The Nibelungenlied (Shumway)/Notes
NOTES
NOTES
Page 1. Note 1. Nibelungenlied, the lay of the Nibelungs. The ordinary etymology of this name is ‘children of the mist’ (Nebelkinder, O. N. Niflungar), and it is thought to have belonged originally to the dwarfs. Piper, I, 50, interprets it as ‘the sons of Nibul’; Boer, II, 198, considers Hniflungar to be the correct Norse form and interprets it as ‘the descendants of Hnaef’ (O. E. Hnaef, O. H. G. Hnabi), whose death is related in the Finnsaga.
Note 2. Adventure (M. H. G. aventiure, from O. F. aventure, Lat. adventura). The word meant originally a happening, especially some great event, then the report of such an event. Here it is used in the sense of the different cantos or fitts of the poem, as in the Gudrun and other M. H. G. epies. Among the courtly poets it also frequently denotes the source, or is the personification of the muse of poetry.
Note 3. Kriemhild is the Upper German form of the Frankish Grimhild. In the MSS. the name generally appears with a further shifting as Chriemhilt, as if the initial consonant were Germanic k. On the various forms of the name, whieh have never yet been satisfactorily explained, see Müllenhoff, Zsfda. xii, 299, 413; xv, 313; and Bolinenberger, PB. Beit. xxiv, 221- 231.
Note 4. Gunther is the historieal Gundahari, king of the Burgundians in the fifth century. See the introduction, p. xxxiv.
Note 5. Gernot was probably introduced by some minstrel in place of the historical Godomar, who appears in the Norse version as Gutthormr, though the names are not etymologically the same, as Godomar would be Guðmarr in Old Norse.
Note 6. Giselher is the historical Gislaharius. Although mentioned by the Lex Burgundionum as one of the Burgundian kings, he does not appear in the early Norse version, or in other poems dealing with these persons, such as the Waltharius, the Rabenschlacht, the Rosengarten, etc., and was probably introduced at a late date into the saga. Originally no rôle was ascribed to him, and not even his death is told. He probably came from some independent source.
Note 7. Etzel is the German form for the historical Attila (Norse Atli). A discussion of his connection with the saga will be found in the introduction, p. xxxv.
Note 8. Worms is the ancient Borbetomagus, which in the first century b. c. was the chief city of the German tribe of the Vangioni. In the fifth century it was the capital of the Burgundian kingdom, but was destroyed by the Huns. The Merovingians rebuilt it, and in the seventh century it became a bishopric where Charlemagne at times held his court. It was later noted as the meeting-place of many imperial diets. It remained a free city till 1801. In the Thidreksaga the name is corrupted into Wernize.
Page 2. Note 1. Uta (M. H.G. Uote). The name means ancestress, and is frequently used for the mother of heroes. The modern German form is Ute, but in order to insure its being pronounced with two syllables, the form Uta was chosen.
Note 2. Dankrat (M. H. G. Dancrat) appears as the father only in the Nibelungenlied and poems dependent on it, e. g., the Klage and the Biterolf, elsewhere as Gibiche (Norse Giuki).
Note 3. Hagen of Troneg. Troneg is probably a corrnption of the name of the Latin colony, colonia Trajana, on the Lower Rhine, which as early as the fifth century was written as Troja, giving rise to the legend that the Franks were descended from the ancient Trojans. Troja was then further corrupted to Tronje and Tronege. Hagen was therefore originally a Frank and had no connection with the Burgundian kings, as the lack of alliteration also goes to show. Boer thinks that not Siegfried but Hagen originally lived at Xanten (see note 3 to page 4), as this was often called Troja Francorum. When the Hagen story was connected with the Burgundians and Hagen became either their brother or their vassal, his home was transferred to Worms and Siegfried was located at Xanten, as he had no especial localization. Thus Siegfried is never called Siegfried of Troneg, as is Hagen. Other attempts to explain Troneg will be found in Piper, I, 48.
Note 4. Dankwart is not an historical character nor one that belonged to the early form of the legend. He may have come from another saga, where he played the principal rôle as Droege (ZsfdA. 48, 499) thinks. Boer considers him to be Hagen’s double, invented to play a part that would naturally fall to Hagen’s share, were he not otherwise engaged at the moment. In our poem he is called Dancwart der snelle, a word that has proved a stumbling-block to translators, because in modern German it means ‘speedy,’ ‘swift.’ Its original meaning was, however, ‘brave,’ ‘warlike,’ although the later meaning is already found in M. H. G. In all such doubtful cases the older meaning has been preferred, unless the context forbids, and the word ‘doughty’ has been chosen to translate it.
