The Fall of the Nibelungs

Translated by Margaret Armour

Contents

[Book I]
First Adventure [Concerning the Nibelungs]
Second Adventure [Concerning Siegfried]
Third Adventure [How Siegfried Came to Worms]
Fourth Adventure [How Siegfried Fought with the Saxons]
Fifth Adventure [How Siegfried First Saw Kriemhild]
Sixth Adventure [How Gunther Went to Issland to Woo Brunhild]
Seventh Adventure [How Gunther Won Brunhild]
Eighth Adventure [How Siegfried Journeyed to the Nibelungs]
Ninth Adventure [How Siegfried Was Sent to Worms]
Tenth Adventure [How Brunhild Was Received at Worms]
Eleventh Adventure [How Siegfried Brought his Wife Home]
Twelfth Adventure [How Gunther Invited Siegfried to the Hightide]
Thirteenth Adventure [How They Rode to the Hightide]
Fourteenth Adventure [How the Queens Quarrelled]
Fifteenth Adventure [How Siegfried Was Betrayed]
Sixteenth Adventure [How Siegfried Was Slain]
Seventeenth Adventure [How Siegfried Was Mourned and Buried]
Eighteenth Adventure [How Siegmund Returned Home]
Nineteenth Adventure [How the Nibelung Hoard Came to Worms]
[Book II]
Twentieth Adventure [How King Etzel Sent to Burgundy for Kriemhild]
Twenty-First Adventure [How Kriemhild Journeyed to the Huns]
Twenty-Second Adventure [How She Was Received Among the Huns]
Twenty-Third Adventure [How Kriemhild Thought of Revenging Her Wrong]
Twenty-Fourth Adventure [How Werbel and Schwemmel Brought the Message]
Twenty-Fifth Adventure [How the Kings Journeyed to the Huns]
Twenty-Sixth Adventure [How Dankwart Slew Gelfrat]
Twenty-Seventh Adventure [How They Came to Bechlaren]
Twenty-Eighth Adventure [How Kriemhild Received Hagen]
Twenty-Ninth Adventure [How Hagen and Folker Sat Before Kriemhild’s Hall]
Thirtieth Adventure [How Hagen and Folker Kept Watch]
Thirty-First Adventure [How the Burgundians Went to Church]
Thirty-Second Adventure [How Blœdel Fought With Dankwart in the Hall]
Thirty-Third Adventure [How Dankwart Brought the News to His Masters]
Thirty-Fourth Adventure [How They Threw Down the Dead]
Thirty-Fifth Adventure [How Iring Was Slain]
Thirty-Sixth Adventure [How the Queen Bad Them Burn Down the Hall]
Thirty-Seventh Adventure [How Rudeger Was Slain]
Thirty-Eighth Adventure [How Dietrich’s Knights Were All Slain]
Thirty-Ninth Adventure [How Gunther, Hagen, and Kriemhild Were Slain]

Book I

First Adventure
Concerning the Nibelungs

In old tales they tell us many wonders of heroes and of high courage, of glad feasting, of wine and of mourning; and herein ye shall read of the marvellous deeds and of the strife of brave men.

There grew up in Burgundy a noble maiden, in no land was a fairer. Kriemhild was her name. Well favoured was the damsel, and by reason of her died many warriors. Doughty knights in plenty wooed her, as was meet, for of her body she was exceeding comely, and her virtues were an adornment to all women.