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    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied"
    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied"
    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied"
    Ebook62 pages1 hour

    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied"

    By Gale and Cengage

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    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Epics for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Epics for Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateSep 20, 2016
    ISBN9781535829533
    A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied"

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      Book preview

      A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Nibelungenlied" - Gale

      10

      Nibelungenlied

      Anonymous

      C. 1200

      Introduction

      The Nibelungenlied is a German epic poem that was written sometime around 1200, probably in what is modern-day Austria. The title means Song of the Nibelungs. Nibelungen is the plural of Nibelung, which refers to the dynasty that is conquered by the hero or protagonist of the epic, the dragon-slayer Siegfried. The word lied means lay, which is a Germanic word for a song, poem or lyric. The poem exists in thirty-five manuscripts, but three main versions represent the story as modern readers know it. Many modern editions are in prose rather than poetry.

      The Nibelungenlied has enjoyed wide readership for so many centuries because much is known about the historical context of the poem and its literary sources in mythology and legend. With its story of heroes, romance, courtly manners, deception, and revenge, the work has been enjoyed for its adventurous plot, its literary qualities, and its array of complex characters.

      The legend of the Nibelungs arose from the historical destruction in about year 437 of the Burgundian kingdom on the Rhine River by Etzel's army of Huns (later identified in legend with the army of Attila the Hun). Many characters in the Nibelungenlied have some historical basis, too. Gunther was king of Burgundy, and Dietrich is thought to be based on The odoric the Ostrogoth, who was king of Italy in 493. The events in the poem, however, were altered and combined with legends when the story was first written down for a medieval audience, likely around 1200.

      A version of the Nibelungenlied was first translated into modern German in 1757 and titled Kriemhild's Revenge. Many more modern German translations and prose versions followed, but no English translation appeared until 1814. The first complete English prose version appeared in 1848, and many more followed.

      The Nibelungenlied celebrates the achievements, adventures, and battles of several heroic figures. It contains elements of romance as well, such as tales of knights, courtly behavior, and chivalry.

      The Nibelungenlied does not have a specific moral message. However, it raises important questions about the nature of loyalty, honor, and what constitutes tragedy. Its structure, character development, and use of foreshadowing have drawn critical attention. In 2009, the three main manuscripts were inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of their historical significance. Paperback editions are abundantly available, including ones from Yale University Press (2008) and Oxford University Press (2010).

      Author Biography

      The author of the Nibelungenlied is unknown. He is thought to have been an Austrian from the Danube region, either a minstrel poet (a traveling poet or one associated with a court), a knight, or a clergyman associated with court life. Some critics doubt the author was a knight because the epic does not contain much detail about military skill and technique, despite the numerous battle scenes. Critics believe that the so-called final version of the poem was written by only one person because of its consistent tone, language, and action. Considering these last two points, the arguments of Berta Lo¨ sel-Wieland-Engelmann in a 1980 article for a German journal on language and literature is all the more convincing, that a nun in a convent of Passau-Niedenburg wrote the epic. After all, female poets were not unknown in Norse and Germanic cultures of that time. It was also conventional not to sign literary works, so many written works that survive from the Middle Ages (the years 500 through 1500, approximately) are unsigned.

      Plot Summary

      Chapter 1

      The Nibelungenlied opens with an exhortation to the reader to expect a tale of brave knights and furious battles. The main site of the action is the land of the Burgundians, which is ruled by the three brothers: Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher. They have a beautiful sister, Kriemhild, and live in the city of Worms (pronounced VORMS) on

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