Note 5. Ortwin of Metz appears also in the Eckenlied, Waltharius, and in Biterolf. He is most likely a late introduction (but see Piper, I, 44). Rieger thinks that he belonged to a wealthy family De Metis. Though the i is long in the original, and Simrock uses the form Ortewein in his translation, the spelling with short i has been chosen, as the lack of accent tends to shorten the vowel in such names.
Note 6. Gere is likewise a late introduction. He is perhaps the historical Margrave Gero († 965) of East Saxony, whom Otto the Great appointed as a leader against the Slavs. See O. von Heinemann, Markgraf Gero, Braunschweig, 1860, and Piper, I, 43.
Note 7. Eckewart is also a late accession. He is perhaps the historical margrave of Meissen (1002), the first of the name. He, too, won fame in battle against the Slavs.
Note 8. Folker of Alzei (M. H. G. Volkêr von Alzeije), the knightly minstrel, is hardly an historical personage, in spite of the fact that Alzey is a well-known town in Rhine Hesse on the Selz, eighteen miles southwest of Mainz. The town has, to be sure, a violin in its coat of arms, as also the noble family of the same name. It is most likely, however, that this fact caused Folker to be connected with Alzei. In the Thidreksaga Folker did not play the rôle of minstrel, and it is probable that some minstrel reviser of our poem developed the character and made it the personification of himself.
Note 9. Rumolt, Sindolt, and Hunolt have no historical basis and merely help to swell the retinue of the Burgundians.
Note 10. worship. This word has been frequently used here in its older meaning of ‘worth,’ ‘reverence,’ ‘respect,’ to translate the M. H. G. êren, ‘honors.’
Page 4, Note 1. Siegmund (M. H. G. Sigemunt) was originally the hero of an independent saga. See Völsungasaga, chaps. 3-8.
Note 2. Siegelind (M. H. G. Sigelint) is the correct name of Siegfried’s mother, as the alliteration shows. The Early Norse version has Hjördis, which has come from the Helgi saga.
Note 3. Xanten (M.H.G. Santen from the Latin ad sanctos) is at present a town in the Rhenish Prussian district of Düsseldorf. It does not now lie on the Rhine, but did in the Middle Ages.
Page 5. Note 1. sword-thanes (M.H. G. swertdegene) were the young squires who were to be made knights. It was the custom for a youthful prince to receive the accolade with a number of others.
Note 2. midsummer festival. The M. H. G. sunewende means literally the ‘sun’s turning,’ i. e., the summer solstice. This was one of the great Germanic festivals, which the church later turned into St. John’s Eve. The bonfires still burnt in Germany on this day are survivals of the old heathen custom.
Page 6. Note 1. hurtling translates here M. H. G. bûhurt, a word borrowed from the French to denote a knightly sport in which many knights clashed together. Hurtling was used in older English in the same significance.
Note 2. palace (M. H. G. palas, Lat. palatium) is a large building standing alone and largely used as a reception hall.
Note 3. truncheons (M. H. G. trunzûne, O. F. tronçon), ‘lance splinters,’ ‘fragments of spears.’
Note 4. to-shivered, ‘broken to pieces,’ in imitation of the older English to-beat, to-break, etc.
Note 8. spangles (M. H. G. spangen), strips of metal radiating from the raised centre of the shield and often set, as here, with precious stones.
Page 8. Note 1. guest translates here the M. H. G. gest, a word which may mean either ‘guest’ or ‘stranger,’ and it is often difficult, as here, to tell to which meaning the preference should be given.
Page 9. Note 1. eleven translates the M. H. G. selbe zwelfte, which means one of twelve. The accounts are, however, contradictory, as a few lines below mention is made of twelve companions of Siegfried.
Page 10. Note 1. vair (O. F. vair, Lat. varius), ‘variegated,’ like the fur of the squirrel.
Page 12. Note 1. known. It was a mark of the experienced warrior, that he was acquainted with the customs and dress of various countries and with the names and lineage of all important personages. Thus in the Hildebrandslied Hildebrand asks Hadubrand to tell him his father’s name, and adds: “If thou tellest me the one, I shall know the other.”
Page 13. Note 1. Schilbung and Nibelung, here spoken of as the sons of a mighty king, were originally dwarfs, and, according to some authorities, the original owners of the treasure. Boer, II, 199, thinks, however, that the name Nibelungs was transferred from Hagen to these dwarfs at a late stage in the formation of the saga.
