A large gap of time separates the events told in the operas of the Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle, although this time it is easier to establish how many years have passed since Brunnhilde fell asleep (this ended the Valkyrie). In the last act of the Valkyrie, we said goodbye to Sieglinde, and she set off on her way to the home of the Nibelungs. There she was found by Mime, a blacksmith, Alberich's brother. There she died, having given birth to her son, whom she named Siegfried; Mime became his adoptive father and raised him. Siegfried has grown into a strong, arrogant, sharp young man, he is a child of the forest, enjoys communicating with its inhabitants and despises the dwarf who raised him.
ACT I
Intro and Scene 1. The curtain rises. The scene is an interior view of a cave in the rock; around the forest. In one of the recesses there is a blacksmith's forge with a large fur. Mime sits in front of the forge at the anvil and zealously taps his sword with a hammer. The rhythm and motifs that characterize the work of a blacksmith (familiar to us from the Rhine Gold) sound in the orchestra. Mime is not in the mood: how many beautiful swords he has forged lately, but this unbearable boy - Siegfried - all of them immediately jokingly smashed to smithereens. Now Mime, full of doubts, is forging a new sword for Siegfried - he is not sure of the success of the case, because he knows that Siegfried will break this magnificent sword. But one day, he hopes, he will still be able to make an indestructible sword from the fragments of Notung that Sieglinde left him, only now he does not have the strength to forge it himself. (If we assume that in the first opera of the cycle - "Gold of the Rhine" - Mime, although already a mature master, is still a young man (say, twenty-five years old, hardly younger), then, adding here another twenty-five years , separating the events of "Rhine d'Or" from the events described in "Valkyrie", plus Siegfried's years of maturity, which passed before the curtain of the opera dedicated to him rose, it can be recognized that Mime has grown old and now he must be over seventy. - A. M.). With a sword forged from the fragments of Notung, Siegfried could, Mime is sure of it, crush Fafner and bring his adoptive father the Ring with supernatural power contained in it. He, along with a whole mountain of gold, was captured by Fafner (at the end of the Golden Rhine) - he turned into a dragon and now lies on this pile of gold, guarding it.
The exposition has already been going on for a long time, when Siegfried, dressed in the rough clothes of a forest dweller, quickly appears from the forest with a silver horn on a chain. He leads a large bear, bridled with a bast bast, and with a laugh, shawl, incites him to Mima. He scares Mime. The dwarf is at a loss: "You can beat bears in the forest, why bring the living here?" Sobbing (it is not entirely clear why), Mime complains about Siegfried's bad attitude towards himself, and all this after what he did for Siegfried, working day and night for his good. Siegfried remains indifferent to these complaints, which he has no doubt heard more than once. Finally, he demands that Mime tell him who his father and mother are and how he came into the world. And Mime says that his mother's name was Sieglinde. He cannot name his father, but mentions the fragments of the sword that Sieglinde left him. Having demanded that he forge a sword from them today, Siegfried runs away to his furry and feathered friends.
Scene 2 Before Siegfried had time to leave, a traveler (this is Wotan) comes out of the forest and approaches the entrance to the cave. He is wearing a long dark blue cloak, in his hand is a spear that serves as his staff, and on his head is a round hat with wide lowered brim. He calls himself the Wayfarer, and he knows a lot. Mime is not interested in anything, he only wants the Traveler ("If you really are a traveler!" - as Mime says) go away. Not at all embarrassed, the Traveler sits down by the hearth and offers to demonstrate his wisdom by answering any three questions Mime asks him. If he fails, let Mime take his head. Mime, who boasts of his own natural intelligence, cannot refuse this proposal and asks three questions in the area in which the Traveler considers himself eminently knowledgeable - since, as can be seen from the list of actors, he is none other than the one who took on such a guise Wotan. The questions are: "What kind of people nest in the bowels of the earth? What kind of people live here on earth? What kind of people live on the peaks?" The answers - each with additional qualifications - are: the Nibelungs, the giants and the gods.
Recognizing the answers as absolutely correct, Mime again invites his guest to leave. But Wotan insists that now he has the right to ask his three questions, but his questions are much more difficult. Mime answers the first two without difficulty - the correct answers were: "Velzungi" and "Notung". By giving these answers - also with additional details - Mime demonstrates that he knows much more about family history than what he told Siegfried. But the third question—unpleasant to him because it concerns the future—has puzzled the dwarf. The question is: "Which of those pieces of debris can Notung be bound again?" And when Mime, in great fear, admits that he does not know, Wotan says to him: "It will be the one who did not know fear." However, he does not demand the head of Mime: let him who knows no fear take it. And now the Traveler is moving away. Scene 3. Left alone, Mime, crushed, sinks onto the bench; he trembles with fear. The orchestra depicts the frantic sounds of the forest: the breath of a dragon is heard in the distance, and thinking that it is Fafner, Mime, trembling with horror, hides behind the anvil with a scream. When Siegfried returns to claim his sword, he is initially unable to find the dwarf. Finally, Mime comes out of his hiding place, tells him that Notung can only be forged by one who knows no fear, and asks Siegfried if he knows this feeling. Siegfried does not know him. Despite all the expressiveness with which Mime describes the frightening noise of the night forest and the horror that this noise produced on him, the fearless Siegfried cannot understand this. (Mime reproaches himself for not "taught" him that feeling.) Now Siegfried demands instructions on how the forging actually takes place. Perhaps, Mime suggests, Siegfried learns fear by visiting the cave of a terrible dragon that lives very far from here - "Envy" is a place called. Siegfried, always hungry for new experiences, insists that Mime take him there, but first he must get the sword. And since Mime himself is not able to forge it, Siegfried takes the pieces, puts them in a forge and starts working in the forge. Mime, sitting nearby, gives him professional advice, but Siegfried, apparently inspired from above, enthusiastically forges a sword, not paying attention to instructions. Meanwhile, the dwarf hopes that if Siegfried makes a sword and kills Fafner, he himself will give him a drink with a sleeping potion, kill him and take possession of the gold. Siegfried, continuing to forge his sword, sings: "Nothung! Nothung!" ("Notung! Notung! Fighting sword! "). And when Siegfried immerses the forged sword in water, it boils from the hot metal, then he strengthens the handle on it. In the end, he swings the sword and hits the anvil with all his might. In admiration, he jumped up on the bench, falls from fear to the ground. Siegfried in delight raises his sword high above his head.
ACT II
Intro and Scene 1. Deaf forest. At the back of the stage is the entrance to the cave. The soil rises to the middle of the stage and forms a slight rise there. To the left, a broken rock is visible from behind the trees. Dark night. Alberich is located near the rock near Fafner's cave, he is in deep thought. He waits for the day when he sees the dragon slain. The Traveler comes out of the forest and stops in front of Alberich. Moonlight, instantly breaking through the clouds, illuminates the figure of the Traveler. Alberich recognizes him and at first retreats in fright, but immediately attacks him in the greatest fury. There is and cannot be any love between him and Wotan, who came to warn him about things dangerous for him: to beware of Mime, his brother, who took the boy (Siegfried) with him so that he would kill Fafner. "Remember one thing," continues the Traveler (Wotan), "the boy does not know the Ring, but Mime is looking for it." Together they - Wotan and Alberich - wake up Fafner (dragon), and Alberich tells him that he can avoid a battle with a well-armed enemy if he gives up the ring. Fafner's laconic answer: "Ich lieg" und besitz "lasst mich schlafen!" ("I'll give you nothing; don't wake up!"). With laughter and advice to Alberich to get along with Mime, Wotan disappears into the forest. Alberich hides in a side cleft. The stage is empty.
Scene 2 In the light of the dawning day, Siegfried and Mime appear. Siegfried's sword hangs on his bark baldric. Mime scans the area carefully and finally turns to the background as the sun shines brighter on the hill in front of him. "Here's the cave," says Mille, Siegfried now hopes to know what fear is. Mime quite colorfully describes the terrifying appearance of the dragon: he is ferocious, wild, huge, terrible and evil, he can swallow Siegfried with his sword in one gulp, he splashes with terrible poison, and this poison, on whom it falls, will burn him, like fire; he has a huge tail, and he can pinch his victim with such force that the bones shatter like glass. But Siegfried only wants to know if he has a heart. And, having heard confirmation of this and that it is in the same place as in all the animals, Siegfried indignantly sends Mime away.
