Nibelungenlied

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult | Published in 1200

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-14

Chapters 15-19

Chapters 20-22

Chapters 23-27

Chapters 28-32

Chapters 33-36

Chapters 37-39

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Chapters 20-22Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 20 Summary: “How King Etzel Came to Burgundy for Kriemhild”

King Etzel of Hungary seeks a new wife after his queen, Helche, dies, and his friends recommend Kriemhild. Etzel expresses interest in Kriemhild but believes that a Christian like her would never agree to marry a pagan like him. His vassal Rüdiger of Pöchlarn allegedly knew Kriemhild “since childhood” (150) and describes her to Etzel. Etzel sends Rüdiger to Burgundy as an envoy to woo Kriemhild.

Rüdiger rides out a week later, and he and his Hunnish knights stop to visit his wife, Gotelind, and his daughter. Rüdiger asks Gotelind to distribute gifts since “when knights ride in sumptuous style they go in good heart” (152). Gotelind agrees to give Rüdiger and his men fur-lined brocades.

Rüdiger’s company arrives beside the Rhine within 12 days. Gunther asks if anyone knows the Huns. Hagen does not know the Huns but recognizes Rüdiger. The Burgundians allow Rüdiger’s company into the palace and give them a warm welcome. Hagen implores Gunther to treat Rüdiger well as he was kind to his fellow vassal while held hostage in Etzel’s court. Rüdiger delivers Etzel’s proposal, and Gunther promises to answer in three days.

Gunther and his council (bar Hagen) agree that Kriemhild should marry Etzel. Hagen senses danger in such a marriage as Kriemhild could use it to avenge Siegfried, but Giselher reassures him. Kriemhild’s brothers agree to let Kriemhild marry Etzel.

Gere tells Kriemhild about the decision; she refuses to remarry but agrees to meet with Rüdiger. Kriemhild, dressed in a widow’s habit, meets Rüdiger the next day. Rüdiger delivers Etzel’s proposal, but Kriemhild asks, “How could I ever desire to marry another warrior” (159). She tells Rüdiger to return the next day, when she’s ready to make her decision. She spends the night praying and expressing mortification at the idea of marrying a pagan.

Rüdiger returns the next day. When Etzel’s proposal is rejected yet again, the vassal swears an oath to always serve Kriemhild and amend any wrongs done against her. Kriemhild finally sees the marriage as advantageous for her revenge and agrees to it.

Kriemhild attempts to give Rüdiger and the Huns presents, but Hagen stops her. The chapter ends with Kriemhild leaving for Hungary.

Chapter 21 Summary: “How Kriemhild Traveled to Hungary”

Giselher and Gernot accompany Kriemhild as far as Pföring on the Danube River before returning to Burgundy. The poet asserts, “This could not be done without weeping among good friends” (166). After her brothers leave, Kriemhild and her party navigate Bavaria. Once they reach Passau, many townspeople—including Kriemhild’s maternal uncle Bishop Pilgrim—leave their houses to watch the “great number of foreigners” (166). Bishop Pilgrim implores Kriemhild to stay with him, but her vassal, Eckewart, says that the party cannot stop.

Rüdiger’s wife Gotelind rides out to meet Kriemhild and cheer her up as she is now “a stranger in a foreign land” (167); they become close. Kriemhild and her party pass through Pöchlarn and Melk before arriving at Etzel’s fortress, Traisenmauer, on the Traisen River in Austria. The poet ends the chapter by stating that Etzel has both Christian and pagan warriors and “whichever rite a man followed, the King’s magnanimity saw to it that all were amply rewarded” (170).

Chapter 22 Summary: “How Kriemhild Was Received by Etzel”

Etzel embarks on his journey to see Kriemhild, accompanied by “numbers of bold knights of many different languages riding along the roads” (171). He appears with once-great lord Dietrich at his side. Kriemhild “[receives] the illustrious monarch kindly with a kiss” (171). In the background, both Christian and pagan knights joust.

Etzel, Kriemhild, and the Huns ride into Vienna, where Etzel and Kriemhild are married at Whitsuntide. Kriemhild gains more vassals than her time married to Siegfried and distributes enough gifts to prompt wedding guests to say, “We imagined lady Kriemhild had no means, instead of which she has performed marvels of generosity” (173). The festivities last for 17 days. At one point, Kriemhild recalls her life with Siegfried and begins to subtly cry, but no one sees her. Etzel and Dietrich act as gracious gift-givers as well, with Dietrich giving away all that Etzel gave him.

On the 18th day, Etzel and his party leave Vienna for Hungary. They stop in Etzelburg, where Kriemhild receives marks of submission and graciously gives away the rest of the possessions she brought from the Rhine.

Chapters 20-22 Analysis

Chapter 20 marks the beginning of Book II, sometimes called “Kriemhild’s Revenge” in select editions of Nibelungenlied (Book I is often called “Siegfried and Kriemhild”). Book I and Book II are set apart by their different tones. Much of Book I resembles a fairy tale since it features fantastical elements such as a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, a dragon, and noble knights. This tone begins to dissipate once Brunhild and Kriemhild feud near the end of Book I, and it is completely absent in Book II, which focuses on how Kriemhild brutally avenges Siegfried.

Chapters 20-22 depict Kriemhild acclimating to a new way of life as she agrees to marry Etzel and become “a stranger in a foreign land” (167). This journey involves navigating her and Etzel’s different cultures. When Rüdiger delivers Etzel’s proposal, Kriemhild is mortified at the idea of leaving Christian Burgundy and marrying a pagan from Hungary. In her prayers, she muses, “Were I to give myself to a heathen, though I am a Christian […] I should always be disgraced before the world” (160). She finally concedes to marry him when Rüdiger mentions how “the King has so many Christian warriors” (161) and suggests that he can be baptized. There are in fact many Christians in the land of the Huns. Furthermore, Kriemhild notices how the different knights coexist, and it helps her accept being the wife of a Hun.

Chapter 22 shows Kriemhild coming to terms with the path ahead during her and Etzel’s wedding. The poet claims that, during the festivities, “Kriemhild was thinking of how she had dwelt beside the Rhine with her noble husband, and her eyes filled with tears” (174). She cannot enjoy the celebration because she misses the life she once had with Siegfried. Despite longing for the past, she prepares for the future by giving away “all that she had brought over the Rhine with her to Hungary” (175), leaving herself with nothing so that she can start anew.