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24. Siegfried's death
25. Hertnit and Isung
26. Grimhild's revenge

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They start a serious shouting match, each insulting the other. Grimhild asks Brunhild who has been her first man. Brunhild answers it was Gunther. Then Grimhild triumphantly produces the ring Siegfried has taken from Brunhild in the bridal night (see part 17)! She tells Brunhild that Siegfried has told her all about that first night, and has given her the ring. Brunhild runs away crying.

Outside, she meets Hagen, Gunther and Gernot. She tells them what has happened and they (mainly Hagen) immediately decide Siegfried has to die. Hagen tells Brunhild not to worry: her honour shall be avenged.

Hagen invites Siegfried to go hunting the next day. When he has agreed, Hagen gives strict instructions to the cook: for breakfast, he is to serve very salty meat with too little wine. The saltiest piece of meat is to go to Siegfried.

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he next day, after breakfast has been served according to Hagen's orders, the hunting party sets out. After having hunted a boar for a while, everyone (especially Siegfried) is thirsty. Hagen knows a little brook in the neighbourhood and leads the party there. Hagen and Gunther drink, followed by Siegfried. When Siegfried is lying on his back, Hagen plants his spear into Siegfried's back. Siegfried says: "In a fair fight, I would have killed the four of you!" and dies.

• Note that the saga only mentions three killers: Hagen, Gunther and Gernot. Then who is the fourth one? Ritter thinks it may be Volker.

At home, Grimhild lies abed in her little room. The door is kicked open and Hagen throws Siegfried's body into her bed. Grimhild starts crying and accuses Hagen of murder. Hagen states that a wild boar has killed Siegfried during the hunt. Grimhild cries that she knows fully well he has been that boar. Hagen does not deny it.

• Note that the saga calls Ute mother of Gunther and Giselher only. Ritter concludes that the princess named before, is the mother of Hagen, Grimhild and Gernot.

K

ing Gunther sends a message to all his men that whoever can carry arms should gather. With a thousand men, Hagen, Gunther, Gernot, Giselher and Volker the bard (Hagen's friend) set out for Soest. They reach the Rhine at the point where Rhine and Duna merge. The river runs high, and they find no boat. Hagen offers to keep watch and search for a boat.

Hagen is in a dark mood. He walks along the riverbank and finds two women bathing. He asks them whether it is possible to cross the river. They answer that crossing it is easy, but that no Nibelung shall return to cross it again. Hagen beheads the two of them.

Then Hagen spots a ferry-boat on the other shore. He calls out to the ferry-man and offers him a golden bracelet. The ferry-man eagerly rows towards Hagen. When Hagen boards, he forces the man to row towards the army of the Nibelungen.

Meanwhile, Gunther has found a small boat, in which some warriors already cross the river. Hagen's boat is much larger, however, and Gunther and a hundred of his men enter. They row to the other side, but misjudge the treacherous currents. Hagen rows too powerfully and the rudder breaks. In response, he beheads the ferry-man. Gunther remarks on this. Hagen says the man should not brings news of their coming to anyone. Gunther does not believe him: Hagen is only happy when doing dark deeds. Hagen does not deny it.

The boat turns over and the Nibelungen swim the last part. Then they push on. At night, Hagen again goes off on his own. He finds a sleeping warrior. Hagen takes away his sword and then wakes him. The warrior explains being sent by jarl Rodinger of Bakalar to accompany them to Bakalar. Hagen tells him to keep better guard the next time and gives him a golden bracelet.

• Boer thinks that this sleeping watchman is no one but Dietrich himself, having come from Soest to warn the Nibelungen of Grimhild's evil intent.

The Nibelungen are lavishly entertained at Bakalar. Rodinger gives Siegfried's sword Gram and his daughter to Giselher. He accompanies the Nibelungen to Soest. Rodinger's wife, however, warns the Nibelungen of Grimhild's evil intentions.

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rimhild stands on one of the towers of Soest and sees her brothers arriving. She cries while she curses: the time of vengeance has come! Then she quickly descends to Attila's hall. There she meets her brothers and asks them to take off their armour. Hagen flatly refuses. Then Grimhild asks if they have brought the treasure that once was Siegfried's. Hagen answers they have brought her a strong enemy. Grimhild decides on a new strategy.

She sinks down between Gunther and Giselher and starts to cry. Of course, Giselher asks her why. She explains she still grieves for Siegfried. Hagen tells her she should love Attila as much as Siegfried. Besides, he is much more powerful than Siegfried. Let's forget those past misunderstandings. Siegfried is dead! Grimhild runs away, again crying.

• At this point, a duke Bloedlin suddenly appears on Attila's side, while Osid mysteriously disappears. Ritter believes this Bloedlin is in fact Osid. I agree with him and will call Bloedlin Osid throughout.

