Editing Nibelungenlied (section)

==Synopsis==
===Opening stanza===
The famous opening of the ''Nibelungenlied'' is actually thought to be an addition by the adaptor of the  "*C" version of the ''Nibelungenlied'', as it does not appear in the manuscript of B, which probably represents the earlier version.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=192}}{{efn|The complicated meter of the stanza, with internal rhyme, is taken as further evidence that it is not original.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=37}}}} It may have been inspired by the prologue of the ''[[Nibelungenklage]]''.{{sfn|Heinzle|2013|p=1036}}

;Original (MS C){{sfn|Bartsch|Boor|1997|p=1|ps=, {{!}}{{!}} indicates a [[caesura]]}}
:Uns ist in alten mæren {{!}}{{!}} wunders vil geseit
:von helden lobebæren,{{!}}{{!}} von grôzer arebeit,
:von fröuden, hôchgezîten, {{!}}{{!}} von weinen und von klagen,
:von küener recken strîten {{!}}{{!}} muget ir nu wunder hœren sagen.

;Modern German{{sfn|Heinzle|2013|p=1036}}
:Uns ist in alten Geschichten viel Staunenswertes gesagt
:von ruhmwürdigen Helden, von großer Mühsal (im Kampf),
:von Freuden und Festen, von Weinen und Klagen,
:vom Kampf kühner Helden könnt ihr jetzt viel Staunenswertes sagen hören.

;English{{sfn|Edwards|2010|p=5}}
:In ancient tales many marvels are told us:
:of renowned heroes worthy of praise, of great hardship,
:of joys, festivities, of weeping and lamenting,
:of bold warriors' battles—now you may hear such marvels told.

Manuscript B instead begins with the introduction of [[Kriemhild]], the protagonist of the work.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=192}}

===Part 1===
Kriemhild grows up as a beautiful woman in [[Worms, Germany|Worms]], the capital of the  [[Burgundians|Burgundian kingdom]], under the protection of her brothers [[Gunther]], Gernot, and Giselher. There she has a dream portending doom, in which she raises a falcon that is killed by two eagles. Her mother explains that this means she will love a man who will be killed; Kriemhild thus swears to remain unmarried.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=181}}{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=37}}

At the same time, the young Siegfried is receiving his courtly education in the Netherlands; he is dubbed a knight and decides that he will go to Worms to ask for Kriemhild as his wife. The story of how Siegfried slew a dragon, winning a large hoard of gold, and then bathed in the dragon's blood to receive an impenetrable skin is then recounted by [[Hagen (legend)|Hagen]], one of Gunther's vassals, when the Burgundians see Siegfried approaching. Siegfried lives in Worms for a year without seeing Kriemhild before Siegfried helps Gunther fight against attack by the Saxons and Danes. Because of his valor in combat, he is finally allowed to see Kriemhild.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=181}}{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=38}}

[[File:Johann Heinrich Füssli 003.jpg|220px|thumb|Gunther's wedding night ([[Johann Heinrich Füssli]] 1807)]]
Gunther decides that he wishes to take the Icelandic queen [[Brunhild|Brünhild]] as his wife. However, Brünhild is supernaturally strong and challenges those seeking her hand in marriage in various martial and physical contests, killing the losers. Therefore, Gunther wants Siegfried's help; Siegfried tells Gunther he shouldn't marry Brünhild, but is convinced to help by Gunther's promise that he will let him marry Kriemhild in exchange. Arriving in Iceland, Siegfried claims to be Gunther's [[vassal]] and uses his magical cloak of invisibility ({{lang|de|Tarnkappe}}) to secretly help Gunther win in all of the contests and Brünhilt agrees to return to Worms and marry Gunther. Once they have returned, Siegfried ask Kriemhild to marry him; this displeases Brünhild, as she believes Siegfried to be a vassal while Kriemhild is the daughter of a king. When Gunther does not explain why he is letting a vassal marry his sister, Brünhild refuses to sleep with him on their wedding night, instead tying him up and hanging him from a hook. The next night, Gunther asks Siegfried to wrestle Brünhild into submission using his {{lang|de|Tarnkappe}}; Siegfried takes Brünhilds belt and ring as a trophy and then lets Gunther take her virginity, causing her to lose her strength.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=38-39}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=181-182}}

After the wedding, Siegfried and Kriemhild return to the Netherlands. Before they do, Kriemhild wants to ask for her part of the inheritance from her brothers, but Siegfried advises her not to. Kriemhild wishes to take Hagen with her, but he refuses. Many years pass. In the Netherlands, Siegfried and Kriemhild are crowned; both couples have a son.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=182}}{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=39}}

[[File:Siegfrieds Tod.jpg|thumb|220px|"Siegfried's Death" ([[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], 1847)]]

Brünhild is unhappy that Siegfried, whom she still believes to be Gunther's vassal, never comes to pay tribute. She convinces Gunther to invite Siegfried and Kriemhild to Worms for a feast. However, she and Kriemhild soon begin arguing about which of their husband's has the higher rank. The conflict peaks when both Kriemhild and Brünhild arrive at the cathedral at the same time; the higher ranking one should enter first. Brünhild repeats her assertion that Siegfried is a vassal, after which Kriemhild claims that Siegfried, not Gunther, took Brünhild's virginity, producing the ring and belt as proof. Siegfried and Gunther afterwards deny this, but Brünhild remains offended. Hagen advises Gunther to have Siegfried murdered.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=39-40}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|pp=182-183}}

