The Lay of the Nibelung Men — Background and Themes

Kriemhild's Dream and the Prophetic Opening

The first chapter introduces Kriemhild dreaming of a falcon killed by eagles, which her mother Uta interprets as a warning about a noble husband. This dream sets the tragic tone and establishes Kriemhild as a central figure whose fate is intertwined with Siegfried's. Way's translation preserves the dream's symbolic language: the falcon represents Siegfried, and the eagles foreshadow his murderers. The opening stanzas also describe Kriemhild's beauty and her resolve to avoid love, a vow soon broken.

The Wooing of Brunhild and the Deception

Chapters VI through X detail Gunther's quest to win the warrior-queen Brunhild, with Siegfried's help. Way's translation captures the competitive athletic contests—stone-throwing, jumping, spear-casting—that Brunhild demands of suitors. Siegfried's invisibility cloak allows Gunther to appear victorious, but the deception sows distrust. The wedding night struggle between Gunther and Brunhild is rendered with physical intensity, and Siegfried's intervention to subdue her again deepens the moral ambiguity.

The Quarrel of the Queens and Siegfried's Murder

In Chapter XIV, Kriemhild and Brunhild argue at the cathedral door over their husbands' rank. Kriemhild reveals that Siegfried, not Gunther, defeated Brunhild, triggering Brunhild's demand for revenge. Hagen's betrayal is meticulously plotted: he feigns concern for Siegfried's safety, learns of his vulnerable spot, and murders him while hunting. Way's translation emphasizes the irony of Siegfried's trust and the brutality of the killing, with Hagen stabbing him through the back as he drinks from a spring.

Kriemhild's Vengeance and the Final Catastrophe

After Siegfried's death, Kriemhild mourns and later marries Etzel, king of the Huns, to gain power for revenge. The later chapters describe the invitation of the Burgundians to Etzel's court and the escalating violence. Way's translation of the hall-burning and the single combats is stark and unflinching. The poem ends with all major characters dead: Gunther, Hagen, and Kriemhild herself. The translation maintains the epic's relentless pace, with each stanza advancing the bloodshed.

Way's translation offers a complete English version of the Nibelungenlied in a consistent metrical form. Readers should note the translator's introduction, which defines epic poetry and situates the work alongside the Chanson de Roland. The poem's structure—39 chapters, each with a clear narrative arc—makes it accessible for first-time readers of medieval epic. Pay attention to the recurring motifs of dreams, oaths, and treasure, which bind the two halves of the story together.

After finishing Way’s translation, I kept thinking about Kriemhild’s dream—how a warning can feel so real, yet change nothing. That same ache lives in Two Women, 1862; a Poem — Text and Context. Two women, bound by one man’s choices, circling their own quiet tragedies. It stayed with me like an echo. Perhaps you’ll feel that, too.