Page 13. Note 1. angry of mood. The reason of this anger is apparent from the more detailed account in Biterolf, 7801. The quarrel arose from the fact that, according to ancient law, Siegfried acquired with the sword the rights of the first born, which the brothers, however, refused to accord to him.
Note 2. Balmung. In the older Norse version and in the Thidreksaga Siegfried’s sword bore the name of Gram.
Note 3. Alberich is a dwarf king who appears in a number of legends, e. g.,in the Ortnit saga and in Biterolf. Under the Romance form of his name, Oberon, he plays an important rôle in modern literature.
Note 4. Cloak of Darkness. This translates the M. H. G. tarnkappe, a word often retained by translators. It is formed from O. H. G. tarni, ‘secret’ (cf. O. E. dyrne), and kappe from late Latin cappa, ‘cloak.’ It rendered the wearer invisible and gave him the strength of twelve men.
Page 20. Note 1. Saxons. This war with the Saxons does not appear in the poetic Edda, but was probably introduced into the story later to provide the heroes with a suitable activity in the period elapsing between Siegfried’s marriage and the journey to Brunhild’s land. (In our poem it is placed before the marriage.) It reflects the ancient feuds between the Franks on the one hand and the Saxons and Danes on the other. Originally Siegfried probably did not take part in it, but was later introduced and made the leader of the expedition in place of the king, in accordance with the tendency to idealize him and to give him everywhere the most important rôle. The two opposing leaders are Liudeger, lord of the Saxons, and Liudegast, king of Denmark. In Biterolf Liudeger rules over both Saxons and Danes, and Liudegast is his brother.
Page 21. Note 1. fey. This Scotch and older English word has been chosen to translate the M. H.G. veige, ‘fated,’ ‘doomed,’ as it is etymologically the same word. The ancient Germans were fatalists and believed only those would die in battle whom fate had so predestined.
Page 22. Note 1. thirty thousand. The M.H.G. epics are fond of round numbers and especially of thirty and its multiples. They will be found to occur very frequently in our poem. See Lachmann, Anmerkungen zu den Nibelungen, 474 1.
Page 23. Note 1. their. The original is obscure here; the meaning is, ‘when he heard with what message they were come, he rued the haughtiness of the Burgundians.’
Page 32. Note 1. marks of gold. A mark (Lat. marca) was half a pound of gold or silver.
Page 44. Note 1. Isenland translates here M. H. G. Îslant, which has, however, no connection with Iceland in spite of the agreement of the names in German, Îsen lant, the reading of the MSS. BJh, has been chosen, partly to avoid confusion, and partly to indicate its probable derivation from Îsenstein, the name of Brunhild’s eastle. Boer’s interpretation of Îsen as ‘ice’ finds corroboration in Otfrid’s form îsine steina (‘ice stones,’ i.e. crystals) I, 1. 70. Îsenstein would then mean Ice Castle. In the Thidreksaga Brunhild’s castle is called Saegarðr (‘Sea Garden’), and in a fairy tale (No. 93 of Grimm) Stromberg, referring to the fact that it was surrounded by the sea. Here, too, in our poem it stands directly on the shore.
Page 48. Note 1. Zazamanc, a fictitious kingdom mentioned only here and a few times in Parzival, Wolfram probably having obtained the name from this passage. (See Bartsch, Germanistische Studien, II, 129.)
Page 49. Note 1. wont to wear. In the Middle Ages costly furs and fish-skins were used as linings and covered, as here described, with silk or cloth. By fish such amphibious animals as otter and beaver were often meant.
Note 2. well fit. In this passage wert, the reading of A and D, has been followed, instead of unwert of B and C, as it seems more appropriate to the sense.
Note 3. dight, ‘arrayed’; used by Milton.
Page 52. Note 1. Brunhild. The following words are evidently a late interpolation, and weaken the ending, but have been translated for the sake of completeness. They are spoken by Siegfried.
Page 55. Note 1. palaces. See note 2 to page 6.
Page 58. Note 1. surcoat, which here translates the M.H.G. wâfenhemde, is a light garment of cloth or silk worn above the armor.
Page 59. Note 1. Azagouc. See Zazamanc, note 1 to page 48. This strophe is evidently a late interpolation, as it contradicts the description given above.
