Audiobook7 hours
The Fall of the Nibelungs
Written by Margaret Armour
Narrated by Michael Wolf and Phil Schempf
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
The Nibelungenlied (Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Fall of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The Nibelungenlied is based on an oral tradition of Germanic heroic legend that has some of its origin in historic events and individuals of the 5th and 6th centuries and that spread throughout almost all of Germanic-speaking Europe. Parallels to the German poem from Scandinavia are found especially in the heroic lays of the Poetic Edda and in the Völsunga saga.
The poem is split into two parts: in the first part, Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther. Gunther agrees to let Siegfried marry Kriemhild if Siegfried helps Gunther acquire the warrior-queen Brünhild as his wife. Siegfried does this and marries Kriemhild; however Brünhild and Kriemhild become rivals, leading eventually to Siegfried's murder by the Burgundian vassal Hagen with Gunther's involvement. In the second part, the widow Kriemhild is married to Etzel, king of the Huns. She later invites her brother and his court to visit Etzel's kingdom intending to kill Hagen. Her revenge results in the death of all the Burgundians who came to Etzel's court as well as the destruction of Etzel's kingdom and the death of Kriemhild herself.
The Nibelungenlied was the first heroic epic put into writing in Germany, helping to found a larger genre of written heroic poetry. The poem's tragedy appears to have bothered its medieval audience, and very early on a sequel was written, the Nibelungenklage, which made the tragedy less final. The poem was forgotten after around 1500, but was rediscovered in 1755. Dubbed the "German Iliad", the Nibelungenlied began a new life as the German national epic. The poem was appropriated for nationalist purposes and was heavily used in anti-democratic, reactionary, and Nazi propaganda before and during the Second World War. Its legacy today is most visible in Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which, however, is mostly based on Old Norse sources. In 2009, the three main manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied were inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of their historical significance. It has been called "one of the most impressive, and certainly the most powerful, of the German epics of the Middle Ages".
The poem is split into two parts: in the first part, Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther. Gunther agrees to let Siegfried marry Kriemhild if Siegfried helps Gunther acquire the warrior-queen Brünhild as his wife. Siegfried does this and marries Kriemhild; however Brünhild and Kriemhild become rivals, leading eventually to Siegfried's murder by the Burgundian vassal Hagen with Gunther's involvement. In the second part, the widow Kriemhild is married to Etzel, king of the Huns. She later invites her brother and his court to visit Etzel's kingdom intending to kill Hagen. Her revenge results in the death of all the Burgundians who came to Etzel's court as well as the destruction of Etzel's kingdom and the death of Kriemhild herself.
The Nibelungenlied was the first heroic epic put into writing in Germany, helping to found a larger genre of written heroic poetry. The poem's tragedy appears to have bothered its medieval audience, and very early on a sequel was written, the Nibelungenklage, which made the tragedy less final. The poem was forgotten after around 1500, but was rediscovered in 1755. Dubbed the "German Iliad", the Nibelungenlied began a new life as the German national epic. The poem was appropriated for nationalist purposes and was heavily used in anti-democratic, reactionary, and Nazi propaganda before and during the Second World War. Its legacy today is most visible in Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which, however, is mostly based on Old Norse sources. In 2009, the three main manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied were inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of their historical significance. It has been called "one of the most impressive, and certainly the most powerful, of the German epics of the Middle Ages".
Related to The Fall of the Nibelungs
Related audiobooks
Beowulf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeowulf Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Fall of the Nibelungs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beowulf: The Original Manuscript Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mabinogion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Njáls Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story of the Volsungs: The Volsunga Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Le Morte d'Arthur: The Whole Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights of the Round Table Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poems of the Elder Edda: Classics in Norse Literature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kalevala Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Norse Myths: Digitally narrated using a synthesized voice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLe Morte D'Arthur Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of Roland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poetic Edda Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths: Booktrack Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Germany and The Agricola Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAncient Scottish Tales: Traditional, Romantic & Legendary Folk and Fairy Tales of the Highlands Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Knyghte's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Idylls of the King Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wisdom of the Cymry: Translated from the Welsh Triads Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jason and the Argonauts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry Of Alfred Lord Tennyson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Paradise Lost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Havamal: The Words of Odin the High One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Song of Roland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Classics For You
The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Old Man and the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Sherlock Holmes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frankenstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fountainhead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #1 Multi-Voice, A: The Bad Beginning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Atlas Shrugged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crucible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5War & Peace - Volume I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perks of Being a Wallflower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Schindler's List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers in the Attic: 40th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Kill a Mockingbird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/520,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tale of Two Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Name of the Rose Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Blind: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Prejudice: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Ships: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Farewell to Arms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prince: Machiavelli Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Fall of the Nibelungs
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
1 rating0 reviews