Ring Legends of Tolkien

by David Day

  In this great mound, with drawn sword and dagger, he wanders the passages, never sleeping, awaiting any who might attempt to take the fabulous ring. Sote the Outlaw becomes a haunted, blasted spirit. Possessed and cursed by the power of the ring, Sote becomes an immortal ring-wraith, one of the living dead that men called barrow-wights, who haunt the graves of men.

  Völundr’s ring is the object of the quest of hero Thorsten. When Thorsten comes at last to Bretland, he enters the hollow hill that is the barrow grave where Sote the Outlaw hides. The wailing screams of a tortured fiend, the cries of a living man, and the sound of steel striking stone and bone are heard, and the flickering of sorcerous flames can be seen within. Finally Thorsten emerges from the dark passage, pale and bloody as a ghost himself, but in his left hand is the glinting gold of Völundr’s ring.

  The latter part of the tale of Völundr’s ring is certainly a major source for Tolkien for his Hobbits’ near-fatal encounter with the barrow-wights of the Barrow-downs. Of course, the difference is that although the barrow-wights had their own treasures, it was Frodo who possessed the One Ring. Also in Tolkien’s tale, it is that odd creation Tom Bombadil who bursts into the barrow grave to scatter the barrow-wights and save the Ring-bearer and his companions.

  Sméagol/Gollum in his deep cavern and dank pool beneath Goblin Town

  However, with the introduction of the barrow-wight spirit – in the figure of Sote the Outlaw – we see the concept of a ring that gives mortals immortality and fiendish powers but which also enslaves them and destroys their human souls. Perhaps in Sote the Outlaw there is something of the Witch-king and the Ringwraiths of The Lord of the Rings – mortal men who become immortal, blasted spirits through the Rings of Power.

  In Sote’s paranoid, ghoulish behaviour after he steals the ring, we may also perceive something of the character of Sméagol/Gollum. For after Gollum murders his cousin and steals the One Ring, like Sote he becomes obsessed with this “precious” ring, and, in a kind of miserly madness, he also buries himself alive. In the foul tunnels of an abandoned Orc hold beneath the hills, Gollum hides (like Sote) and murders any who dare to come near, for fear that they might steal his precious ring.

  PART

  EIGHT

  GERMAN ROMANCE

  Morgoth, the Dark Enemy

  The medieval German legend that most resembles the imaginative sweep and dramatic impact of The Lord of the Rings is the tale of the hero Dietrich von Berne and Virginal, the Ice Queen of Jeraspunt. There are aspects of this tale that are suggestive of the major themes and characters in both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

  Of all the heroes of medieval German romance, Dietrich von Berne is certainly the greatest. This mighty Ostrogoth hero who was also called Dietrich of Verona was, like Arthur and Charlemagne, a central figure around which a large number of hero’s stories were told. Also like Charlemagne, Dietrich was based on a real historical figure: in this case, Theodoric the Goth, who eventually became the Roman emperor Theodoric the Great (454–526 CE).

  From Tolkien’s letters, we know that he was fascinated with the Goths. He felt that surviving fragments of Gothic text combined with reading of Latin historical documents gave him exciting insights into an authentic ancient German culture. And although he was more interested in the historical Theodoric the Goth, he was obviously imaginatively provoked by the adventures of the romantic Dietrich von Berne.

  DIETRICH AND THE ICE QUEEN

  The tale of Dietrich and the Ice Queen begins with the hero entering the realm of a race of mountain giants ruled over by Orkis the cannibal giant, and his evil son, the wizard Janibas. Dietrich learns that the giants are making war on the highest mountain kingdom of the ice faeries in the snow-peaked Alps. This was the domain of the magical snow maidens who were ruled by Virginal, the Ice Queen, from her glittering ice castle of Jeraspunt, on the highest peak in the Alps. Dietrich carries out a long campaign of war on the mountain giants, slaying one after the other and taking mountain castle after mountain castle. In one titanic battle, he meets and kills the terrible giant Orkis himself.

