e the
murder of Siegfried.

Our "Nibelungenlied" knows but little of the adventures of Siegfried's
youth as depicted in the Norse versions. The theme of the poem is no
longer the love of Sigurd, the homeless wanderer, for the majestic
Valkyrie Brunhild, but the love idyll of Siegfried, the son of the king
of the Netherlands, and the dainty Burgundian princess Kriemhild.
The poem has forgotten Siegfried's connection with Brunhild; it knows
nothing of his penetrating the wall of flames to awake and rescue her,
nothing of the betrothal of the two. In our poem Siegfried is carefully
reared at his father's court in the Netherlands, and sets out with great
pomp for the court of the Burgundians. In the Norse version he naturally
remains at Gunther's court after his marriage, but in our poem he
returns to the Netherlands with his bride. This necessitates the
introduction of several new scenes to depict his arrival home, the
invitation to the feast at Worms, and the reception of the guests on the
part of the Burgundians.

In the "Nibelungenlied" the athletic sports, as an obstacle to the
winning of Brunhild, take the place of the wall of flames of the older
Norse versions. Siegfried and Gunther no longer change forms, but
Siegfried dons the "Tarnkappe", which renders him invisible, so that
while Gunther makes the motions, Siegfried really does the work, a thing
which is rather difficult to imagine. The quarrel of the two queens is
likewise very differently depicted in the "Nibelungenlied" from what it
is in the Norse version. In the latter it takes place while the
ladies are bathing in the river, and is brought on by the arrogance of
Brunhild, who refuses to stand lower down the stream and bathe in the
water flowing from Gudrun to her. In the "Thidreksaga" it occurs in the
seclusion of the ladies' apartments, but in our poem it culminates in
front of the cathedral before the assembled court, and requires as its
background all the pomp and splendor of medieval chivalry. With a master
hand and a wonderful knowledge of female character, the author depicts
the gradual progress of the quarrel until it terminates in a magnificent
scene of wounded pride and malignant hatred. Kriemhild, as usual, plays
the more important part, and, while standing up for her rights, tries in
every way to conciliate Brunhild and not to hurt her feelings. At
last, however, stung by the taunts of the latter, she in turn loses her
patience, bursts out with