While waiting for the snake to crawl out to drink water at noon, Siegfried lies down under a linden tree. This episode is well known to lovers of symphonic music, since it is often performed as an independent number of concert programs, and in this case it is called "Rustle of the Forest". Siegfried wonders how he can recognize his mother's face. He hears the birds singing, tries to speak to them with the help of a pipe, which he makes from a reed. This he fails, and then he takes his silver horn and blows it. But he still fails to understand what the bird is saying to him in its own language. His "bush" music, however, woke up the dragon - he crawls out of his hiding place to see who disturbed him. Siegfried is not in the least afraid of either the frightening appearance of the dragon, or his thunderous bass sounding from his mouth (there is a note in the score about how to achieve the desired effect: a hatch opens through it, through which the singer, performing the part of Fafner, pronounces his words into a special mouthpiece, connected from the inside to the monster's mouth "; Wagner had resorted to a mouthpiece before, for example, in the Valkyrie, when Sigmund and Hunding approached for a duel. -A. M.). Enraged by the young man's defiant behavior, the dragon attacks him. Siegfried wounds him in the tail, and then, when the monster rises to fall on the enemy with all its weight and thereby opens its chest, Siegfried plunges the sword into his heart up to the hilt. Fafner's last words are words of warning against the Nibelung: "But beware, blooming boy! Whoever inspired this case has prepared death for you!" Fafner rises and falls dead. But when Siegfried draws the sword from his body, a drop of blood falls on his fingers; he brings them to his lips and licks off the blood. And - about a miracle! - he suddenly acquires the ability to understand the language of birds. The voice of one of them (soprano (boy's voice. - A.M.) behind the scenes) tells him about a treasure of gold, about an invisibility helmet, about the almighty Ring. (Wagner achieves an amazingly beautiful effect by using polyrhythm in this episode - a combination of two different tripartite rhythms: one for Bird's voice, the other for conveying the rustle of leaves from where she sings. -AM). Siegfried thanks Birdie and heads deeper into the cave, where he disappears.
Scene 3 Mime sneaks onto the stage, looking around timidly, to make sure Fafner is dead. At the same time, Alberich appears from the cleft. He watches Mime and when he turns to the cave, he rushes to him and blocks the way. Between them there is a fierce dispute about which of them should get the magic Ring. Alberich is the stronger of them, and he intends to get all one.
When Siegfried emerges from the cave, they see that he has already taken possession of both the Ring and the helmet, using Bird's advice, and now he owns all the gold. The Nibelungs disappear in different directions. Siegfried considers his prey thoughtfully and stops in the middle of the dais. Then he puts the Ring on his finger, and hangs the helmet on his belt. Silence. Siegfried involuntarily notices Birdie again and listens to her with bated breath. Now she gives him this advice: "Mime don't believe in anything." She also says that thanks to the dragon's blood he has drunk, he will be able to understand what is in Mime's soul, no matter what speeches he makes. The gesture and facial expression of Siegfried show that he understood the meaning of Bird's song. He sees Mime approaching and stops, leaning on his sword and watching him intently.
Mime again starts a conversation with Siegfried and tries to win him over so that he trusts him. But now Siegfried understands the true intentions of Mime: he hates him, as the whole human race hates. Mime plots to kill Siegfried with his own sword as soon as he falls asleep. And when Mime offers him a soporific drink, Siegfried with the greatest disgust and with the words: "Here you are, vile traitor!" - Deals Mime a quick blow. Mime immediately falls dead to the ground. Siegfried expresses no sentiment over the death of his foster father, but picks up Mime's body, carries it to the dais in front of the cave, and drops it from there into the cave. Then, with great effort, he also drags the corpse of a snake to the entrance to the cave and tightly fills up the entrance with it. As for Alberich, from the crevice where he hides, his malevolent laughter is heard when he sees that Mime is killed.
Again our hero lies under the linden and looks through the branches. Now he reflects on his loneliness in this world. And again, Bird encourages him. "Hey, Siegfried!" she calls and tells about the girl who is waiting for him to wake her up. And she sleeps at the top of the rock, surrounded by flames. Her name is Brunnhilde, and she will belong to the one who can pass through the fire and who knows no fear. And now Siegfried sings with delight: "After all, that eccentric that did not know him, that's me!". He asks Bird to show him the way. The bird begins to flutter across the stage, it circles around Siegfried and then, holding back the flight, flies in front of him, showing the way. Thus ends the second act.
Act III
Intro and Scene 1. Wilderness at the foot of a rocky mountain. Night. Storm. Lightning and strong thunder. The peals gradually subside, but the lightning, sparkling for a long time, cuts through the clouds. The Wayfarer (Wotan) enters. He moves with a determined step towards the arched entrance to the cave in the rock, stops in front of him, leans on his spear and calls, turning towards the cave. He calls on Erda, goddess of the earth and mother of the Valkyries, to awaken from her sleep and help him once more. A bluish light begins to dawn in the cave. Illuminated by him, Erda slowly rises from the depths. She is as if covered with luminous hoarfrost, her hair and clothes are cast with a flickering light. Wotan tells her what worries him, but she does little to help him. Her advice is to turn to the Norns: "They spin the thread, obedient to my thought," she tells Wotan. And when he tells her that they are obedient to the fate of the world and cannot change their decisions, she advises him to turn to Brunnhilde. And only now she finds out what happened to her daughter. She deeply condemns everything that happened while she slept, and now her only desire is to sleep again. Wotan tells her that now he completely rejects the destructive works of the gods, and all his power is inherited by the young Siegfried, full of joy and love, who knows no malice and who will wake Brunhilde. "I'm not afraid of the end since I myself decided it," he says. And when Brunnhilde awakens from her sleep, she will perform a great deed - she will save the world. Erda closes her eyes and gradually sinks deeper and deeper; finally, it is completely hidden under the ground; the cave is again plunged into darkness.
Scene 2 The scene is illuminated by the morning dawn. The storm has completely subsided. The traveler comes closer to the cave and leans back against it, turning his gaze to the stage. The Bird appears and, fluttering, goes to the foreground. Seeing Wotan, she fearfully rushes from side to side and hastily hides in the back of the stage. A moment later, Siegfried enters. Naturally, he does not recognize his grandfather and asks him how he can find his girlfriend. The old man answers him with many hints that he can barely understand (apparently the audience has the same difficulty). In the end, however, he makes it clear: it was he who put the girl to sleep, and thus Siegfried decides that the Traveler must be an enemy of his kind. And now the Traveler blocks Siegfried's path to the rock, on the top of which, gradually flaring up, a wavering fiery light is shown. In the Traveler's hand is a spear, on which Notung has already once split into pieces. Siegfried challenges the Wayfarer. With a blow of his sword, he cuts the spear into two parts. A brilliant lightning breaks out of them and rushes to the top of the rock, where the hitherto weak light now begins to turn into an ever brighter flame. A thunderous, rapidly fading rumble follows the lightning strike. The broken spear is a visible and convincing enough for Wotan symbol of the waning of his own strength and the growing power of the new order. He invites Siegfried to follow on: "Go! Your path has become free!" - and he instantly disappears into complete darkness. “Siegfried blows his horn,” we quote Wagner’s note in the score, “and throws himself into the flame, which, descending from the height, now spills over the whole stage.” He calls out: "Ho-ho! Ha-hey! Now a friend will answer me!" The flame first reaches its greatest strength, and then begins to fade and gradually passes into a thinner cloud, as if illuminated by the pinkish light of the dawn.
Scene 3 While the orchestra weaves a brilliant web of the main themes of the opera, the clouds cover the proscenium, and when they dissipate, a clear blue sky opens above, while along the edge of the emerging cliff top (the same scenery as in the third act of "The Valkyrie") there is a slight foggy cover , illuminated by a reddish morning dawn, the reflection of which at the same time resembles a magical flame blazing in the depths. The scene arrangement is exactly the same as at the end of Valkyrie. Under a broad-branched spruce, Brunnhilde lies in deep sleep in shining armor and a helmet on her head, covered with a long shield. Siegfried climbs to the top of the cliff, and the first thing he sees is Brunhilde's horse, Granet, and then Brunhilde herself, sleeping. Since she is dressed in military armor, and the visor of the helmet is lowered, he takes her for a male warrior, and even when he lifted the helmet from her head and her long curly hair scattered from under it, he still continues to think, that in front of him is a young warrior: "What a handsome man!" he exclaims. We must remember that he had probably never seen a female human being before. Finally, noticing that the "warrior" is breathing heavily, Siegfried draws his sword and, with gentle care, cuts the chain mail rings on both sides and removes it, so that Brunnhilde now lies before him in an ordinary woman's attire. Siegfried steps back in fear and astonishment. "But that's not the husband!" he exclaims. He is seized by completely new feelings unknown to him. He calls on his mother for help. It seems to him that for the first time now he is experiencing a feeling of fear. But now he knows that this is the very woman he is looking for, and instinct pushes him to kiss her gently on the mouth, thereby awakening her from sleep.