Note 2. weights. The M. H. G. messe (Lat. massa) is just as indefinite as the English expression. It was a mass or lump of any metal, probably determined by the size of the melting-pot.
Page 65. Note 1. Adventure VIII. This whole episode, in which Siegfried fetches men to aid Gunther in ease of attempted treachery on Brimhild’s part, is of late origin and has no counterpart in the older versions. It is a further development of Siegfried’s fight in which he slew Schilbung and Nibelung and became the ruler of the Nibelung land. The fight with Alberich is simply a repetition of the one in the former episode.
Note 2. rest (M. H. G. rast), originally ‘repose,’ then used as a measure of distance, as here.
Page 66. Note 1. knobs, round pieces of metal fastened to the scourge.
Page 67. Note 1. cunning is to be taken here in the Biblical sense of ‘knowing.’ The M. H. G. listig which it here translates, denotes ‘skilled’ or ‘learned’ in various arts and is a standing epithet of dwarfs.
Note 2. mulled wine translates M. H. G. lûtertranc, a claret mulled with herbs and spice and left to stand until clear.
Page 69. Note 1. mark. See note 1 to page 32.
Page 77. Note 1. fillets were worn only by married women.
Page 78. Note 1. ferran, a gray colored cloth of silk and wool; from O. F. ferrandine.
Note 2. clasps or brooches were used to fasten the dresses in front.
Page 80. Note 1. chaplet (O. F. chaplet, dim. of chapel, M. H. G. schapel or schapelîn) or wreath was the headdress especially of unmarried girls, the hair being worn flowing. It was often of flowers or leaves, but not infrequently of gold and silver. (See Weinhold, Deutsche Frauen im Mittelalter2, I, 387.)
Page 94. Note 1. Eckewart, see note 7 to page 2.
Page 95. Note 1. Xanten, see note 3 to page 4.
Page 96. Note 1. cognizance, ‘jurisdiction.’
Note 2. dames, i. e., Siegelind and Kriemhild.
Page 100. Note 1. Norway. The interpolated character of the adventures XI to XIII, which are not found in the earlier versions, is shown by the confusion in the location of Siegfried’s court. The poet has forgotten that Xanten is his capital, and locates it in Norway. No mention is made, however, of the messengers crossing the sea; on the contrary, Kriemhild speaks of their being sent down the Rhine.
Page 108. Note 1. meiny (M. E. meiny, O. F. mesnee), ‘courtiers,’ ‘serving folk.’
Note 2. housings, ‘saddle cloths.’
Page 114. Note 1. leman (M. E. lemman, O. E. léof mann, ‘lief man,’ i. e., ‘dear one’), ‘mistress’ in a bad sense.
Page 124. Note 1. brach, ‘hunting dog,’ cognate with M. H. G. bracke, used here.
Page 127. Note 1. lion. It is hardly necessary to state that lions did not roam at large in the forests of Germany. They were, however, frequently exhibited in the Middle Ages, and the poet introduced one here to enhance Siegfried’s fame as a hunter.
Note 2. ure-oxen, the auerochs, or European bison, now practically extinct.
Note 3. shelk (M. H. G. schelch), probably a species of giant deer.
Page 129. Note 1. fragrance. It was believed that the odor of the panther attracted the game. Compare the description of the panther in the older Physiologus, where the odor is said to surpass that of all ointments.
Note 2. otter translates here M. H. G. ludem, whose exact connotation is not known. Some interpret it to mean the fish otter, others the Waldschrat, a kind of faun.
Note 3. Balmung, see note 2 to page 14.
Page 131. Note 1. Spessart wood lies forty to fifty miles east of Worms and is therefore too distant for a day’s hunt, but such trifles did not disturb the poet.
Note 2. mulled wine, see note 2 to page 67.
Page 132. Note 1. feet. This was probably done as a handicap. The time consumed in rising to his feet would give his opponent quite a start.
Page 141. Note 1. bleed. This was not only a popular superstition, but also a legal practice in case of a murder when the criminal had not been discovered, or if any one was suspected. The suspected person was requested to approach the bier and touch the body, in the belief that the blood would flow afresh if the one touching the body were guilty. Our passage is the first instance of its mention in German literature. A similar one occurs in Iwein, 1355-1364. The usage was also known in France and England. See the instances quoted by Jacob Grimm in his Rechtsaltertümer, 930.
Page 151. Note 1. Marriage morning gift was the gift which it was customary for the bridegroom to give the bride on the morning after the bridal night. On this custom see Weinhold, Deutsche Frauen im Mittelalter2, i, p, 402.
