o
woman. By reason of her largess, a day will come that the bold
Burgundians may rue."

Then King Gunther said, "I sware an oath to her that I would do her no
more hurt, nor will I do it. She is my sister."

But Hagen said, "Let me be the guilty one."

And so they brake their oath and took from the widow her rich hoard.
Hagen got hold of all the keys.

Gernot was wroth when he heard thereof, and Giselher said, "Hagen hath
greatly wronged Kriemhild. I should have withstood him. Were he not my
kinsman, he should answer for it with his life."

Then Siegfried's wife began to weep anew.

And Gernot said, "Sooner than be troubled with this gold, let us sink it
in the Rhine. Then it were no man's."

She went wailing to Giselher, and said, "Dear brother, forsake me not,
but be my kind and good steward."

He answered her, "I will, when we win home again. For the present we
ride on a journey."

The king and his kinsmen left the land. He took the best he had with
him. Only Hagen tarried behind through the hate he bare Kriemhild, and
that he might work her ill.

Or the great king came back, Hagen had seized all the treasure and sunk
it in the Rhine at Lochheim. He thought to profit thereby, but did not.

Or Hagen hid the treasure, they had sworn a mighty oath that it should
remain a secret so long as they lived. Neither could they take it
themselves nor give it to another.

The princes returned, and with them many knights. Thereupon Kriemhild,
with her women and her maidens, began to bewail her wrong bitterly. She
was right woeful. And the knights made as to slay Hagen, and said with
one accord, "He hath done evilly." So he fled from before their anger
till they took him in favour again. They let him live, but Kriemhild
hated him with deadly hate.

Her heart was heavy with new grief for her husband's murder, and that
they had stolen her treasure, and till her last day she ceased not to
wail.

After Siegfried's death (I say sooth) she mourned till the thirteenth
year, nor could she forget the hero. She was ever true to him, and for
this folk have praised her.

Uta founded a rich abbey with her wealth after Dankrat's death, and
endowed it with great revenue, the which it draweth still. It is the
Abbey of Lorsch, renowned to this day. Kriemhild also gave no little
part thereto, for Siegfried's soul, and for the souls of all the dead.
She gave gold and precious stones with willing hand. Seldom hav