  However, when Dietrich arrives within sight of Jeraspunt, he finds the way barred by the son of the giant king – a foe more formidable than Orkis himself. For the wizard Janibas has laid siege to the shining castle with an awesome army of giants, evil men and monsters. To his foes, Janibas appears as a phantom black rider who commands tempests and is backed by demons and hellhounds. But the wizard’s most terrifying power is his ability to command those who were slain in battle to rise up from the dead and fight again. Beyond his ambition to seize the realm of the Ice Queen and her castle, Janibas’s main driving desire is to enhance his sorcerer’s powers by taking possession of the magical jewel in the crown of the Ice Queen. For by the powers of this jewel she can command the elements of the lands of ice and snow, and by it she rules the mountains.

  Dietrich can see the siege army lying like a black sea around the many-towered ice castle. It is obvious that, however well defended, the castle must eventually fall to the never-dwindling numbers of the sorcerer’s army. Despite what would seem an impossible task, Dietrich is spurred to a battle frenzy by the sight of the beautiful Ice Queen on the battlements of the tallest tower. Her radiance matches even that of the star-like jewel dancing in her crown with icy light.

  Undead battalions of Janibas the Necromancer

  In his valiant attempt to raise the siege, Dietrich slaughters all before him, but this proves futile as the dead simply rise up to fight again. Dietrich then decides on another strategy. Seeing that Janibas commands his forces by means of a sorcerer’s iron tablet held aloft, Dietrich pursues the black horseman himself. Striking Janibas down from his phantom steed, Dietrich lifts his sword and smashes the iron tablet. As the tablet breaks, the glaciers of the mountains split and shatter, thundering down in massive avalanches that bury the whole evil host of giants and phantoms and undead forever.

  Dietrich triumphantly makes his way to the castle as the gates are flung open to greet him. He is welcomed by the incomparable Ice Queen herself, surrounded by her dazzling court of snow maidens, all aglow with fairy light and the glitter of diamond veils. Here in the ice castle of Jeraspunt, in the realm of the ice faeries, Dietrich and the Ice Queen are wed.

  In the legend of the Ice Queen, Janibas the necromancer, as the black horseman, is very like a combination of Sauron the Necromancer and his chief lieutenant, the Witch-king, Lord of the Ringwraiths. The One Ring is replaced by an iron tablet, but the climax of the tale reads very like Sauron’s ultimate battle at the Black Gate at the end of The Lord of the Rings. The result of the destruction of the iron tablet on Janibas’s evil legions is identical to the destruction of the One Ring on those of Sauron.

  Janibas’s father, Orkis, the king of the mountain giants, is very like Sauron’s ancient master, Morgoth the Dark Enemy, who rules the evil mountain realm of Angband in The Silmarillion. It is interesting to note that the cause of Morgoth’s war with the Elves is the star-like Silmaril jewels that Morgoth wears in his Iron Crown. The cause of Orkis’s war with the faeries is the star-like jewel that the Ice Queen wears in her crown.

  Although the Ice Queen is comparable to the Elf queen Galadriel in her enchanted forest realm of Lothlórien, or even the Elf princess Arwen in Imladris in The Lord of the Rings, the siege of the faerie ice castle of Jeraspunt in the middle of the Alps is more like the many-towered Elven city of Gondolin in the middle of the Encircling Mountains in The Silmarillion.

  Elven citadel of Gondolin hidden within the Encircling Mountains

  THE LANGOBARD AND AMELUNG CYCLES

  Although in the tale of Dietrich and the Ice Queen aspects of the ring are taken on by the iron tablet and the star-like jewel, there are many legends of German romance where the ring is overtly the key element. This is certainly true of the Langobard and the Amelung hero cycles.

  The fierce Langobards were one of the many powerful Germanic tribes who invaded the eastern Eur
opean borderlands of the Roman Empire. These warrior people later swept into northern Italy, where they were known as the Lombards, and gave their name to the region called Lombardy in the present day. Described by Latin historians as the supreme horsemen of the Germanic peoples, the Langobards were Tolkien’s models for the Rohirrim. Historical accounts of the Langobard cavalry in battle closely resemble the dramatic “Charge of the Rohirrim” in The Lord of the Rings.

  The hero of the Langobard cycle is Ortnit, who is given a gold ring by his mother that gives him the strength of 12 men. This ring allows him to subdue an innocent-looking, unarmed child blessed with huge physical strength, who has slain scores of knights. Once Ortnit makes this rather embarrassing conquest, it is revealed to him that the child is actually none other than the powerful dwarf king Alberich (the German name for Andvari). He acknowledges that he is the same dwarf of legend and is now more than five hundred years old. Furthermore, the dwarf king reveals that the ring on Ortnit’s hand once belonged to him, but he gave it to Ortnit’s mother as a token of love, for in truth Alberich is Ortnit’s true father.

