The Nibelungenlied

The Middle High German epic of Siegfried's murder and Kriemhild's catastrophic revenge.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Anonymous

type

Heroic epic poem

era

Medieval Germany (c. 1200)

language

Middle High German

verse form

Four-line stanzas (Nibelungenstrophe)

cantos count

39

Core Principles & Analysis

• Composed around 1200 in thirty-nine aventiure.
• Its Kriemhild destroys two kingdoms to avenge Siegfried.
• Wagner's Ring cycle rebuilt its materials for the nineteenth century.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Nibelungenlied