The Nibelungenlied
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
An epic tale of heroism and treachery, romance and revenge, The Nibelungenlied — perhaps best known as the source for Wagner's Ring cycle — has entertained readers for centuries. This prose translation of the ancient poem offers a gripping account of the downfall of a royal house, the Burgundians, of Nibelungen.
Written by an unknown poet at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, this saga draws on legends from Scandinavian and German literature. The first half recounts the life and death of Sifrid (Siegfried), the dragon-slaying superman who possesses a magic treasure and whose matchless bravery and strength can only be undone through betrayal. In the second half, Sifrid's noble queen Kriemhilde carries out a year-long quest for vengeance, destroying not only thousands of her countrymen but all of her kinsmen as well. This fine translation will appeal to all lovers of epics and tales in the chivalric tradition, as well as to students of Germanic and Scandinavian literature.
Related to The Nibelungenlied
Titles in the series (60)
Great Love Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Select Short Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selected Federalist Papers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/528 Great Inaugural Addresses: From Washington to Reagan Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Looking Backward Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Man Who Would Be King: and Other Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Droll Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mill on the Floss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Speeches by Native Americans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Revolt of "Mother" and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTarzan of the Apes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As You Like It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Speeches of the 20th Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Flowers of Saint Francis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story of an African Farm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Carols: Complete Verses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Bottomless Grave: and Other Victorian Tales of Terror Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Open Boat and Other Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Poems and Songs Celebrating America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Walden; Or, Life in the Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poems and Songs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poems of Faith Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Twelve Classic One-Act Plays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHedda Gabler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Koran: Selected Suras Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Civil War Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Way of the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related ebooks
The Nibelungenlied Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBelmont Castle: or Suffering Sensibility Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Norse, Celtic and Teutonic Legends Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5EPICS AND ROMANCES OF THE MIDDLE AGES - 23 epic medival romances and myths Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuotes and Images from Celebrated Crimes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lay of the Nibelung Men Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dedalus Book of Medieval Literature: The Grin of the Gargoyle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South Wind (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spanish Tragedy (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nibelungenlied Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGermany: A Literary Anthology: Beyond the Enchanted Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Germans: Double History Of A Nation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road to Damascus, a Trilogy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pilgrims of The Rhine: "A reform is a correction of abuses; a revolution is a transfer of power" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Borgias Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing John Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5South Wind (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celebrated Crimes (complete) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAspects of the Novel (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dove in the Eagle's Nest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Celebrated Crimes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vampire: His Kith and Kin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dove in the Eagle's Nest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCelebrated Crimes (The Borgias, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Cenci, Massacres of the South, Mary Stuart and many more) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAspects of the Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wine-ghosts of Bremen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBulfinch's Medieval Mythology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Classics For You
The Master & Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Odyssey: (The Stephen Mitchell Translation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights (with an Introduction by Mary Augusta Ward) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Women (Seasons Edition -- Winter) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Confederacy of Dunces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Farewell to Arms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn French! Apprends l'Anglais! THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: In French and English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jungle: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sense and Sensibility (Centaur Classics) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As I Lay Dying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Things They Carried Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Count of Monte-Cristo English and French Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses: With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scarlet Letter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tinkers: 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Nibelungenlied
263 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Diese Ausgabe von Reclam beinhaltet nicht nur eine Abschrift der mittelhochdeutschen Variante der Handschrift B, sondern auch eine dazugehörige Übersetzung samt Anhang mit Inhaltsgabe der einzelnen Aventiuren, Kommentare, Anmerkungen zu Unterschieden in den verschiedenen Handschriften, Hinweise auf verschiedene Schreibweisen, usw.
Alles in allem ist das Nibelungenlied der perfekte Beweis dafür, dass maßlose Übertreibung angeblich wahrheitsgetreuer Erzählungen keine neue Erfindung ist. So mäht Siegfried nicht nur einmal seine Gegner nieder, sondern ist die schiere Anzahl der Weggefährten der Charaktere äußerst unglaublich (so zieht Gunther an einer Stelle mit über zehntausend Recken und neuntausend Knappen aus, die von Hagen außerdem noch mit einem Boot, das später plötzlich ein Schiff ist, über einen Fluss gesetzt werden).
Davon abgesehen hat mich am meisten irritiert, dass ständig vorgegriffen wurde. So gibt es ständig Strophen in denen erwähnt wird, welches Schicksal die jeweils vorkommende Figur ereilen wird, bzw. dass dieser keine gute Zukunft bevorsteht.
Faszinierend ist allerdings, dass sich im mittelhochdeutschen Text die Strophen bereits reimen, was wiederum zeigt wie sehr die Dichtkunst damals bereits entwickelt war.