Brunhilde, who had fallen asleep before Siegfried was born, wakes up. She slowly rises and sits on the couch. With a solemn movement of raised hands, she welcomes her return to the consciousness and feeling of earth and sky. Her first reaction is the joy of seeing the sun. But soon she wonders: "Who could wake me up?" Siegfried says his name. She greets him by name, tells him how she knew him and that she loved him even before he was born. The long duet that brings balance to this scene expresses a wide range of feelings. Siegfried's feelings are simple and understandable: he is proud that he has achieved the goal, and passionately wants to hug Brunhilde. Brunnhilde's experience is more complex, as she realizes that she is no longer a goddess, that it was not a god who touched her, but a mortal man or, at best, a demigod, was her savior. At the same time, she is completely subdued by the young man (who is her own nephew, although this does not occur to either one or the other). They vow to forever belong to each other. Knowing, apparently, that the realm of the gods is doomed ("Disappear, the bright world of the gods! Let the death of the gods come!" she exclaims), Brunnhilde welcomes life and its result - death. "I give in laughing and laughing I will forget everything, we will end our lives laughing and we will die with laughter!" Full of passionate feeling, Brunnhilde throws herself into the arms of Siegfried.
Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maykapar)
Siegfried is an epic opera with a smooth, slow flow of events, emphasized by an abundance of leisurely conversations-dialogues. A light, serene mood prevails. Difficult dramatic experiences, tragic collisions are absent. The song plays an important role in the characterization of the protagonist, and the importance of the orchestra in the pictures of nature is great.
The first act multilaterally illuminates the heroic image of Siegfried; Mime's characterization serves as a contrast to him. The gloomy thoughts of the blacksmith-Nibelungen are conveyed in the orchestral introduction and the first scene (Mime forges a sword). The appearance of Siegfried is heralded by a sonorous fanfare (forest horn). Mime's song "I took you as a baby" sounds plaintively. It is contrasted with Siegfried's cheerful, cheerful Song of Wanderings ("I will go wandering around the world with him"). The great dialogical scene of the contest in the wisdom of the Traveler and Mime is distinguished by its majestic, solemn tone. The heroic "Song of Smelting" ("Notung! Notung! Fighting Sword!") with a simple, clear and courageous melody and orchestral accompaniment depicting the boiling of molten steel, and the "Song of Sword Forging" crown the act.
In the second act, scenes depicting envy, greed, deceit are contrasted with the bright characterization of Siegfried in the bosom of nature. This scene - "Rustle of the Forest" - takes up most of the act. With subtle orchestral colors, Wagner draws the image of a sun-drenched forest full of mysterious voices; the singing of a bird is repeated several times (first in the orchestra, then - the voice of a boy) - the composer overheard and recorded this melody during one of his walks. In ominous contrast to the serene picture, scenes of the battle with the dragon, the dispute of the Nibelungs, and Mime's deceit break in. At the end of the act, a joyful and excited mood reigns again.
The third act splits into two scenes: the gloomy, restless scenes with the Wayfarer give way to Brunnhilde's solemn awakening and a love duet. The stormy, full of anxiety orchestral introduction depicts Wotan's nighttime gallop. The same sentiments are developed in Erda's spell by Wotan "Where are you, Vala". In the subsequent dialogue, Wotan's excited exclamations are contrasted with Erda's stately, detached phrases. Echoes of "Rustle of the Forest" are heard in the scene of Siegfried and Wotan. The symphonic intermezzo draws "Siegfried's Journey Through Fire" - a bizarre background that conveys a raging sea of \u200b\u200bflame is cut through by Siegfried's impetuous heroic themes.
The second picture begins in sharp contrast - after the brilliance and power of the entire orchestra, the solo violin sounds lonely, creating the impression of an enchanted kingdom on a desert rock. The extensive love scene of Siegfried and Brunhilde is distinguished by a wealth of diverse episodes. The excited remarks of Siegfried set off the majestic, enlightened, with the solemn accompaniment of harps, the awakening of Brunhilde “Hello, sun! Hello world! It is complemented by Brunnhilde's lyrical song "Forever languished". The jubilant melodies in the folk spirit sound in the final duet.
✪ Venya D "rkin - Nibelung
✪ Wilhelm Richard Wagner Ring of the Nibelung, Siegfried
✪ Mill North clip
✪ Nibelungen - caveman song
✪ Venya Drkin / Top songs
Subtitles
Features of versification
The tonic alliterative verse remained the form of German poetry for an entire era. Especially for a long time this form was preserved in Iceland, while among the continental Germanic peoples already in the early Middle Ages it is replaced by verse with a final rhyme. Beowulf and the Elder Edda songs are in the traditional alliterative form, the Nibelungenlied is in a new rhyme-based form. "The Song of the Nibelungs" is built on the "Kurenberg stanza", "Nibelungen stanza" which consists of four rhyming verses in pairs. Each verse is divided into two half-lines with four stressed syllables in the first half-line, while in the second half-line of the first three lines there are three stresses, and in the second half-line of the last line, which completes the stanza both formally and in meaning, four stresses. The translation of the Nibelungenlied from Middle High German into Russian does not face such difficulties as the translation of alliterated poetry, and gives an idea of its metrical structure.
Authorship
Author The Nibelungenlied, that is, the poet who combined the poetic works and legends that existed before him and, reworking them in his own way, gave them the final artistic form and structure, is unknown. The fact that in stanza 2233 he calls himself a “scribe” may to some extent reflect the degree of his creative self-awareness: he does not see himself as an independent writer who freely disposes of the material, he imagines his poetic work rather as a fixation of an existing tradition . But if this was his sense of self (and, apparently, the attitude of his contemporaries towards him), then in fact the Nibelungenlied, which came out from the pen of an unknown poet, differs significantly from others in content and form. versions of the same story.
There is reason to believe that the epic was composed near the city, its place of origin should be sought on the Danube, in the area between Passau and Vienna: the geography of then Austria and the regions adjacent to it is known to the author incomparably better than other parts of Europe. Various assumptions have been made in science regarding the identity of the author. Some scholars considered him a shpilman, a wandering singer, a “gamer”, others were inclined to think that he was a clergyman (perhaps in the service of the Bishop of Passau), others that he was an educated knight of a low family. The Nibelungenlied was the result of reworking the material of Germanic heroic songs and tales into an epic on a large scale. This reworking was accompanied by gains and losses. Acquisitions - for the nameless author of the epic made the ancient legends sound in a new way and managed to unusually clearly and colorfully ( Colorful in the literal sense of the word: the author willingly and tastefully gives the color characteristics of the clothes, jewelry and weapons of the heroes. The contrasts and combinations of red, gold, white colors in his descriptions are vividly reminiscent of a medieval book miniature. The poet himself, as it were, has it before his eyes (see stanza 286).), to expand in detail every scene of the legends about Siegfried and Kriemhild, more concisely and concisely presented in the works of his predecessors. It took an outstanding talent and great art to ensure that the songs, which numbered more than one century, again acquired relevance and artistic power for the people of the 13th century, who in many respects already had completely different tastes and interests.
The spelling of the names of characters and toponyms is given in accordance with the translation of Yu. B. Korneev, published in 1972 in the series "Literary Monuments".1st adventure
Siegfried was received with great honour, despite his arrogance, and soon became friends with his masters. For the sake of the famous guest, fun feasts and tournaments are arranged. So a whole year passes, during which Kriemhild often admired Siegfried from the window; but the knight, in spite of all his desire, did not have the opportunity to see her.
4th adventure
King Ludeger of the Saxons, together with the Danish king Ludegast, declared war on the Burgundians. Siegfried volunteered to replace Gunther; with a thousand selected Burgundian knights and with his companions, he went on a campaign and, after several brilliant victories, captured both kings.
When the messenger with this news arrived in Worms, Kriemhild secretly summoned him to her to ask about the exploits of Siegfried. Gunther invites the winners to a feast. Siegfried wanted to leave, but stays for Kriemhild's sake.
5th adventure
On Trinity Day, a holiday began, to which knights flocked from near and far countries. Krimhilda and her mother should also come to the guests.
