirect speech is characteristic of the heroic epic, occurring also in the Old High German Hildebrandslied, the only heroic lay to survive from the Carolingian epoch.
took their silver and garments from them: another allusion to the notorious robbers of Bavaria.
willing to accept the clothes: usually minstrels, travelling people, are the recipients of such gifts rather than their generous donors.
long-toothed in vengeance: the original has the rare compound adjective lancrœche.
Rumolt’s counsel: this famous passage is alluded to in Book VII of Wolfram’s Parzival (p. 178). See Introduction, p. xiii.
The skiffs had been made ready: these are the boats to transport the army to the east bank of the Rhine.
Nibelunc: from this point onwards the name Nibelungs (Nibelungen) is also applied to the Burgundians, as reflected in the titles of the poem: ‘The Lay of the Nibelungs’ or ‘The Downfall of the Nibelungs’.
floating … like birds on the waves: the portrayal of the water-sprites is strikingly similar to that of Morgan le Fay in Hartmann von Aue’s Erec (c.1180): ‘Both in the air and on the ground | she could hover at rest, | living on the waves and beneath them’ (5254–6).
fierce sword-work: literally, the ferryman suffers ‘sword-fierce death’; swertgrimmic is a nonce-word.
chapel-baggage: portable chapels were set up in tents. Thus in Wolfram’s Parzival, in Sir Gawan’s train: ‘Many a packhorse had to carry chapels and chamber-apparel’ (p. 280). The compound kappelsoum here is, however, unique.
Möhringen: or Mehring? The identification is uncertain. Möhringen lies on the Danube below Pföring, near Tuttlingen. Großmehring is another possibility. The Danubian routes of the Nibelungs have been much discussed.
Who held their chargers for them: a reference to twelfth-century tournament practice. Squires would hold the knights’ horses for them when they had been unhorsed.
ran at one another: the combat between Hagen and Gelpfrat follows that familiar from the tournament. An undecided joust on horseback is followed by hand-to-hand combat on foot.
‘I’ll be the judge of that!’: more literally, ‘I shall be the one who parts them’ or ‘the umpire’. This is jousting terminology of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, which goes together with the use of couched lances in this encounter.
to meet the messenger: a gesture of courtesy commonly found in courtly romance.
counterfeit ladies’ complexions: as in strophe 592, the poet objects, like his contemporary Wolfram von Eschenbach, to the use of make-up.
He seemed so fearsome … omitted to kiss him: at the end of the Latin epic Waltharius Hagen has lost an eye in combat against Walther, which may explain his fearsome aspect. The Old Icelandic Saga of Thidrek characteristically goes into more detail: ‘Högni, his [Gunnar’s] brother, had black hair that hung down with some curl in it. He was long-faced, and had a large nose and hanging brows. His face was grim and he had only one eye. He was rather fierce and bold. He was tall and stout in all his limbs, and when he put on his armour, he was noble in appearance, but still frightening’ (Edward R. Haymes (tr.), The Saga of Thidrek of Bern (New York and London: Garland, 1988), 116).
Ribald talk: ‘boisterous remarks’, or perhaps ‘merry ditties’. The involvement of Volker suggests an element of performance, and the word spräche, ‘sayings, remarks’, can also denote songs. A few salacious ditties have survived from the pre-courtly (Old High German) period. Bestknown of these is Hirsch und Hinde (‘Hart and Hind’): ‘Hart whispered | into hind’s ear: | “D’you want more, hind?”’ This is preserved, together with a melody, in a manuscript of c.900. These ditties might have been performed sotto voce, as opposed to Volker’s public pronouncement that follows.
Since the king had accepted gifts: precedence obtains with regard to the giving and accepting of gifts, Gunther’s acceptance preceding the offer made to his vassal.
Nuodunc’s death: Nuodunc, son of Rüedeger, has been slain by Witege, an event alluded to in the Dietrich epics, in which Nuodunc is a supporter of Dietrich.
Hildebrant of Bern: Hildebrant is the hero of the only surviving Old High German heroic lay, the Hildebrandslied, preserved in a manuscript of the early ninth century. As in that lay, he is in the service of Dietrich of Bern (Verona), historically Theodoric the Ostrogoth (d. AD 526).
Wolfhart: in the Dietrich epics Wolf hart, son of Amelunc, is the hothead among Dietrich’s vassals.
this sword: the sword is Balmunc, Sivrit’s sword.
Walther eloped with Hiltegunt: Walther is the hero of the Latin lay Waltharius and the Old English lay Waldere, in both of which he elopes from Etzel’s court with Hiltegunt.
beneath their silk: the manuscripts vary here, with only the later C group having ‘silk’. Bartsch suggests that it is because of the armour beneath the silk that the Huns are so broad-chested.
the harm and the loss: the original has here a rhetorical device rare in the poem, figura etymologica. A literal translation would read: ‘the harmful harm’.
the man of Spain: i.e. Walther. See note to p. 160 above.
when a friend stands in friendship alongside a friend: another instance of figura etymologica. This whole strophe has a proverbial ring.
jostle you: the jostling is standard court practice, but in this instance Volker fears there may be an attempt on the Burgundians’ lives.
beds: the beds are communal rather than individual, as was customary in the Middle Ages.