(Anmerkung: ich studiere weder Literatur, noch Germanistik, daher sind meine Ansichten von unprofessioneller Art.) - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the version in English you should read as a narrative. I have another translation "translated into Rhymed English Verse in the Metre of the Original" by George Henry Needler, which I use for short quotes. Arthur Hatto has a fine hand, leaving an air of bardic strangeness in his prose translation. Most people have read a gloss of Wagner's Ring or the Volsung Saga which is an Icelandic redaction of this material, but neither of these is the long-time hit. The balance of the story is different, and I recommend this translation. No one should pass up Stephen Grundy's masterly modern re-work either! But do read this one!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've read the story of Siegfried and Brunhild elsewhere, in the Norse versions/origin, the Eddas and the Saga of the Volsungs, but it was good to read this expanded edition. It's well translated by Hatto, who also translated my copy of von Strassburg's Tristan, and whose work I can recommend, at least insofar as it's readable and accessible, but keeps an "archaic" sort of flavour -- I can't say if it really keeps the voice of the narrator, of course. What I mean is, it doesn't modernise it so that it's just exactly like writing a novel. The translator included footnotes that sometimes explain why he translated something a certain way, which are both interesting and helpful in understanding the double entendres that unfortunately get lost. The back of the book (in my, rather old, edition, in any case) contains a lot of helpful information for understanding the context of the poem and various inconsistencies within it.
The Nibelungenlied is, in any case, more like von Strassburg's Tristan or the various Arthurian romances than it is like the Norse sagas or the Eddas. The knights have similar ideals of chivalry and generosity to the Arthurian tradition; there's little of the legal stuff that surrounds the sagas (e.g. scenes from the All-Thing); there's no sudden reciting of supposedly spontaneous verses... Which, honestly, makes it more readable for a modern reader than the sagas: it's easier to keep track of the main players, and it 'feels' a lot more like a modern novel. Worth a try, if you can't keep track of it in the sagas.
The problem with it, for a modern reader, is that like many other old stories, what we've got has been cobbled together from various sources. So characters get suddenly reintroduced, as if they're new, and the characterisation of characters who've been in it since the beginning suddenly changes, or the attitude of the poet toward them... Particularly in the case of Kriemhild, where at first it speaks about her intended vengeance as something worthy of her and of Siegfried, but later condemns her for the bloodshed she causes. I'm used to such inconsistencies, and the footnotes discuss it a little, so it didn't bother me, but it's something to bear in mind. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5On the plus side, the pervasive misogyny reminded me why I'm a feminist and the pervasive violence reminded me why I'm not a fan of troglodyte politics. Also, the explanatory footnotes were really helpful in understanding the culture, even though the translation was a bit awkward at times (which may have been due to the source material, but I was hoping for something a bit more lyrically written).On the negative side, I really hated reading it. None of the characters were particularly sympathetic. Siegfried was an ass and I wanted him dead even before he raped Brunhild. Kriemhild had potential, but I never understood her selfish/selfless devotion to Siegfried (because he was an ass). At first, Brunhild was kind of awesome in a Xena Warrior Princess sort of way, but after she was tricked/forced into marriage with Gunther she became surprisingly malicious. I still found her to be an interesting protagonist, but then she completely disappeared in the second half. I actually kind of liked Hagen in the first part, probably because he was conspiring against Siegfried (who was an ass), but in the second part where we're supposed to recognize Hagen's heroic qualities, he seemed like a completely horrible person.Which all probably just goes to show how much the idea of heroism and morality has changed over the past millennium, so I'm glad I read this in the sense that I learned a lot. However, I can't ever see myself reading it again or recommending to anyone (unless they're really into gender studies or medieval history).
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Nibelungenlied was one of many epics assigned for my World Literature class. It is a German war epic thought to be written in the 13th century although its author is unknown. I haven't read any other translations of this epic poem but A.T. Hatto's prose translation kept me interested throughout the entire story with a good balance of dialogue and action. This story of rivalry and love contains many twists and turns, none of which I want to mention for fear of giving away too much, but I will say it is a story that will surprise you with each new page. What I found particularly helpful with this Penguins Classics edition is The Glossary of Characters' Names located in the back of book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Das Nibelungenlied is an epic tragedy that starts out strong and ends with a fantastic final flourish. However, purely read as literature, it's a bit boring and tried.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Really. In all honestly I'm not one to review this book, I have no previous knowledge of the genre, and I just wanted to read something different. I don't know if it was the way it is written, or the time, or just the strange use of language, but it was hard for me to actually understand a good part of the book.The plot though, it's interesting, a little unfair towards the female part of it, but interesting after all.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The original hardly bares any comparison to the Wagner Ring Cycle; it still has its own rustic charm, if by charm you mean more death than a typical Shakespearean tragedy. None of the characters are very honorable and most seem to be driven by a certain brazen vindictiveness; the few points where bloodshed could have been avoided are abandoned almost as if driven on by an inevitable fate of doom.An interesting historical read, but not one that will be in my top ten Medieval literature list.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my very favorite Medieval works. Genius!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Das Nibelungenlied. Bearbeitet und eingeleitet von Roman Woerner. Cotta'sche Buchhandlung Nachf., Stuttgart o.J. (ca. 1890).Im Sachgebiet: Ältere GermanistikKl.-8°. 231 S. Original-Leinen, Kapitale, Ecken und Kanten etwas bestoßen, Name a. Titel/Vorsatz, Papier altersbedingt gebräunt, insgesamt ordentliches Exemplar. [Gewicht unter 1 kg / Bitte entnehmen Sie die Versandkosten unseren Geschäftsbedingungen]. [SW: Ältere Germanistik, de] Dono del trisnonno Maximilian