Gunther led Siegfried to his sister; he chivalrously bowed to her; they furtively glanced at each other and were instantly seized with love. After mass, Krimhilda began to thank him for helping his brothers. “Out of love for you, I served them,” Siegfried replies. The fun continued for 12 days, and Krimhilda went out to the guests every day.
When they began to disperse, Siegfried also wanted to leave, but Giselher easily persuaded him to stay.
6th adventure
At this time, Queen Brynhilde lived across the sea, a maiden of wonderful beauty and strength. Many sought her love, but she decided to belong only to the one who defeats her in war games; the vanquished was subject to death. Gunther decided to marry her.
Siegfried at first tried to dissuade him, but then promised him his cooperation, so that Gunther would give Kriemhild for him. Siegfried and Gunther, accompanied by Hagen and Dankwart, went by ship to Isenstein, Brynhild's castle. The ships were hastily assembled, since Gunther's desire to possess Brynhild was spontaneous, and there were three ships.
7th adventure
Brynhilde greets Siegfried affectionately and asks him about the purpose of his arrival. "I," replies Siegfried, "is a vassal of King Gunther, who has come to woo you."
Preparations for the test began. Brynhilde's shield is so heavy that it was barely carried by four; they bring a spear and a stone that only 12 people could lift. Gunther was horrified; but Siegfried hurried to his aid, wearing an invisibility cloak; Gunther only made the appropriate gestures, and Siegfried showed his extraordinary strength for him. Brynhild is defeated and is to be Gunther's wife.
8th adventure
Siegfried leaves for the country of the Nibelungs, from where he brings 1000 husbands as a retinue for Gunther; Gunter and his fiancee go home.
9th adventure
From the road, Siegfried drives to Worms to warn the Queen and Kriemhild.
10th adventure
Upon arriving home, Gunther fulfilled his promise: Kriemhild was betrothed to Siegfried and placed against the king and queen. Seeing them nearby, Brynhild began to weep bitterly; when Gunther asked her about the reason for her tears, she said: “I weep for Kriemhild, whom you give for a vassal; forever I will mourn that she is so humiliated.
In the nuptial chamber, Brynhilde once again struggles with Gunther, who, being deprived of help this time, must shamefully surrender and, bound, is hung on a nail. The next day he tells Siegfried about it; he once again puts on the invisibility cloak, again defeats Brynhild and takes the belt and ring from her, which he gives to Kriemhild. Recognizing Gunther as her husband, Brynhilde lost her extraordinary strength (according to the medieval literary tradition, the Virgin Warrior, losing her innocence, also lost her military strength, becoming an ordinary woman).
11th adventure
At the end of the wedding festivities, Siegfried and his wife went to their homeland, where their father gave him the crown. 10 happy years have passed. Kriemhild gave birth to Siegfried's son, who, in honor of his uncle, received the name Gunther, just as Gunther's son received the name Siegfried. Siegfried is the richest of all kings, since he owns the innumerable treasure of the Nibelungs.
12th adventure
Brynhild considers herself offended by the fact that Siegfried does not appear at the Burgundian court, like other vassals.
Gunther at first tries to calm her down with words, but then sends messengers to Siegfried to invite him to the feast. Siegfried accepts the invitation and generously endows the ambassadors. When they show their gifts upon their return, Hagen expresses his desire that the treasure of the Nibelungs someday pass into the land of the Burgundians.
13th adventure
Siegfried arrives in Worms, accompanied by his wife, an old father and a large retinue. They are received with great honor and respect.
14th adventure
Feasts and knightly games continued for ten days; on the eleventh the two queens sat together, and Kriemhild began to praise Siegfried. “After all, he is only a vassal of Gunther,” answered Brynhilde; “He said it himself when your brother was wooing me.” Kriemhild asks her to leave such insulting speeches: would her brothers give her away for a vassal? The quarrel flares up; Krimhilda exclaims indignantly that she will prove to her that same day that she is not the wife of a vassal, but the same queen, and will enter the church first.
Brynhild is waiting for her rival at the cathedral, and when she approaches, she loudly tells her to stop, since the servant should not enter before the mistress. "You'd better keep quiet," Kriemhilda tells her. “Siegfried conquered you for Gunther, he also deprived you of your virginity,” and goes forward.
At the end of mass, Brynhilde demands evidence from Kriemhilde; she shows her a ring and a belt. An explanation takes place between Siegfried and Gunther: the former swears that he did not tell his wife anything like that and promises to teach her a lesson, but Gunther must also forbid Brynhild to behave so arrogantly.
Seeing the tears of his queen, the evil Hagen promises to avenge her to Siegfried. He manages to win over many Burgundians and Gunther himself; only Giselher finds this female quarrel too insignificant for a hero like Siegfried to lose his life because of it. On the advice of Hagen, a false rumor is spread about the war with the Danes, as if threatening Gunther.
15th adventure
Siegfried immediately volunteers to help the Burgundians. Hagen goes to Kriemhild to say goodbye; she asks him to protect Siegfried in battle; when he bathed in the dragon's blood, a leaf fell between his shoulders, and there he could be struck; at the suggestion of Hagen, she sews a silk cross on this place. After setting out on a campaign, the false Danish ambassadors announce that their king is asking for peace; Gunther, in feigned joy, arranges a big hunt.
16th adventure
Kriemhild is tormented by an ominous foreboding, a consequence of prophetic dreams; Siegfried comforts her with caresses and leaves. After the hunt, in which Siegfried surpassed everyone in courage and strength, the hunters are tormented by thirst, but there is no wine, by the insidious order of Hagen, who offers to run to the source. Siegfried came running first, but did not drink before Gunther. When he got drunk, Siegfried also leaned over to the water; then Hagen inflicted a mortal wound on him with a spear in a place marked with a cross (for some reason, instead of a combat cloak, it turned out to be on a hunting suit). Siegfried jumped to his feet and, finding no other weapon, hit Hagen with a shield with such force that he fell to the ground. Siegfried also fell; bitterly he reproached the Burgundians for treason; everyone was touched, only Hagen was proud of his work, which returned the primacy to the Burgundians. Remembering his wife, Siegfried entrusted her brotherly love to Gunther and soon died. Some proposed to announce that the murder was committed by brigands; but Hagen did not want this and undertook to deliver the corpse to the doorstep of Kriemhild.
17th and 18th adventures
Terrible was the grief of the unfortunate widow, and great was the grief of the Nibelungs; Kriemhilda persuaded them to leave, not trying to avenge the hero. Old Sigmund invited her to come with him, but she refused and remained in Worms.
19th adventure
Kriemhild lived in seclusion near the place where Siegfried was buried and prayed for the repose of his soul; Count Eckewart served her faithfully. In order to master the wealth of the Nibelungs, Hagen advised Gunther to make peace with his sister; with the help of Gernot and Giselcher, the matter settled, and she agreed to transport the huge treasure of the Nibelungs - it belonged to her, like Morgengabe (husband's post-wedding gift) - to Worms. Kriemhild began to generously distribute her treasures to the poor and the rich, which attracted the hearts of many knights to her, and Hagen began to fear that this would cause his death for him. Therefore, he loaded the treasure into the Rhine, and the kings swore not to reveal to anyone where the treasure was hidden, while at least one of them was alive.
20th adventure
For 13 years, Kriemhild had been mourning her husband, when Mrs. Helha, the wife of King Etzel of the Huns, died, and friends pointed out to him the widow of Siegfried as a worthy bride. Rüdiger, Margrave of Bechlaren, is sent to the Rhine to ask for her hand in marriage. The brothers gladly accept the offer; only Hagen does not foresee anything good for the Burgundians from this marriage; but they don't pay attention to it. Krimhilda at first does not want to hear about a new husband, and even a pagan, but when Rüdiger quietly promised to avenge her to all her enemies, she was imbued with the idea of repaying Hagen for his insults, agreed to become Etzel's wife and set off on a long journey.
21st and 22nd adventures
Etzel meets Kriemhild on the road, and together they go to Vienna, where they celebrate the wedding with unheard-of splendor. But Kriemhild is sad and silent in the midst of noisy feasts: she recalls past happiness.
23rd adventure
It is the 13th year since the wedding; Krimhilda already has a 6-year-old son Ortlib from Etzel (baptized at her insistence). She turns to her husband with a request to invite her relatives to visit, “otherwise the people will think that I am an exile or rootless.” Etzel immediately sends his musicians, Werbel and Swemmel, to Worms to invite Gunther and his vassals to visit. Kriemhilda instructs them to make a special effort to ensure that Hagen arrives.