  The dwarf king now joyfully gives his son armour and a sword. The sword, called Rosen, and the armour were both forged by Alberich and tempered in dragon’s blood. The sword is unbreakable, and the armour is impenetrable. He also tells him that the ring will not only increase his strength, but can also be used to heal the sick and wounded, and can be used magically to summon Alberich himself. With the sword, the armour and the ring, Ortnit wins fame and riches and becomes king of Lombardy. In the end, however, Ortnit meets his end when two dragons crush him to death. His sword and armour remain in their cavern, but his ring is retained by Alberich, until the coming of a hero who might be a worthy heir to Ortnit.

  Dwarf Armour

  The heir to the ring emerged in the Amelung hero cycle. The Amelungs were a German tribe who rose to prominence when their warrior king Anzius was crowned emperor of the Eastern Empire in Constantinople. The greatest hero of the Amelung cycle is Wolfdietrich, who is the rightful heir to the emperor. However, abandoned in childhood by his brothers, he is raised by wolves. After many adventures, Wolfdietrich comes to Lombardy, where he is challenged by the dwarf Alberich. Winning a test of strength with Alberich, he is awarded Ortnit’s ring and goes on to fight the two dragons of Lombardy. Taking the sword Rosen from Ortnit’s dead hand within the cave, Wolfdietrich slays the dragons. The victorious Wolfdietrich is married to Ortnit’s widow and becomes king of Lombardy. Armed with the ring, sword and armour, Wolfdietrich raises an army, marches on Constantinople and lays claim to his birthright. He is crowned Emperor of the Eastern Empire, but his destiny is not yet fulfilled. He returns to Lombardy with an even greater army, then marches south to Rome, where he is crowned emperor of the West as well. Once again, the master of the ring reunites an ancient broken empire.

  ALBERICH THE DWARF

  In the many German hero cycles, the most persistent character in the ring quest tradition is the guardian of the ring and the treasure. This is the dwarf known as Andvari in Norse tales and Alberich in German legends. Although capable of being tamed, he is usually a sinister figure; however, in later romances his appearance and powers often change. He sometimes lends help to other heroes under alternative names: Alferich, Laurin and Elbeghast. Increasingly, this character supplies all the supernatural elements in German romance: dwarf, wizard, elf, smith, guardian and god. By the late 16th century he is entirely transformed, appearing in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Oberon, king of the faeries, whose main business seems to be the orchestration of love affairs. Quite a remarkable evolution from a rather nasty Norse dwarf.

  In Tolkien, the Dwarves are often hoarders and guardians of various treasures. However, an equivalent figure to the dwarf Andvari/Alberich in The Lord of the Rings is manifest in the strange character of Sméagol/Gollum, the former Hobbit turned into a tormented ghoul by the curse of the One Ring. He is not far off becoming a Ringwraith enslaved by the power of the One Ring, but manages in some perverse Hobbitish way to remain his own creature.

  In medieval German romance, the same dwarf of the Langobard cycle of Ortnit and the Amelung cycle of Wolfdietrich reappears in the hero cycles of the Goths. Inevitably, their hero Dietrich von Berne encounters Alberich. Legend dictates that Dietrich von Berne was the great-grandson of the Amelung hero, Wolfdietrich. Dietrich goes into battle with the dwarf king Alberich, who – in this particular manifestation – rules a subterranean kingdom in the Tyrolean mountains. After various intrigues and battles, Dietrich overthrows the dwarf and wins his magical golden ring, a girdle of strength, a cape of invisibility, a vast golden treasure and the sword Nagelring.

  Dietrich’s exploits as the premier German hero are as extensive as Arthur’s and Charlemagne’s. His adventures cross over many other ring quest cycles in many rather unexpected ways. Inevitably, the peripatetic Dietrich makes an appearance in the German people’s greatest medieval epic, the Nibelungenlied. As a liegeman to the Hun Emperor Etzel, he is reluctantly drawn into the Nibelung tragedy. He becomes the deus ex machina of the epic tale, and is forced into a position where he must destroy the last vestige of the Nibelung dynasty.