Note 2. Alberich, see note 3 to page 14. It is characteristic of the poem that even this dwarf is turned into a knight.
Page 152. Note 1. wishing-rod, a magic divining rod for discovering buried treasure. Cf. Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie4, ii, 813.
Page 152. Note 1. Loche, according to Piper, is the modern Locheim in the Rhine province.
Page 155. Note 1. Etzel, see note 7 to page 1.
Note 2. Helca (M. H. G. Helche) or Herka, Etzel’s wife, is the daughter of king Oserich or Osantrix, as the Thidreksaga calls him. In the latter work (chap. 73-80) we read how Rüdeger (Rodingeir) took her by force from her father and brought her to Etzel to be the latter’s bride. On her identity with the historical Kerka of Priseus, see Bleyer, PB. Beit. xxxi, 542.
Note 3. Rüdeger of Bechelaren, or, as the name reads in the Thidreksaga, Rodingeir af Bakalar, is probably not an historical personage, but the hero of a separate legend. Evidence of this is seen in the fact that he calls himself an exile, though he is Etzel’s mightiest vassal, with castles and lands in fief. He may have been introduced, as Wilmanus (Anz. xviii, 101) thinks, to play a rôle originally assigned to Dietrich, who is also an exile. Müllenhoff considered him to have been a mythical person, Bechelaren, or Pechlarn, lies at the junction of the Erlach with the Danube.
Page 157. Note 1. hast seen here. Biterolf, 9471, relates that Dietrich had carried Siegfried, when young, by force to Etzel’s court.
Page 159. Note 1. full soon. See note 1 to page 12.
Page 168. Note 1. paynim (O. F. paienime, late Latin paganismus), ‘heathen.’
Page 168. Note 1. gold for offerings. This was the gold to be used as offering when masses were sung for Siegfried’s soul.
Page 174. Note 1. Vergen is the modern Pföring, below Ingolstadt. A ferry across the river existed here from ancient times.
Note 2. Pilgrim, or Pilgerin, as he is variously called, is an historical personage. He was bishop of Passau from 971 to 991. Without doubt he is a late introduction, according to Boer between 1181 and 1185. See Boer, ii, 204, and E. L. Dümmler, Pilgrim von Passau, Leipzig, 1854.
Page 175. Note 1. Enns (M. H. G. Ens) is one of the tributaries of the Danube, flowing into it about eleven miles southeast of Linz.
Note 2. Efferding (M. H. G. Everdingen) is a town on the Danube, about thirteen miles west of Linz.
Note 3. Traun (M. H. G. Trûne) is a river of Upper Austria, forty-four miles southeast of Linz.
Page 176. Note 1. truncheons, see note 3 to page 6.
Page 177. Note 1. Botelung’s son is Attila, who is so called in our poem, in the Klage, and in Biterolf. In the earlier Norse version Atli is the son of Budli. (On this point see Müllenhoff, Zur Geschichte der Nibelungensage, p. 106, and Zsfd A., x, 161, and Bleyer, PB. Beit. xxxi, 459, where the names are shown to be identical.
Page 178. Note 1. Medelick is the modern Mölk, or Melk, a town on the Danube near the influx of the Bilach. It lies at the foot of a granite cliff on which stands a famous Benedictine abbey.
Note 2. Astolt appears only in this passage; nothing else is known of him.
Note 3. Mautern is situated at the influx of the Flanitz, opposite Stein in Lower Austria.
Page 179. Note 1. Traisem, Traisen, is a tributary of the Danube in Lower Austria, emptying near Traismauer.
Note 2. Zeisenmauer (M. H. G. Zeizenmûre). All the MSS. but C and D have this reading. The latter have Treysenmoure and treisem moure, which corresponds better to the modern name, as Zeiselmauer lies between Tulln and Vienna. It is possible, however, that the town on the Traisem was originally called Zeiselmauer, as the road leading from Traismauer to Tulln still bears the name of Zeiselstrasse. See Lachmann, Anmerkungen, 1272, and Piper, ii, 289, note to str. 1333.
Page 180. Note 1. Kiev (M. H. G. Kiew) is now a government in the southwestern part of Russia. Its capital of the same name, situated on the Dnieper, is the oldest of the better known cities of Russia, and in the later Middle Ages was an important station of the Hanseatic league.