Schrutan and Gibeche: in the Dietrich epic Biterolf Schrutan is Duke of Meran, and both he and Gibeche are in Etzel’s service.
Ramunc and Hornboge: these men of Etzel also figure in Btterolf and other Dietrich epics.
caparisons: the horses’ cloth covering, often ornamental.
have a thrashing: the wording of the original is obscure at this point.
thrust their chargers back: the Burgundians are preparing to do battle on foot.
brought the water: see note to p. 59 above.
Nuodunc’s bride: the MHG has Nuodunges wîp, ‘Nuodunc’s wife’, which contradicts the description of her as a ‘maiden’. De Boor suggests that wîp may mean ‘destined wife’ here, and this is confirmed by ‘Nuodunc’s bride’ in strophe 1927. Wîp | lîp (‘body, person, self’) is one of the most common rhyme-pairs in the Nibelungenlied.
your sister’s son: it was a common custom among Germanic peoples for a nephew to be brought up at his uncle’s court.
I was a small child when Sivrit lost his life: this is at odds with the portrayal of earlier events. It is unlikely that Dancwart’s words are spoken out of cowardice. More probably, this is a reflection of an earlier version of the poem.
drink love: de Boor, and following him, Hatto, see this as a reference to the Germanic custom of drinking to the memory of the dead. Whether or not this be the case, Hagen’s words are certainly ironic.
flung his shield onto his back: the gesture denotes that Hagen has no further thought of defence, only attack.
the devil of a lot: or possibly ‘the Devil’s work’. Dietrich is rebuking his hot-headed follower, but whether he is objecting to his words or his lack of prowess is unclear.
to profit by that: the Hun hopes to escape incognito in Dietrich’s company.
lays: a problematic term here, as a leich normally denotes, c.1200, a lengthy hymn. Possibly ‘hymn’ would be a closer tran
slation.
lodgings further off from the hall: Volker’s javelin is thrown to keep the Huns further away.
the people’s protector: a title given to Etzel in recognition of his fame.
reached for their swords: this is a deviation from the customary sequence of battle c.1200, when mounted combat with couched lances was succeeded by sword-play. The javelins belong, perhaps, to an earlier age.
Waske: Walther uses the same sword in the Dietrich epic Biterolf
the sword threshed about wildly in his hand: Sivrit’s sword Balmunc seems to be acquiring a life of its own at this point.
deathly fierce: a compound, mortgrimmec in the original, which does not occur elsewhere.
shifted his shield higher over his helmet-straps: Irinc is attempting to protect himself from sword-blows coming from above.
worthily: the adverb varies in the three main manuscripts, and consequently in editions too. A has ‘amicably’, which echoes ‘in friendship’ in strophe 2092; C has ‘well’; ‘worthily’ is based on B.
spouse: MHG wine, an archaic word for beloved or husband.
must place their full trust in you: a problematic line. De Boor argues that these words were spoken by Giselher in an older (now lost) version of the poem. Mowatt and Sacker see this as a ‘momentary fusion of Gernot and Giselher into a sort of composite son-figure … helped by Rüedeger’s distribution of gifts between them. Giselher gets his daughter, and becomes his son-in-law; Gernot gets his sword, and becomes symbolically his heir and superseder.’ The ‘Nibelungenlied’: An Interpretative Commentary (Aylesbury: University of Toronto Press, 1967), 138.
bright mail had to be discoloured: as the two antagonists make their way to one another, anyone standing in the way is killed or wounded by a sword hewing through his mail.
down to his helmet-straps: Rüedeger had been holding his shield above his helmet to protect him.
Alas for my brother: this speech is generally attributed to Gunther.
Helpfrich: like many of the characters in the penultimate chapter, a familiar figure in the Dietrich epics, for example in Alpharts Tod and Biterolf.
done us great service: in the Dietrich epic, the Rabenschlacht (The Battle of Ravenna), Rüedeger mediates between Etzel and Dietrich when Etzel’s sons, who were committed to Dietrich’s care, are killed.
battle-bold: the compound only occurs here.
Sigestap: brother of Wolf hart, nephew of Hildebrant, a giant-killer in the Dietrich epics.
Wolfwin: another figure who would have been familiar to the audience from the Dietrich epics.
Wolfprant: brother of Wolfwin and Ritschart in the Dietrich epic Biterolf.
Helmnot: Helmnot of Tuscany figures in other Dietrich epics. In Alpharts Tod he is also one of Dietrich’s men.
what my lord has sent you for: Hildebrant appears to be going beyond his instructions. This may hark back to an older version of the story.
forbade us to do battle here: again, there seems to be a discrepancy in the narrative here.
