The Nibelungenlied is an epic poem in Middle High German, written around the year 1200 by an anonymous poet thought to have come from the region of Passau, drawing on Germanic heroic legends with roots in events of the fifth and sixth centuries. Composed in four-line stanzas meant for singing, though no original melody survives, it is considered the first heroic epic set down in writing in the German vernacular. Its first half tells of Prince Siegfried's arrival at Worms to marry Kriemhild, his deception of the warrior queen Brunhild, and his murder by the vassal Hagen; its second half follows Kriemhild's marriage to the Hunnish king Etzel and her revenge, which ends in the destruction of the Burgundian court. Rediscovered in 1755, it came to be called the German Iliad and was later treated as a national epic, a status later complicated by its appropriation for propaganda under the Nazi regime.
Facts
Classification
Original Language Composed, From (Year) FAQs
Is Wagner's Ring cycle based on the Nibelungenlied?
Not mainly. Wagner's Ring cycle draws mostly on Old Norse sources, though it is the poem's best-known legacy.
Only partly. Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen is the most visible legacy of the Nibelungenlied today, but it is mostly based on Old Norse sources rather than on the Middle High German poem itself. Those Scandinavian parallels are found especially in the heroic lays of the Poetic Edda and in the Völsunga saga.
Connections
In Genre
Epic, Genres Source Nibelungenlied (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Original Language
Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Nibelungenlied (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Nibelungenlied (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first sentence
The Nibelungenlied...is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German.
Lead
translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German.
Lead paragraph
The Nibelungenlied (German pronunciation: [ˈniːbəlʊŋən-], [ˈnɪbəlʊŋən-] or [ˌniːbəˈlʊŋənˌliːt] ; Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau.
In Genre: Poetry, Lead section
The Nibelungenlied (German pronunciation: [ˈniːbəlʊŋən-], [ˈnɪbəlʊŋən-] or [ˌniːbəˈlʊŋənˌliːt] ; Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German.
In Genre: Epic, Lead section
The Nibelungenlied (German pronunciation: [ˈniːbəlʊŋən-], [ˈnɪbəlʊŋən-] or [ˌniːbəˈlʊŋənˌliːt] ; Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.