Note 2. Petschenegere, a Turkish tribe originally dwelling to the north of the Caspian. By conquest they acquired a kingdom extending from the Don to Transylvania. They were feared for their ferociousness and because they continually invaded the surrounding countries, especially Kiev.
Note 3. Tulna (M. H. G. Tulne) is the modern Tulln, a walled town of Lower Austria, seventeen miles northwest of Vienna on the Danube.
Page 181. Note 1. Ramung and Gibeck (M. H. G. Gibeche) appear only in our poem, nothing else is known of them.
Note 2. Hornbog is frequently mentioned in the Thidreksaga, but nothing otherwise is known of him.
Note 3. Hawart is perhaps identical with the Saxon duke Hadugot, who is reputed to have played an important part in the conquest of Thuringia. He evidently comes from the Low German version.
Note 4. Iring is considered by Wilmanns to have been originally an ancient deity, as the Milky Way is called Iringe strâze or Iringi. He occurs in a legend of the fall of the Thuringian kingdom, where he played such a prominent rôle that the Milky Way was named after him. See W. Grimm, Heldensage, p. 394, who thinks, however, that the connection of Iring with the Milky Way is the result of a confusion.
Note 5. Irnfried is considered to be Hermanfrid of Thuringia, who was overthrown and killed in 535 by Theuderich with the aid of the Saxons. See Felix Dahn, Urgeschichte, iii, 73-79. He, too, comes from the Low German tradition.
Note 6. Bloedel is Bleda, the brother of Attila, with whom he reigned conjointly from 433 to 445. In our poem the name appears frequently with the diminutive ending, as Bloedelîn.
Page 184. Note 1. Werbel and Swemmel, who doubtless owe their introduction to some minstrel, enjoy special favor and are intrusted with the important mission of inviting the Burgundians to Etzel’s court, an honor that would hardly be accorded to persons of their rank. Swemmel appears mostly in the diminutive form Swemmelîn.
Note 2. Heimburg lies on the Danube near the Hungarian border.
Page 185. Note 1. Misenburg is the modern Wieselburg on the Danube, twenty-one miles southeast of Pressburg.
Note 2. Etzelburg was later identified with the old part of Budapest, called in German Ofen, through the influence of Hungarian legends, but, as G. Heinrich has shown, had no definite localization in the older M. H. G. epics. See Bleyer, PB. Beit. xxxi, 433 and 506. The name occurs in documents as late as the fifteenth century.
Note 3. Herrat, the daughter of King Nentwin, is frequently mentioned in the Thidreksaga as Dietrich’s betrothed. She is spoken of as the exiled maid.
Note 4. Nentwin is not found in any other saga, and nothing else is known of him. See W. Grimm, Heldensage, 103.
Page 187. Note 1. Ortlieb is not historical, and in the Thidreksaga Etzel’s son is called Aldrian. Bleyer, Die germanischen Elemente der ungarischen Hunnensage, PB. Beit. xxxi, 570, attempt to prove the identity of the names by means of a form * Arda, giving on the one hand Hungarian Aledar, Aldrian, on the other German Arte, Orte.
Page 190. Note 1. Hungary. According to the account in Waltharius, Hagen spent his youth as a hostage at Etzel’s court.
Page 197. Note 1. hostage, i. e., he has never betrayed you to your enemies.
Page 201. Note 1. Gran, royal free city of Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube opposite the influx of the Gran, twenty-four miles northwest of Budapest.
Page 203. Note 1. a thousand and sixty. This does not agree with the account in Adventure XXIV, where we read of a thousand of Hagen’s men, eighty of Dankwart’s, and thirty of Folker’s. The nine thousand foot soldiers mentioned here are a later interpolation, as the Thidreksaga speaks of only a thousand all told.
Page 205. Note 1. Eastern Frankland, or East Franconia, is the ancient province of Franconia Orientalis, the region to the east of the Spessart forest, including the towns of Fulda, Würzburg and Bamberg. In Biterolf Dietlieb journeys through Eastern Frankland to the Danube.
Note 2. Swanfield (M. H. G. Swanevelde) is the ancient province of Sualafeld between the Rezat and the Danube.
Page 206. Note 1. Gelfrat is a Bavarian lord and the brother of Else, mentioned below. Their father’s name was also Else.