The next day, Grimhild goes in search of allies. First she asks Dietrich to help her, but Dietrich refuses because the Nibelungen are his friends. Then she asks Osid, Attila's nephew. He refuses because Attila has received the Nibelungen as guests. Finally, Grimhild goes to Attila himself and tries to enrage him by again mentioning the treasure the Nibelungen have failed to bring. He does not budge and forbids Grimhild to avenge Siegfried.

Since there are a thousand Nibelungen, Attila decides to use the walled garden for his great banquet. When the Nibelungen arrive, Grimhild tries to persuade them to leave their weapons outside. Hagen refuses. Then Grimhild goes to Irung, her own follower, and asks him to help her. He agrees. Grimhild gives strict orders and then hurries back to the garden.

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he is met by her little son Aldrian, who is elated by the visit of his famous uncles. She asks him if he is a man already. Aldrian eagerly agrees: he is! Prove it, Grimhild says, Hit your uncle Hagen on the chin as hard as you can! Aldrian agrees and hits Hagen so hard that blood runs from his nose. Hagen grabs the little boy and beheads him. Next, he beheads his teacher for teaching him bad manners.

• The poet of the Nibelungenlied could not bring himself to make Grimhild sacrifice her little son, so Hagen beheads him without any provocation. The poet did retain, however, the death of the teacher and Hagen's remark on bad manners, although the remark makes no sense in the new context. This is an argument for the greater antiquity of the Thidrekssaga's version.

Now, Grimhild has forced Attila to do battle. He has to avenge his son and calls his men to arms. The Nibelungen also grab their weapons and since they are armed and the Huns aren't, they quickly drive them from the garden through the only entrance. When the Nibelungen try to follow they slip on the fresh bull-hides Grimhild has cleverly laid across the entrance. Thus the Nibelungen are captured within the garden. In addition, their thirty squires guarding their shields and heavier weapons are all killed by Irung's men.

With arrows and spears, the Huns start to pick off Nibelungen from outside the garden. It is clear that the Nibelungen must escape. They tear down the wall at a weak spot near one of the corners and Hagen leads a sally, which completely surprises the Huns. The fighting now spreads out across most of Soest. Gernot goes to Dietrich's hall and asks him for aid. Dietrich sadly refuses: he cannot take up arms against Attila, who has received him when he was an exile.

Meanwhile, Osid leads a counterattack and meets Gunther in battle. Gunther is defeated and taken prisoner. Attila throws him into the snake-pit at the lowest level of his tower. Here Gunther dies.

D

espite this, the Nibelungen control the city. They attack the citadel, but are bloodily defeated. Rodinger leaves the citadel to sleep in Dietrich's hall.

• In my opinion, by acting thus Rodinger declares his neutrality.

Near the end of the night, Hagen calls together all Nibelungen and makes a count: they have lost three hundred men, but the Huns have lost more. Attila, however, begins to receive reinforcements from the countryside. He throws his men into battle to reconquer the city. In the midst of the battle, Gernot meets Osid and kills him.

Though this victory keeps up the spirit of the Nibelungen, Rodinger decides to avenge Osid and enters the battle by suddenly attacking a group of Nibelungen. Giselher is there, however, and he defeats Rodinger and kills him with Siegfried's sword Gram that Rodinger himself has given him. In turn, this makes Dietrich enter the battle to avenge Rodinger. Since Dietrich leads many warriors, the Nibelungen are defeated. The leaders withdraw to a hall, while the common warriors are slaughtered.

Grimhild appears on the tower of the citadel and commands burning branches to be thrown on the hall's roof. Meanwhile, Dietrich and Hildebrand enter the hall. Dietrich kills Volker, who stands by the door. Then Hildebrand takes on Gernot, while Dietrich attacks Hagen himself. Hildebrand quickly finishes Gernot and then turns on Giselher.

Hagen asks Hildebrand to spare Giselher: he is young and has not participated in Siegfried's killing. Giselher, however, wants to keep his honour intact by dying with his brothers. Hildebrand attacks him and, as expected, kills him.

H

agen and Dietrich still fight on. They begin to get angry and Dietrich twits Hagen for being the son of an elf. Hagen replies that it is better to be an elf's son than the Devil's. This makes Dietrich so angry that he spews fire from his mouth and burns Hagen. Hagen is roasted in his armour and gives up. "If I were a fish, I would be edible by now."

Attila and Grimhild enter the hall. Grimhild immediately takes a smouldering branch and shoves it into Gernot's mouth. Then she does the same to Giselher, who twists and turns: he was not quite dead yet. Attila, Dietrich and Hagen watch in horror. Dietrich tells Attila he has told him so: Grimhild is no woman, she is a devil. Attila agrees and Dietrich beheads her.

• Boer thinks originally Hagen was killed by the burning branch, but the writer has substituted Giselher because he still needed Hagen to sire Aldrian.

Hagen is brought into the citadel and asks Dietrich for a woman in his last night. Dietrich arranges one and Hagen sires a son: Aldrian. Then he dies.

N

ow, the saga gives its sources: the stories told independently by men from Bremen and Soest.

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