24th adventure
Having received an invitation, the Burgundians begin to prepare for the journey. Hagen resists the trip, reminding them that Kriemhild will never forgive them for her grievances; but Giselher tells him that he can stay if he fears for his life; after that, Hagen is also actively fussing about the trip and choosing knights for protection.
25th adventure
1000 knights, not counting 60 selected fighters, and 9000 servants are sent with the Burgundians. In vain did the mother of kings, who had an ominous dream, persuade them to stay. When the Burgundians reached the banks of the Danube, Hagen went to look for a carrier and saw prophetic women bathing, who predicted to him that none of the Burgundians, except for the royal chaplain, would return home. Hagen finds the carrier and kills him. When Hagen was transporting his retinue, he threw the chaplain into the water in order to prevent the prediction from being fulfilled; but he got out on the Burgundian coast, although he did not know how to swim.
26th and 27th adventures
After a skirmish with the Bavarians (for the carrier killed by Hagen), the Burgundians arrived at Rüdiger, who received them like a prince and ordered his daughter to greet the kings and their main knights with a kiss. When the girl was supposed to kiss Hagen, he seemed so terrible to her that she turned pale with horror. The guests stayed here for several days, and Giselcher became engaged to Rüdiger's daughter.
28th adventure
The Burgundians, together with Rüdiger, approach Etzel's court; Dietrich, who has come out to meet them, warns them, saying that Kriemhild still continues to mourn Siegfried. When the knights came to Etzel, the Huns gathered in a crowd to look at the mighty killer Siegfried. The king greeted everyone kindly without exception, but Kriemhilda sincerely welcomed only Giselher; neither she nor Hagen concealed their mutual hatred.
29th adventure
The queen goes to Hagen, armed with Siegfried's sword, reproaches him and threatens him; he replies to her with a new confession in the murder of Siegfried, for offending Brynhilde; but none of Kriemhild's men dare to attack him. A feast follows in Etzel's palace.
30th adventure
At night, the queen's men try to attack the Burgundians while they sleep; but Hagen and the mighty musician Volker guard the doors of the hall, and the Huns return empty-handed.
31st adventure
In the morning, the Burgundians, fully armed, go to mass; then war games follow, and for the kings and their main knights - a big feast in the palace of Etzel, to which, at the request of Kriemhild, her son Ortlib was also brought.
32nd adventure
At this time, Blödel, Etzel's brother, urged by Kriemhilda, attacks Gunther's people, who were sitting in another hall, led by Hagen's brother, Danquart. Bledel is killed by Danquart, but new crowds come to the aid of the Huns, and soon all the Burgundians are killed; only the bloody Danquart made his way into the hall where kings feast.
33rd adventure
Upon learning of what had happened, Hagen cut off Ortlib's head and began a terrible beating of the Huns; Danquart guarded the door from the outside. Kriemhild, in fear, asks Dietrich of Bern to protect her. Dietrich's voice resounds through the hall like the sound of a horn; the battle is interrupted for a minute. Dietrich announces that he does not want to take part in the battle and demands for himself and his passes. Etzel, Kriemhild and Rüdiger leave the hall with him; the rest of Etzel's men are all killed.
34th adventure
Annoyed by Hagen's reproach of cowardice, Etzel himself rushes into battle; Kriemhilda holds him back and promises a full shield of gold to whoever brings her the head of Hagen.
35th adventure
Iring the Danish decides to fight Hagen; he first wounds him, but then dies by his hand; his friends who wanted to avenge him also perish.
36th adventure
By evening, the tired Burgundians ask to be let out of the hall; Kriemhild, yielding to Giselher's requests, agrees to this, but on the condition that they hand over Hagen. “If there were a thousand of us,” they exclaim, “even then we would not betray a single one.” Krimhilda orders the hall to be set on fire; the Burgundians, exhausted from the heat, satisfy their thirst, on the advice of Hagen, with the blood of the slain and spend the night in terrible agony in the middle of the collapsed walls of the hall.
37th adventure
Etzel appeals to Rüdiger for help; Kriemhilda reminds him of the promise given to her on the Rhine - to avenge her all her enemies. A terrible struggle takes place in Rüdiger's soul: it is impossible for him to refuse the queen, but at the same time it is terrible to betray the friends to whom he swore allegiance. Finally, he decides, opposes the Burgundians, strikes many, fights with Gernot, and they kill each other.
38th adventure
When the news of Rüdiger's death reached Dietrich, he sent to find out about the affair of old Hildebrand with the Gothic knights; they ask to give them the corpse of Rüdiger; the Burgundians refuse; a battle flares up in which many heroes perish; of the Goths, only the wounded Hildebrand returned to Dietrich, and of the Burgundians, only Hagen and Gunther survived; Dietrich wept bitterly for his comrades-in-arms.
39th and last adventure
He hurries to the scene of the battle and demands that Gunther and Hagen surrender to him, for which he promises them life and freedom. Hagen refuses; Dietrich enters into single combat with him, severely injures him and ties him up; he does the same with Gunter. Having given them both into the hands of Krimhilda, who orders them to be taken to prisons, he asks her to spare the lives of the heroes, which she promises. Dietrich just left. Kriemhilda takes Hagen to prison and promises him life if he returns the Nibelungen treasure to her. Hagen replies that he has sworn not to reveal to anyone where the treasure is hidden while at least one of his masters is alive. Kriemhilda orders Gunther's head to be cut off and, holding it by the hair, brings it to Hagen. "Now," says Hagen, "no one knows where the treasure is but me and God, and you greedy devil will never get it." Kriemhild cut off his head with Siegfried's sword; Hildebrand, seeing that she had broken her promise to Dietrich, immediately cut her in half with his sword. Etzel and Dietrich mourn all those killed.
History of the work
Editions
The Nibelungenlied has come down to us in ten manuscripts (XIII-XVI centuries) and many fragments. In modern times, it became known from the middle of the 18th century: in 1757, I. Bodmer published the last part of the Nibelungenlied along with the so-called Complaint (German Klage) - a small lyric poem written in couplets and telling how Etzel, Dietrich with Hildebrand, Rüdiger's family and people and others mourned the fallen. In 1782 C. G. Müller published the full text of the Nibelungen, but without any attempt at scholarly criticism and analysis. At the beginning of the 19th century, characteristics and analyzes of the poem appeared; one of its translators, F. von der Hagen, already in 1810 sought to give a critical edition of it, with discrepancies.
The honor of the first strictly scientific study of the "Nibelungs" belongs to K. Lachmann. An ardent adherent of Wolff's theory in the Homeric question, convinced that folk songs in themselves are the height of artistry, that they are spoiled and diluted with water by later poets-collectors, Lachmann set out to separate genuine songs from later additions in the Nibelungen. The material for this was a careful criticism of the text of the Nibelungen.
Of the three oldest (XIII century) parchment manuscripts, each represents a special edition:
- Hohenem, now Munich - A. Significantly shorter than all others;
- St. Gallen - V. In it, as in A, the poem is called " Der Nibelunge not"-" Woe of the Nibelungs, "to which most of the later manuscripts adjoin and which therefore can be considered vulgar, stands in this respect in the middle;
- Formerly also Hohenem, now in Donaueschingen - C, " Der Nibelung liel- "The Nibelungenlied". Represents the most extensive text.
Lachman concludes that A is closest to the songs, while B and C are its later distributions; with the help of techniques, undoubtedly witty, but sometimes artificial, from the 2316 stanzas of manuscript A, he threw out 745, and divided the remaining 1571 into 20 songs, which, in his opinion, were born between 1190 and 1210 (all other alterations, up to and including C , occurred in the following 10 years). Since Lachmann at the same time clarified the basis of the poem and determined its relationship to the Scandinavian legends about the Niflungs, his conclusions were considered generally accepted until the 1850s.
But in 1851, attention was drawn to a curious circumstance hidden by Lachmann: the number of stanzas in each song turned out to be divisible by 7 - and he was known as a supporter of heptads in his works on the history of Greek poetry. In 1854, two Germanists independently opposed Lachmann's theory: A. Goltsman * (« ”) and F. Zarnke (“ Zur Nibelungenfrage»); they rejected the possibility of mechanically molded folk songs and concluded that C was closest to the original, while B and A were abbreviations. A controversy flared up (which, in addition to a special one, had a very important general meaning: it was about the participation of the individual in the creation of monuments of folk poetry), since his student K. Mullenhof came out to defend Lachmann’s theory (“ Zur Geschichte der Nibelunge not", 1855).
