Siegfried: The Liberator of Germania

By John Eklund

Just over two thousand years ago a great hero liberated his people from the clutches of the Roman Empire, defeating the Romans in the most decisive battle in world history and forever changing the course of Western Civilization. Although his Latin name, Arminius, was recorded by prominent Roman historians, there was surprisingly no mention of him in the later discovered sagas of his own Norse people. Yet, the Norse and Germanic legends from Iceland to Austria all tell of a mythical dragon slayer named Siegfried, who was noble and brave, and who shared many similarities with the true to life warrior Arminius. Is it possible that the greatest hero in Norse literature was purely mythological, and that the one true historical hero, who saved his people and generations of their descendants from slavery, was completely forgotten? The only logical conclusion is that the dragon slayer Siegfried is the mythical transformation of the historical Arminius. Without a doubt, his victory over the Romans in the Teutoburg forest in the year AD 9 was a feat worthy of legendary status. This is his story─ the saga of Siegfried, Liberator of Germania.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532095160

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Copyright © 2020 John Eklund.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-9515-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9517-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9516-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902876

iUniverse rev. date: 02/25/2020

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CONTENTS

Historical Timeline

Chapter 1     Fæðing Prinsins

The Birth of the Prince

Chapter 2     Smiðja Balmung

The Forging of Balmung

Chapter 3     Dýrð Róm

The Glory of Rome

Chapter 4     Drusus Grimmur

Drusus the Cruel

Chapter 5     Mars Guð Stríðs

Mars, the God of War

Chapter 6     Tími í Júdeu

Time in Judea

Chapter 7     Hinn Mikli Illyrian Uppreisn

The Great Illyrian Revolt

Chapter 8     Sögur af Norrænum Guðum

Tales of the Norse Gods

Chapter 9     Tryggur Rómverskur

A Loyal Roman

Chapter 10   Hinn Stórkostlegi Hesti Grani

The Magnificent Steed Called Grani

Chapter 11   Egil Bogamaður

Egil the Archer

Chapter 12   Grimmd Regins

Regin’s Cruelty

Chapter 13   Segestes og Thusnelda

Segestes and Thusnelda

Chapter 14   Teutoburgskógurinn

The Teutoburg Forest

Chapter 15   Annan Bardagadag

The Second Day of Battle

Chapter 16   Priðja Bardagadaginn

The Third Day of Battle

Chapter 17   Fjórða Daginn

The Fourth Day

Chapter 18   Arfleifð Bardaga

The Battle’s Legacy

Chapter 19   Dauði Hetju

The Death of a Hero

Epilogue

Glossary

To my children, Addison, Ellery, and Liam.

Historical Timeline

753 BC: Remus and Romulus found Rome.

52 BC: Julius Caesar conquers Gaul, and the Romans begin to explore across the Rhine and into Germania.

46 BC: Quinctilius Varus is born.

44 BC: Julius Caesar is murdered in the Roman Forum.

31 BC: Octavian defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Antium and becomes the absolute ruler of Rome, taking the title Caesar Augustus.

18 BC: Siegfried is born in Xanten, Germania.

12 BC: Rome’s General Drusus begins the conquest of Germania.

AD 6: Quinctilius Varus becomes governor of Germania.

AD 9: The Battle of the Teutoburg Wald occurs, and Siegfried frees his people from the Romans.

AD 21: Siegfried is murdered by his relatives.

AD 88: The Roman historian Tacitus records the history of the Teutoburg battle.

AD 437: Gunther and the Burgundians are exterminated by the Huns.

AD 543: Brunhilda is born in Austrasia.

AD 825: Aslaug becomes a Viking queen.

AD 1220: Author Snorri Sturluson writes the Prose Edda, the earliest recorded version of the Siegfried saga.

AD 1875: A huge monument called the Hermannsdenkmal is erected in Detmold, Germany, in honor of the victory at the Teutoburg Wald.

AD 1876: Richard Wagner’s famous opera Siegfried premieres at the Bayreuth Festival Theater.

CHAPTER 1

Fæðing Prinsins

¹

The Birth of the Prince

Eighteen years prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, during the reign of Caesar Augustus, a prince was born in the city of Xanten in the northwest region of Germania, a land just outside the rule of the all-powerful Roman Empire. The prince was named Siegfried, which means victorious peace. He was the first child of the great Cheruscan chieftain, Siegimer.

The Cherusci were a tribe of Nordic hunters and farmers that inhabited the forests and plains east of the Rhine River. They were named after the deer because they held that these creatures were brave and noble spiritual beings. They believed that deer offered them protection from evil spirits. Carvings of proud bucks decorated their halls and were central to their feasts and celebrations.

Siegfried’s father, Siegimer, was a wise and compassionate leader but also a brave warrior. He worshipped the Norse gods and taught Siegfried about them. He explained to Siegfried that the knowledge of the gods and the universe they ruled was the key to one day getting to Valhalla, the glorious hall of honor reserved only for the bravest and most noble warriors.

Siegimer taught Siegfried the Nordic people’s belief that the universe consisted of nine realms:

1. Gimle was a paradise like heaven. It was said to have been more beautiful than the sun.

2. Asgard was the home of the Aesir² gods, who were the ruling gods of the universe.

3. Vanaheim was the world of the Vanir gods, who had the ability to see the future.

4. Alfheim was the realm of the elves.

5. Jotunheim was the realm of the giants and trolls.

6.