Note 2. wise women, a generic name for all supernatural women of German mythology. While it is not specifically mentioned, it is probable that the wise women, or mermaids, as they are also called here, were ‘swan maidens,’ which play an important rôle in many legends and are endowed with the gift of prophecy. They appear in the form of swans, and the strange attire of the wise women mentioned here refers to the so-called swan clothes which they wore and which enabled Hagen to recognize them as supernatural beings. On bathing they lay aside this garment, and he who obtains possession of it has them in his power. This explains their eagerness to give Hagen information, if he will return their garments to them. For an account of them see Grimm’s Mythologie 4, 355.
Page 207. Note 1. Aldrian is not an historical personage; the name is merely a derivative of aldiro, ‘the elder,’ and signifies ‘ancestor,’ just as Uta means ‘ancestress.’ In the Thidreksaga Aldrian is the king of the Nibelung land and the father of Gunther, Giselher, and Gernot, whereas Hagen is the son of an elf by the same mother.
Page 208. Note 1. Else appears also in Biterolf; in the Thidreksaga he is called Elsung, the younger, as his father bore the same name. See note to page 206, 1.
Note 2. Amelrich is the ferryman’s brother.
Page 209. Note 1. spear. It was the custom to offer presents on a spear point, perhaps to prevent the recipient from treacherously using his sword. Compare the similar description in the Hildebrandslied, 37, where we are told that gifts should be received with the spear.
Note 2. goods. In the Thidreksaga the ferryman desires the ring for his young wife, which explains better the allusion to marriage and the desire for wealth.
Page 210. Note 1. to-broke, see note 4 to p. 6.
Page 212. Note 1. clerk, ‘ priest.’
Page 214. Note 1. Adventure XXXVI. This adventure is a late interpolation, as it is not found in the Thidreksaga. Originally the river must be thought of as separating them from Etzel’s kingdom.
Note 2. Moering (M. H. G. Moeringen) lies between Pföring and Ingolstadt. In the Thidreksaga we are told that the mermaids were bathing in a body of water called Moere, whereas in our poem they bathe in a spring. This may he the original form of the account and the form here contaminatad, See Boer, i, 134.
Page 219. Note 1. Eckewart, see note 7 to page 2. It will he remembered that he accompanied Kriemhild first to the Netherlands, then stayed with her at Worms after Siegfried’s death, and finally journeyed with her to Etzel’s court. Originally he must be thought of as guarding the boundary of Etzel’s land. Without doubt he originally warned the Burgundians, as in the early Norse versions, where Kriemhild fights on the side of her brothers, but since this duty was given to Dietrich, he has nothing to do but to announce their arrival to Rüdeger. His sleeping here may, however, be thought to indicate that it was too late to warn Gunther and his men.
Page 223. Note 1. chaplets, see note 1 to page 80.
Page 224. Note 1. of yore, see note 1 to page 190.
Page 229. Note 1. Nudung was slain, according to the Thidreksaga, chap. 335, by Vidga {here Wittich, M. H. G. Witege, the son of Wielant, the smith, in the battle of Gronsport. There, chap. 369, he is Gotelind’s brother, but in Biterolf and the Rosengarten he is her son.
Note 2. marks, see note 1 to page 32.
Page 232. Note 1. Hildebrand is the teacher and armor bearer of Dietrich. He is the hero of the famous Hildebrandslied.
Note 2. Wolfhart is Hildebrand’s nephew, In the Thidreksaga he falls in the battle of Gronsport.
Note 3. Amelung land is the name under which Dietrich’s land appears. Theodorich, the king of the East Goths, belonged to the race of the Amali.
Page 243. Note 1. feast. That Kriemhild kissed only Giselher, who was innocent of Siegfried’s death, aroused Hagen’s suspicions.
Page 243. Note 1. vassal. No other account speaks of Aldrian as being at Etzel’s court. He is probably confused here with his son, for Hagen’s stay with Etzel in various legends, as also in our poem a few lines further down.
Note 2. Walther of Spain is Walther of Aquitania, a legendary personage of whom the O. E. fragment Waldere, the Latin epic Waltharius, a M. H. G. epic, and the Thidreksaga tell. He flees with Hildegund, the daughter of the Burgundian King Herrich, from Etzel’s court, as related here, but has to fight for his life against overpowering numbers, in the Thidreksaga against the pursuing Huns, in the other sources against the Burgundians. In both cases Hagen is among his foes, but takes no part in the fight at first, out of friendship for Walther.
Page 242. Note 1. scathful scathe here imitates the M. H. G. scaden scedelîch.
Page 243. Note 1. Balmung, see note 2 to page 14.
Note 2. friend ... friendly. This repetition occurs in the original.
Note 3. Irnfried, see note 5 to page 181.