In 1865, a study by K. Barch appeared (“ Untersuchungen über das Nibelungenlied”), who, accepting Pfeiffer’s witty guess that the author of the Song was the Austrian knight Kurenberger, who wrote in the size of the Song, attributed the creation of the poem to 1150, and its first alteration to approximately 1170; independently B and C came out of it, but there is only a bad reduction of the popular text B, which should be the basis of the edition. Researchers of the late 19th century agree among themselves that it is impossible to restore the original edition of the poem, but one should strive for its historical explanation and the selection of various elements from which this poem was composed by a single author; in its present form, the poem was not intended for singing, but for reading in court circles in Austria.
origins
The legend of the Nibelungs, which constitutes the plot of the poem, developed in the era of the migration of peoples to the land of the Rhine Franks, from two dissimilar elements:
- the ancient Germanic heroic saga (according to most - a myth) about Siegfried, the dragon slayer, the liberator of the things of the maiden Brunhilda, who falls into the power of evil brothers and loses treasure, bride and life itself,
- and the historical saga about the death of the Burgundian royal house in the city in the battle with the Huns of Attila (Etzel).
In 453, a rumor spread among the German tribes about the death of the terrible conqueror Attila on the night of his marriage to Ildiko, whom the popular voice considers to be the culprit of her husband's death. They are looking for a motive for this deed - and find it in the event of 437. As a result, the saga is about how Attila, the husband of the Burgundian princess Gilda, kills her brothers, the kings Gundahari, Godomar and Gizlahari, and dies at the hands of their vengeful sister, who before was the wife of the tragically deceased Siegfried.
As in the murder of Siegfried, so in the death of Gilda's brothers, the treasure that Siegfried once obtained and then aroused Attila's greed plays a fatal role. In this fused form, the legend spreads early throughout all the lands of the German language, and already at the end of the 6th century. (according to others - in the VIIIth) through the Saxons penetrates into Scandinavia, where, having undergone alteration and taking into itself some of the native legends (about Gelga, the murderer of Gunding), it becomes the subject of Edda's songs; after that, the Gothic saga about Ermanrich, brought here by the Saxons no later than the 8th century, merges with it.
Earlier - in chapters 13 and 14 it was established that Siegfried was killed at the beginning of 412 - twenty-five years before the fall of the Burgundian kingdom on the Rhine, as indicated in the Nibelungenlied. And according to her, after marrying Kriemhild and returning to her possessions
Siegfried ruled the people with glory for nine years,
And the tenth year went - and gave birth to the world
His wife's son to the delight of all relatives
And to the general rejoicing in the capital and in the country.
(Nibelungenlied. 715)
This is partly confirmed by the data of the “Song of the Horned Seyfried” and the folk story “The most wonderful story of the horned Siegfried”, where the dwarf Eigel or Egvald, like the Scandinavian Gripir, predicts the fate of the hero: “so know that the beautiful maiden that you are now taking with yourself, will be your wife for only eight years, then you will be treacherously killed ”(Ch. 16).
The Scandinavian legends do not say how many years Sigurd lived in marriage with Gudrun, but the Völsunga Saga mentions that his three-year-old son was killed with him (Ch. XXXIII ). The data of these three sources can be combined with each other one by one, but together they give rise to a contradiction: three years from the birth of a son should either be added to the nine years indicated in the Nibelungenlied, or included in the number of eight years indicated in the Song of the Nibelungs. about the horny Seyfried.
The very long waiting period, after which an exemplary hero in every sense has an heir, creates the impression of the reliability of the information given in the Nibelungenlied. The eight years of life after marriage mentioned in the Song of the Horned Seyfried are close enough to these nine years. They are probably taken from the legends of loved ones, but in this and in many other ways they are not identical with those that served as a source for the author of the Nibelungenlied. In it, in the following adventures after the announcement of the birth of a son by Siegfried and Kriemhild, it tells about their trip to the Burgundian court, which ended tragically. No dates are additionally indicated, but they are less important compared to the expectation of the heir, because the legend is not a chronicle.
In a similar way, most likely, it was told in the legends on which the author of the "Song of the Horned Seyfried" was based, and he took this term as the time elapsed from Siegfried's marriage to his death. Moreover, in those legends, it was probably not about the birth, but about the conception of a son, which explains the difference of one year. With this correction, the data from German and Scandinavian sources complement each other, and three more years should be added to nine. Thus, it turns out that Siegfried-Sigurd married around 400.
However, according to epic legends, both German and Scandinavian, he married after completing his main feats - defeating the dragon and getting the treasure. If we accept that the events that served as their prototypes occurred in 406 and 407, then the calculated date of the wedding of Siegfried and Kriemhild contradicts this. Although, in my opinion, this alone is not enough to reject the proposed interpretations, I will try to find possible explanations for this. I'll start with something more controversial.
According to Scandinavian legends, the relationship between Sigurd and Brynhild was not limited to the fact that he replaced Gunnar-Gunter when he sought her hand, and then her heart. According to them, they met even before the arrival of Sigurd in the kingdom of Gyuki and his sons and gave each other marriage vows. From their connection, even the daughter Aslaug was born (Völsunga Saga. XXIX ). Only after drinking the dope honey prepared by the wife of Gyuki-King, the sorceress Grimhild, Sigurd forgot about everything and married their daughter Gudrun. Nothing is said about this in German legends, but is this not the reason for the mention that Siegfried and his wife had no children for nine years, at least a son? Based on this, it can be assumed that the first wife of Siegfried-Sigurd was Brunnhilde.
In both Scandinavian and German legends, she is described as a formidable warrior, “she thinks about campaigns and glorious deeds” (Völsunga Saga. XXV ). Harsh camping conditions or even injuries and injuries could cause various complications, and after the birth of her daughter, she apparently had no more children. It can be assumed that Siegfried-Sigurd, who wanted to get an heir, because of this, divorced her and married the Burgundian princess. By the way, if those nine years are added to the age difference between Siegfried-Sigurd and Krimhilda-Gudrun, then this will bring her closer to Attila, with whom the age difference, on the contrary, will be reduced to ten or less years, which makes their subsequent wedding, when she, such way, was thirty-something years, more likely.
At the same time, one could still wonder whether Sarah's enmity with Alaric and Ataulf, which various authors mention just around 408 / 409 when describing the siege of Rome by the Goths, is not connected with this divorce. But for now, this will not so much clarify as much confuse the relationship between Siegfried-Sahr, Brunnhilde and Hagen-Ataulf, so this issue will be raised later with the involvement of other data.
The quarrel of the queens, as already mentioned in chapter 3, is similar in detail to the quarrel between the wives of the Ostrogothic king Ildibald and the noble commander Uraya. It is likely that it was her Gothic storytellers who took as the basis for depicting the tragic quarrel between the former allies. Thus, through the addition of new features to the plot core, epic songs during their live existence at courts and squads acquired not only entertainment and instructiveness, but also relevance.
But the marriage of Brunhilde and Gunther-Gunnar, perhaps, is an artistic invention of the poet, as opposed to the new marriage of Siegfried. Purely fabulous is the exchange of Sigurd and Gunnar's guises to overcome the fiery test on the way to Brynhild in Scandinavian legends. However, she herself appears there as a mythologized image, although this does not mean that she herself could not actually exist. In the German Nibelungenlied, these motifs are somewhat mundane. Brunnhilde, with the trials arranged by her, looks like a fairy-tale heroine there, and in a typical literary and comic vein, the troubles that happened to Gunther on the first night are described, when he is forced to ask Siegfried to discreetly replace him to curb the newlywed.
The birth of a son by Gunther and Brünnhilde is mentioned only in connection with the appearance of an heir by Siegfried:
Meanwhile on the Rhine Brynhilda is pretty
The heir to the throne was also born ...
(Nibelungenlied. 718)
This coincidence seems rather suspicious, especially after the equally long period of childlessness for both couples, and is apparently a mere artistic duplication. In the Scandinavian traditions, with their increased attention to genealogies, there is no mention of any children of Gunnar and Brynhild at all, although, for example, the sons of Högni who died with him are mentioned (Introduction to the Second Song of Gudrun, as well as Atli's Greenlandic speeches. 30 and 53).
In the Short Song of Sigurd, Gunnar says to Brynhild when she laughed at Gudrun's weeping over Sigurd's body:
Not for fun
and not for joy
you laughed
evil woman!
Why blushed?
gave birth to monsters?