Ritschart: a figure in the Dietrich epics, brother of Wolfwin and Wolfbrant in Biterolf.
Gerbart: a figure in many Dietrich epics, brother of Wichart in Biterolf
Wichart: a figure in many Dietrich epics, brother of Gerbart in Biterolf.
I ordered that he be denied them: this contradicts strophe 2264, in which it is stated that Gunther is at first willing to hand over Rüedeger’s body, and it is Volker who refuses.
when Walther of Spain slew so many of his friends: in the medieval Latin Waltharius, which dates from the tenth (or possibly ninth) century, Hagen (Hagano) at first refuses to fight against his friend and fellow-exile Waltharius, although he is pressed to do so by Gunther (Guntharius). He does not actually sit on his shield, but the expression symbolizes his reluctance to do battle.
his heart’s foe: the expression only occurs here.
The Nibelungs’ Doom: this title, only formulated at the end of the poem, is well evidenced in the manuscripts.
GLOSSARY OF PEOPLE AND PLACES
THE spelling of proper names varies considerably in the manuscripts, and also in the principal edition used; an attempt at standardization has been made here. Personal names have for the most part been left in their original Middle High German forms, rather than being Wagnerized, as often happens, e.g. ‘Siegfried’, ‘Brunhilde’. Place-names have been given their modern equivalents, e.g. Pöchlarn (MHG Bechelâren). Exceptions have been made, for example, with regard to Dietrich of Bern, whose toponymic is an integral part of his name; Theodoric of Verona would sound odd in the German context. Hagen remains Hagen of Tronege, given the uncertainty with regard to the place-name. Where the names differ from the standardized MHG spelling, the latter has been given in brackets. The circumflex denotes a long vowel. Otherwise vowels are pronounced short, except for diphthongs, where the main emphasis is on the first of the two vowels.
Albrich (Albrîch) a dwarf in the land of the Nibelungs
Aldrian (Aldriân) father of Hagen and Dancwart
Alzey town north-west of Worms, in the Rhineland Palatinate, home of Volker
Amelrich (Amelrîch) Bavarian vassal of Else, brother of the Danubian ferryman
Amelungs (Amelungen, also der Amelungen lant) dynastic name, and name of the realm of Dietrich of Bern
Arabia (Arâbî, Arâbîn) source of rich silks
Arras (Arraz) Flemish city, famed for textiles
Astolt lord resident in Melk
Austria (Ôsterlant, also Ôsterrîche)
Azagouc fictitious oriental country, source of silk, also in Wolfram’s Parzival
Balmunc Sivrit’s sword
Bavaria (der Beyer lant, Beyerlant, Peyer lant)
Bern home of Dietrich and Hildebrant (historically Verona). Dietrich is sometimes referred to as ‘the man of Bern’ (der Bernœre), as is his vassal Wolf hart
Blœdelin (Blœdelîn; also Blœdel) of Hungary, brother of Etzel
Botelunc father of Etzel
Burgundians (Burgonden) inhabitants of Burgundy
Burgundy (Burgonden lant, Burgonden) kingdom of Gunther and his brothers
Dancrat (Dancrât) husband of Uote, father of the Burgundian kings
Dancwart son of Aldrian, Hagen’s younger brother, marshal of the Burgundian kings
Danes (Tenen) men of Denmark (Tenemarke, Tenelant)
Danube (Tuonouwe) oft-crossed river
Denmark (Tenemarke, Tenelant) land of Liudegast
Dietrich of Bern (Dietrich von Berne) King of the Amelungs, in exile at Etzel’s court (historically Theodoric the Ostrogoth)
East Franconia (Ôstervranken) on the Burgundians’ route to Hungary
Eckewart Count and margrave of the Burgundians
Eferding (Everdingen) town near the south bank of the Danube in Upper Austria
Elbe name of the river
Else Lord of the march in Bavaria, on the southern bank of the Danube; brother of Gelpfrat
Enns (Ense) river in Upper Austria; also Austria’s oldest town
Etzel King of the Huns (historically Attila the Hun)
Etzelnburc Etzel’s residence in Hungary. Possibly Gran (Esztergom)
Gelpfrat (Gelpfrât) Margrave of Bavaria, brother of Else
Gerbart (Gerbârt) one of Dietrich’s men
Gere (Gêre) Duke and margrave, kinsman of the Burgundian kings
Gernot (Gernôt) son of Dancrat and Uote, second of the Burgundian kings
Gibeche a Hunnish king at Etzel’s court
Giselher (Gîselher) youngest of the Burgundian kings
Gotelint Margravine, wife of Rüedeger, cousin of Dietrich
Gran (Etzelnburc) town where Etzel is resident in the Twenty-fourth Adventure (Esztergom in Hungary)
Greece (Kriechen) Greek warriors are present at Etzel’s court
Gunther son of Dancrat and Uote, eldest of the Burgundian kings
Gunther son of Sivrit and Kriemhilt
Hadeburc a water-sprite
&n
bsp;