  PART

  NINE

  THE NIBELUNGENLIED

  No investigation of the theme of the ring quest would be complete without reference to the Nibelungenlied. As with the Völsunga Saga, the story of this epic will be told in full without interjection or immediate comparison with Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

  The Nibelungenlied is the tale of the rivalry of two queens. One is the gentle Queen Kriemhild who, with three brothers, rules the Burgundian kingdom of the Rhine. The other is the warrior-queen Brunhild who alone rules in far Iceland.

  RHINELANDS AND NIBELUNGENLAND

  Queen Kriemhild’s sleep is broken by a prophetic dream. In the dream a falcon is upon Kriemhild’s jewelled wrist. This falcon is without equal; it is the most cherished of all things that Kriemhild calls her own. Yet, without warning, two eagles strike the bird in flight. Before Kriemhild’s eyes, the eagles tear her falcon to pieces and glut themselves on its flesh.

  Young Kriemhild goes to her mother who is a woman wise in the reading of dreams, but the woman can give her child no comfort. The falcon is a prince whom Kriemhild will love and marry, while the eagles are two murderers who would destroy that prince. And so, because of this dream, Kriemhild swears she will wed no man. Though many chivalrous knights desire her and sing her praises, she will wed no one. Nor are there any who might force her to wed, for her will is protected by her three brothers, the powerful kings of the Rhinelands: Gunther, Gernot and Giselher.

  Yet fate will not allow Kriemhild to keep her vow. North of the kingdom of the Rhinelands are the Netherlands and the great city of Xanten. There lives the hero Siegfried, the son of King Siegmund and Queen Sieglind. This is the mighty warrior who gained fame by travelling far to the north into the land of the Nibelungs, the richest kingdom in the world. There Siegfried slays the twelve guardian giants of Nibelungenland and takes from their armoury that ancient sword called Balmung, and with it defeats seven hundred men of Nibelungenland. At last he fights the two mighty kings of the Nibelungs themselves and, in the din of combat, slays them both.

  Yet the great treasure of the Nibelungs has one last guardian, more subtle and dangerous than all the rest. This is the ancient dwarf Alberich, who not only possesses huge strength but also wears the Tarnkappe, the Cloak of Invisibility. So Siegfried fights an invisible foe, but finally locks the dwarf in his grip, overthrows him, and wins from him both the magic cloak and the Nibelung treasure. So vast was the Nibelung treasure that it would take one hundred baggage wagons to carry away the precious stones alone; though these were but a scattering over the mounds of red-gold that were heaped on the floors of the secret cavern where it was kept.

  By force of arms, Siegfried becomes master of the Nibelung treasure and Lord of Nibelungenland. And though Siegfried returns to Xante
n to rule the Netherlands, he is acknowledged as the King of Nibelungenland as well. However, this is not the end of Siegfried’s deeds, for besides countless combats against other men, this hero also slays a dragon. Further, by this deed Siegfried wins not just fame but invincibility. For after slaying the monster, he bathes in the dragon’s blood, and his skin grows tough as horn so that no weapon can pierce him.

  When Siegfried rides south in search of adventure, he comes to the land of the Burgundians, and there the three kings of the Rhinelands greet him with honour. For the best part of a year Siegfried remains in the Rhinelands in the great city of Worms and with King Gunther swears an oath of friendship. Still, there is another reason for Siegfried’s journey. He has heard of the beauty of Kriemhild, and hopes he might win her as his queen.

  Siegfried has reasoned well, for from her tower Kriemhild has often watched the hero in pageant and combat. By the sight of him alone, she is filled at once with love, and her resolve not to give her heart to any man is soon discarded.

  THE WOOING OF BRUNHILD

  Now Gunther reveals that he is as enamoured by that other beautiful maiden-queen who rules in Iceland as Siegfried is of the fair Kriemhild. The only problem is that Queen Brunhild is no ordinary woman. She is a warrior-queen blessed with supernatural strength, and she swears that she will wed no man unless he can defeat her in three feats of strength.

  So the bargain is struck. King Gunther will grant Queen Kriemhild’s hand to Siegfried, if Siegfried helps Gunther win the beautiful Queen Brunhild. Siegfried and Gunther set sail for far Iceland.