(A short song about Sigurd. 31)
It is unlikely that he called his own children that. If this is not an allegory regarding, for example, her evil deeds, then one can even assume in this a deaf allusion to some unsuccessful birth of Brynhild, when a certain freak was born.
Finally, in the Nibelungenlied, where nothing is said at all about Siegfried's acquaintance with Brunhilda before Gunther's marriage to her, she simply disappears from the narrative after his death, in contrast to the Scandinavian tradition, which assigned her a vivid tragic role - after revenge for her Honor Brynhild stabs himself on Sigurd's funeral pyre. However, the version about his first marriage to her, giving some additional clues, stumbles upon the same circumstance - their meeting also takes place in legends after his main deeds. Therefore, let us turn not to the plot outlined in the epic, but to the history of the composition of the epic itself.
Director: Ksenia ZORINA
50 min.
12+
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
ABOUT THE EVENT
CREATORS
PHOTO
For those who know the Elder Edda and the Nibelungenlied well and can safely say that everything was not as it really is - and those who have long been going to read the Elder Edda. For those who love different theater and those who can't stand the theater - this is not quite an ordinary theater, this is storytelling, they just tell a story here, it won't hurt.
Director: Performed by: Klara BRODSKY, Tatiana GRABOVSKAYA, Elena LYAMINA, Anna MARLIONI, Grigory PEREL, Natalia RUMYANTSEVA, Valentin SAMOKHIN
Aboutkolo.me:“The penetration, passion and impeccable narrative technique of the “narrators” on stage only emphasizes the painstaking work of the authors of the play. To shovel two huge works of unknown everyday writers of the 12th-13th centuries, to make an organic compilation of Scandinavian and German epics with an exciting plot and throwing heroes that are completely understandable for today's viewer, to present monologues in a simple and clear language, but not to lose all the charm of the antiquity of what is happening - this is "how much courage does it take"! There is no oppression of antediluvian texts, no frightening bulkiness, just a few friends tell each other about how irreconcilable fate can sometimes be.
Radio Podmoskovye:“A table was brought to the forefront, at which very pleasant young people sat down and, having distributed the characters among themselves, they began to tell the story, occasionally intercepting the initiative of the story from each other. Believe it or not, but in exactly five minutes of action, an unknown force took me to those terrible and at the same time heroic times that the epic tells about. And I, probably, like all the spectators, immediately accepted the proposed conditions of the game. Although there was no acting in the conventional sense in this performance! Artists tactfully and cleverly, without exaltation and pathos, simply retold, as they say, "in brief" the famous legend of failed love and the bloody events associated with it. And I was once again convinced that a real theater often does not require any external attributes: backstage, scenery, lighting fixtures and even music, and that it is born and transmitted, first of all, “from soul to soul”. Unless, of course, these souls are not indifferent (sorry for the tautology). And I was also struck by the fact that the story of unfortunate lovers sounds extremely modern both in the theatrical and in the “human” sense. Go to CIM sometime, take a look, you won’t regret it.”
Russian reporter: “This is the danger and adrenaline of storytelling: you are not behind the safe “fourth wall” of the theatrical stage, when the audience is doomed to silently contemplate your art, even if it is boring. Here he can say right to your face: “Not interested!” And it keeps the actor in a fighting state. But the viewer is not protected either: there is no fourth wall, and he can be pulled at any moment, dragged into an interactive action. You don't get bored."
From viewer reviews:“My eight-year-old daughter knows what storytelling is and, after carefully listening to the story told, she came to the following conclusion: the main thing in life is love and it cannot be betrayed. Many thanks to the performers and director! We are waiting for new works and wish you success, and for everyone who has not been - be sure to go - discover the miracle of storytelling! Yes, just in case, the story is not at all childish, if<12 — необходим бэкграунд».
Maya Mamladze:“I went to the Meyerhold Center to see The Story of Siegfried and Brunnhilde, made according to the rules of storytelling, not knowing what it is and what it is eaten with. But this is not important, it is important how the story of the Elder Edda was taught. How do stories become myths? And finally, we have come close to the "History of Siegfried and Brunhilde", as it was staged by Ksenia Zorina! And those who came were definitely lucky with the company, they got to the place where they told an almost unfamiliar story! And when they recognize it without going through the archaic text, this whole story told in modern language, then what remains of the fairy tale later, after it has been told? The fact of the matter is that not fairy tales, but a story turned out to be a very adult story. I think from the very beginning it occurred to the director that each listener would make his own conclusion, so each of the five narrators comes out to the audience with his own assessment. Finally, here's how I understood: that two people are not so important, that one of them is a hero who killed a dragon, and the second former Valkyrie - two people, a man and a woman, have been proving love to each other for ten years that were married to another man and woman! Unembodied love, which did not cease to be love from that, a circumstance so amazing, sad and unnatural that everything ended in complete disaster, and could not end in anything else. And how else to let you know what the story of “The Story of Siegfried and Brunhilde” looked like: smart actors with an intelligent director, good speech, unobtrusive placement of accents, no pathos, a long subsequent play of meanings in the heads of those who listened.
Arlekin: “How interesting, original, exciting such a game is is a separate question. I can’t say that I was very carried away, I watched, or rather, listened with detached curiosity. Although the format of “table talk”, which is funny, is ideal for the existence of a myth in society, and this form was found very accurately.”
Ikirov.ru: “We were told about what storytelling is and whether it is possible to make money on it, Elena Novikova, head of the Storytelling Workshop at the Theater Center. Sun. Meyerhold".
Spectator: “5 actors tell us a story. Each about himself, each his own, all together - the story of Siegfried and Brunnhilde.
There is no need for scenery and costumes, stage movement and light. Eyes, voice, intonations reign here. And the thump of the palm on the table - neat or desperate, which speaks so much about the love of Siegfried and Brunhilde.
Spectator: “Very accurate and bewitching rhythm of words. Very good pauses. Very simple, clear and precise. A couple of minutes - and you are already all there, inside this saga ... Done perfectly. Makes a very strong impression. And perhaps this is the rare case when you want to re-live it again. In this action, some amazing energy is born, powerful, like ancient texts.
"Nibelungenlied"
This myth, like all heroic myths, is an allegory of the trials that all people face. Siegfried's story is all the more keenly interesting because this character rejects the gods and heroically faces his inevitable death. This is an excellent example of a heroic myth, containing almost all the key elements of this kind of story.
The version of the Siegfried myth given here is based on several sources, including the Norse Velsunga saga (where Siegfried appears under the name Sigurd) and the German epic Nibelungenlied. The myth was reworked by several German writers, including Karl Goideke (1814-1887) and August Tecklenburg (1863-1930), as well as the poet Johann Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862). This narrative almost coincides with the plot of Wagner's opera (for which the composer himself wrote the libretto), with the exception of a few minor details. The Scandinavian Brunhild is the Brunhild of the Germans; Scandinavian Odin - Wotan of the Germans; Scandinavian Gunnar - Gunter of the Germans; and Grimhild is Kriemhild of the Germans. The Scandinavian Gudrun among the Germans is called Gutruna.
Scandinavian Odin - Wotan of the Germans
Siegfried, whose name means "victory-peace", was the son of the warrior-hero Sigmund ("victory-mouth") and his wife Sieglinde ("victory-linden tree"). Sigmund was a great warrior of the Nibelungs and their king Alberich.
Alberich had a Ring that brought its owner power over the world. This king could even defeat Wotan himself, the king of the gods. As the king of the Nibelungs (dwarfs who lived underground, mined ore and forged wonderful products), Alberich owned huge treasures - all the gold of the earth's interior.
The treasures of the Nibelungs, including the Ring, were guarded by the giant Fafnir, who took the form of a ferocious dragon. Wotan wanted the Ring to remain in the hands of the giant and not fall into the hands of his opponents, the dwarfs. Both Fafnir and Wotan knew that their days were numbered, because a hero would soon be born, whose sacred mission would lead to their death.
When Siegmund was killed in battle, the dying Sieglinde gave birth to a son, Siegfried, and entrusted his upbringing to a dwarf named Mime. Mime raised the boy as his own son, because he knew the prophecy, according to which Siegfried would become a hero from the Velsung family ("universe"), free the treasures of the Nibelungs and get the Ring.
When Siegfried grew up and became a man, he had many questions about his real origin. From an early age, Siegfried called Mime a father, but the tall young hero was completely different from the Nibelungs. Mime hid the truth from Siegfried in the hope that he, Mime, would take possession of the Ring and the treasure himself (and not Wotan or Alberich). Finally, Siegfried was tired of Mime's omissions and, under threat of death, forced the dwarf to tell the truth.