Page 244. Note 1. Hawart and Iring, see notes 3 and 4 to page 181.
Note 2. morat (M. H. G. moraz) from late Latin moratum, mulberry wine, is a beverage composed of honey flavored with mulberry-juice.
Page 247. Note 1. Arras, the capital of Artois in the French Netherlands. In older English arras is used also for tapestry.
Page 250. Note 1. Adventure XXXI. This adventure is of late origin, being found only in our poem. See the introduction, page xli.
Page 253. Note 1. truncheons, see note 3 to page 6.
Note 2. Schrutan. This name does not occur elsewhere. Piper suggests, that perhaps a Scotchman is meant, as Skorattan appears in the Thidreksaga, chap. 28, as an ancient name of Scotland.
Note 3. Gibecke, Ramung and Hornbog, see notes 1 and 2 to page 181.
Page 256. Note 1. Nudung, see note 1 to page 229. Page 257. Note 1. Ortlieb. In the Thidreksaga Etzel’s son is called Aldrian. There, however, he is killed because he strikes Hagen in the face, here in revenge for the killing of the Burgundian footmen.
Page 258. Note 1. fey, see note 1 to page 21.
Page 259. Note 1. Adventure XXXII. The details of the following scenes differ materially in the various sources, A comparative study of them will be found in the works of Wilmanns and Boer.
Page 260. Note 1. marriage morning gift (M. H. G. morgengâbe) was given by the bridegroom to the bride on the morning after the wedding. See note 1 to page 151.
Page 261. Note 1. Aldrian’s son, i. e., Dankwart.
Page 262. Note 1. sewers (O. F. asseour, M. L. adsessor ‘one who sete the table’; cf. F. asseoir ‘to set,’ ‘place,’ Lat. ad sedere), older English for an upper servant who brought on and removed the dishes from the table.
Page 264. Note 1. friendship translates the M. H. G. minne trinken ‘to drink to the memory of a person,’ an old custom originating with the idea of pouring out a libation to the gods. Later it assumed the form of drinking to the honor of God, of a saint, or of an absent friend. See Grimm, Mythologie, p. 48.
Page 266. Note 1. Amelungs, see note 3 to page 232.
Page 268. Note 1. Wolfhart, see note 2 to page 232.
Page 270. Note 1. gauds, ornaments.
Page 276. Note 1. weregild (O. E. wer, ‘a man,’ gild, ‘payment of money’), legal term for compensation paid for a man killed.
Page 277. Note 1. Waska. In Biterolf it is the name of the sword of Walther of Wasgenstein and is connected with the old German name, Wasgenwald, for the Vosges.
Page 289. Note 1. parlous, older English for ‘perilous,’
Page 290. Note 1. fey, ‘doomed to death,’ here in the sense of ‘already slain.’ See note 1 to page 21.
Page 292. Note 1. strangers, i. e., those who are sojourning there far from home.
Page 302. Note 1. Helfrich appears also in the Thidreksaga, chap. 330, where we are told that he was the bravest and courtliest of all knights.
Page 303. Note 1. Master Hildebrand, see note 1 to page 232.
Page 305. Note 1. Siegstab is Dietrich’s nephew. He also appears in the Thidreksaga, but in a different rôle.
Note 2. Wolfwin is mentioned in the Klage, 1541, as Dietrich’s nephew.
Note 3. Wolfbrand and Helmnot appear only here.
Page 308. Note 1. Ritschart. With the exception of Helfrich (see note 1 to page 302), these names do not occur elsewhere, though one of the sons of Haimon was called Wichart.
Page 316. Note 1. Waskstone, see note 1 to page 277.
Page 320. Note 1. fall. The word nôt, translated here full, means really ‘disaster,’ but as this word is not in keeping with the style, fall has been chosen as preferable to ‘need,’ used by some translators, The MS. C has here liet instead of nôt of A and B.
The Nibelungenlied is continued by the so-called Klage, a poem written in short rhyming couplets. As the name indicates, it describes the lamentations of the survivors over the dead. The praises of each warrior are sung and a messenger dispatched to acquaint Gotelind, Uta, and Brunhild with the sad end of their kinsmen. It closes with Dietrich’s departure from Etzel’s court and his return home. Although in one sense a continuation of our poem, the Klage is an independent work of no great merit, being exessively tedious with its constant repetitions. A reprint and a full account of it will be found in Piper’s edition of our poem, vol. 1. The Riverside Press
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