[[File:Nibelungenlied manuscript-k.jpg|thumb|The death of Siegfried. {{lang|de|Nibelungenlied}} manuscript K.]]
Hagen goes to Kriemhild and tells her that there is a new war brewing against the Saxons; he would like to know where Siegfried is vulnerable so that he can protect him. Kriemhild agrees to mark the spot between Siegfried's shoulder blades where a leaf had prevented his skin from becoming invulnerable. Rather than a war, however, Gunther invites Siegfried to go hunting. When Siegfried is bent over a spring to drink water, Hagen spears him in the back, killing him. The body is placed in front of Kriemhild's door. Kriemhild immediately suspects Gunther and Hagen and her suspicions are confirmed when [[Cruentation|Siegfried's corpse bleeds]] in Hagen's presence. Siegfried is buried and Kriemhild chooses to stay in Worms, eventually officially reconciling with Hagen and her brothers though she stays in mourning. Hagen has Siegfried's hoard taken from her. Kriemhild remains unmarried for 13 years.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=183}}{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=41-42}}

===Part 2===
After the death of his first wife, Helche, Etzel, the king of the Huns, chooses to ask Kriemhild to marry him. All of the Burgundians except for Hagen are in favor of the match. Kriemhild only agrees after Etzel's messenger, Margrave [[Rüdiger von Bechelaren]], swears loyalty to her personally and she realizes she can use the Huns to gain revenge on Siegfried's murderers. Before her departure, she demands Siegfried's treasure but Hagen refuses her.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=42}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=183}} After seven years as Etzel's wife, Kriemhild bears him a son, Ortlieb, and after thirteen years, she convinces Etzel to invite her brothers and Hagen to a feast. In Worms, Hagen advises against traveling to Etzel's castle, but Gunther and his brothers believe that Kriemhild has reconciled with them and decide to go. Nevertheless, they take Hagen's advice to travel with an army.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=43}}

The departure of the Burgundians, who are now increasingly called [[Nibelung]]s, is accompanied by various ill omens, but these are all dismissed by Hagen. When the Burgundians are about to cross the Danube in Bavaria, Hagen encounters three [[Nixie (folklore)|nixies]], who prophecy to him that only the king's chaplain will return from Etzel's hall. To try to prove the prophecy false, Hagen throws the chaplain overboard from the ferry, but he swims to shore and returns to Worms. Hagen then destroys the ferry once they have landed to show that there can be no return. When the Bavarians attack the Burgundians in order to avenge their ferryman, whom Hagen had killed, Hagen takes control of the defense and defeats them. The Burgundians then arrive in Etzel's kingdom and are welcomed to the city of [[Pöchlarn|Bechelaren]] by the Margrave Rüdiger; on Hagen's suggestion, Rüdiger betroths his daughter to Gisleher and gives Gernot a sword and Hagen a shield.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=43}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=184}}

When the Burgundians arrive at Etzelnburg, they are warned by [[Dietrich von Bern]] that Kriemhild hates them. Kriemhild greets only Gisleher with a kiss and asks Hagen if he has brought with him what he took from her; later, she approaches him wearing her crown and in the company of many armed men. Hagen refuses to stand up for Kriemhild and places Siegfried's sword across her legs; recognizing it, Kriemhild's accompanying Huns still refuse to attack Hagen. Etzel, meanwhile, is clueless about these events and welcomes his guests warmly.{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=184}}{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=43-44}}

Hagen advises the Burgundians to remain armed. Fighting almost breaks out at a tournament when the Burgundian [[Volker von Alzey]] kills a Hun in a joust, but Etzel is able to prevent it. Kriemhild then seeks to convince Dietrich von Bern and [[Hildebrand]] to attack the Burgundians; they refuse, but Etzel's brother Bloedelin agrees. At the following feast, Kriemhild has her and Etzel's son Ortlieb brought into the hall. Bloedelin then attacks and kills the Burgundian squires outside the feast hall, but is killed by Hagen's brother, Dankwart. When Dankwart, the sole survivor, enters the hall and reports the attack, Hagen beheads Ortlieb, and fighting breaks out within the feast hall itself. The Huns are unarmed and slaughtered, but Dietrich and Hildebrand arrange for Etzel, Kriemhild, Rüdiger, and their own men to exit the hall.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|p=44}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=184}}

[[File:Der Saalbrand Hundeshagenscher Kodex.jpeg|thumb|The Huns set fire to Etzel's hall with the Burgundians inside. Illumination from the Hundeshagenscher Codex (mid-15th century).]]
The Burgundians barricade themselves in the hall, which is besieged by Etzel's warriors. Various Hunnish attempts to attack are repulsed, but a truce cannot be agreed because Kriemhild demands that Hagen be handed over to her. Kriemhild orders the hall set on fire, but the Burgundians survive. The next day, Etzel and Kriemhild force Rüdiger to enter the battle, although he is bound by guest-friendship and kinship to the Burgundians. He fights Gernot and the two kill each other. Rüdiger's death causes Dietrich von Bern's heroes to intervene, although Dietrich has told them not to. The conflict leads to the death of all the Burgundians except Hagen and Gunther, and all of Dietrich's heroes except for his mentor Hildebrand. Dietrich himself now fights and takes Hagen and Gunther prisoner.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=45-46}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|pp=184-185}}

Kriemhild demands that Hagen give her back what he has taken from her. He convinces her that he will tell her where Siegfried's hoard is if she first kills Gunther, but afterwards tells her that now she will never learn. Kriemhild kills Hagen with Siegfried's sword. That this great hero has been killed by a woman sickens Etzel, Dietrich, and Hildebrand. Hagen's death so enrages Hildebrand that he kills Kriemhild.{{sfn|Lienert|2015|pp=46-47}}{{sfn|Millet|2008|p=185}}