Valkyrie
Once Wotan, the one-eyed king of the gods, wandering the earth, came to the house of Siegfried and Mime. He wore a hooded cloak to help hide his one-eyedness so no one would recognize him. In his hand he held a staff carved with sacred runes, made from a branch of the Yggdrasil ash tree, which sustains the universe. These runes were the laws that governed all who lived in the universe: people and dwarfs, giants and gods.
Wotan lost one eye when he gave it as a pledge to the giant Mimir for the right to drink one sip of sacred water from his well of wisdom. With this wisdom, bought at such a high price, Wotan knew of the inevitability of the Twilight of the Gods, when he would be dethroned from the throne of the universe. He also knew that young Siegfried's mission would only hasten the coming of this Twilight.
Siegfried and the daughters of the Rhine
Mime asked Wotan many questions so that the “wanderer” would reveal his wisdom to him: “Who. inhabits the surface of the earth? Wotan replied: "Mortal people." "Who lives underground?" Wotan replied: "The Nibelungs." "Who lives above, in heaven?" Wotan replied: “The gods who rule the world: Wotan, Donner (Thor, god of thunder), Freya (goddess of beauty) and others. They are served by the Valkyries, who bring the heroes killed on the battlefield to the banquet hall of the gods in Valhalla (“the hall of the slain”).”
Wotan could only speak the truth, and Mime continued to ask questions: "Who are the greatest and most beautiful among men?" Wotan replied: “The Velsungs, Sigmund and Sieglinde, and their son, a hero coming into the world. Only Velsung can kill the dragon Fafnir and get the Ring. It is said that Wotan broke the Notung sword with his own hands - the only thing that can kill this dragon. Fate says that whoever reforges this sword will become the world's greatest hero." Siegfried, who listened attentively to the wanderer, understood who he was and what he must do. Then the wanderer quietly left and disappeared into the dense forest.
When Wotan left, Sigrifd ordered Mima to reforge the Notung sword so that he, Sigrif, could complete his mission. Mime objected, saying that even his great blacksmithing skills would not be able to restore the magic sword. Then, pushing Mime away, Zigrif himself collected the fragments of the sword and began to forge them on Mime's anvil. He coped with this task without difficulty. With the final blow of the hammer, the anvil disappeared deep into the bowels of Erd, goddess of the earth. Erd was a goddess and sister of Wotan; she immediately told her brother what had happened.
The next day, Siegfried went to the forest to accomplish his first feat - to kill Fafnir and return Alberich's treasure and the enchanted Ring. He came to the lake, on the shore of which Fafnir was wrapped in rings around an ancient ash tree. The tree was surrounded by a protective circle of fire. Fafnir himself also spewed fire, and the blood of unfortunate victims dripped from his teeth. Siegfried walked fearlessly through the fire, and the flame did him no harm. Fafnir recognized the courageous warrior. Siegfried killed him with one blow. Dying, the dragon asked Siegfried who forged the magic sword, and the young man answered; "I am Siegfried of the Velsung family."
Fafnir's blood dripped from the sword onto Siegfried's hand, and the young man touched the blood with his lips. Thanks to this, Siegfried learned to understand the prophetic language of birds.
The birds told Siegfried that Alberich's treasure was in a cave nearby. He went to the cave and, not paying attention to the treasures, took only the Ring as a sign of a perfect feat. But Siegfried did not fully understand what it means to possess the Ring, which could make him the ruler of the universe. But there was also a curse on the Ring: Alberich arranged it so that anyone, except himself, who put this Ring on his finger, would be doomed to death due to betrayal. So, Siegfried, without knowing it, moved towards a tragic fate.
When the hero was about to leave the cave, Mime and Alberich appeared. Siegfried could now clearly read Mime's heart, he saw through his foster father and understood that Mime's flattering words were only a cover for evil designs. Siegfried knew that Mime intended to kill him and take the treasure for himself. Swinging Notung, Siegfried killed Mime. Alberich laughed cruelly and took his newfound treasure when Siegfried left. Remembering the curse he placed on the Ring, Alberich allowed the hero to take it away with him, knowing full well that the young man would die.
Then the birds told Siegfried about a new feat ahead of him. They told him that a beautiful girl, a Valkyrie named Brunnhilde, was plunged into a sound sleep by her father Wotan because she had once disobeyed him. She sleeps in a huge rock, surrounded by flames.
Only a hero from the Volsung family, who knows no fear, can free her by waking her sleeping with a kiss. Siegfried was not slow to seize this opportunity for a new adventure.
What was Brunnhilde's fault? Even before the birth of Siegfried, his parents, Siegmund and Sieglinde, fought bravely on the side of the Nibelungs against Wotan. When Sigmund fell in battle, the pregnant Sieglinde began to beg Brunnhilde for help. Valkyrie saved her by carrying her from the battlefield. But although Brunnhilde acted out of compassion, she still helped her father's enemies. For this, Wotan plunged her into a deep sleep. The king of the gods then ordered Loki, the trickster and god of fire, to surround her with a ring of flame so that no mortal could save the Valkyrie.
Fire spell. (Wotan and Brunnhilde)
As we already know, the young hero did not realize what it means to possess the Ring, nor what it means to save Brunnhilde against the will of Wotan. When he approached the rock, Wotan - still in the guise of a wanderer - began to dissuade him from saving Brunnhilde. This time in Wotan's hand was not a staff, but a spear. Now Siegfried realized that before him was none other than Wotan himself. With this same spear, Wotan once broke the Notung sword in the hands of Sigmund, the father of the young hero. But now Wotan understood that Siegfried possessed a wonderful Ring, and did not begin to engage in an open battle with him. Words were now Wotan's only weapon, but they did not stop Siegfried from continuing on his way.
Siegfried walked up to the rock and overcame the wall of flames. It seemed to him that before him lay a sleeping warrior in armor. But, coming closer, he saw that it was the beautiful Brunnhilde. He kissed her and she woke up. But, having removed her helmet, Siegfried turned her from a Valkyrie into a mere mortal. Siegfried put a magic Ring on her finger as a pledge of his love and swore that he would return to her.
Kriemhilda showing Gunther's head to Hagen
Then Siegfried went to the country of the Gyukungs, which were ruled by the cowardly and treacherous King Gunther and his cruel mother Krimhilda, an evil sorceress. The news of Siegfried's exploits had already spread throughout the world, and Kriemhild knew who this young warrior was. The sorceress decided to make Siegfried the husband of her daughter Gutruna, and Brunhilde the wife of Gunther.
When Siegfried arrived at their court, Gunther arranged a great feast and swore an oath of eternal loyalty to Siegfried, fraternizing with him in blood. Kriemhilde poured a magic potion into Siegfried's goblet that made him forget Brunhilde. The young hero married Gutrune - in accordance with Kriemhild's plans. To complete her plan, Kriemhild gave Siegfried the appearance of Gunther and sent him to Brunhilde. She thought that a new hero had come to save her - not Siegfried. Siegfried, in the guise of Gunther, spent three nights with the Valkyrie, but each time he placed a sword between her and himself on a bed that separated them.
Witch Kriemhild
Then Siegfried brought Brünnhilde to the Gyukung palace and assumed his true form. Brunnhilde believed that the cowardly Gunther saved her, and was sad that Siegfried "forgot" his oath and married another.
But one day, having quarreled with Gutrune, Brunhilde accidentally found out the truth: Gutrune told her that Siegfried had actually saved her, but it was too late, because the hero was married to Gutrune and could not be with Brunhilde.
Quarrel between Brunnhilde and Kriemhild
To sow discord between the sworn brothers, Brunnhilde went to Gunther and told him that Siegfried had made love to her for three nights in a row. Brunnhilde demanded that Gunther kill Siegfried and avenge her desecrated honor. Gunter replied that he could not do this, because he swore eternal loyalty to the hero. But he found a way out by instructing his brother Hagen to kill Siegfried. And so, one night, when Siegfried was sleeping with Gutruna, Hagen made his way into the bedroom and killed the hero with a blow of a spear.
THE DEATH OF SIEGFRIED
Now Brunnhilde had her way: Siegfried would never again be able to live with another woman. She fulfilled Alberich's curse. Brunnhilde, of her own free will, threw herself on the funeral pyre of Siegfried in order to unite with him forever, and tongues and flames enveloped the whole of Valhalla.
Genealogical tree of characters
Kriemhild over the body of Siegfried. Still from the film The Nibelungen (1924)
