The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs (Oxford World's Classics)
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there in great numbers, and the wild Pechenegs.* There was much shooting with the bow at the birds flying past there. They drew their arrows back to the very limit of their bows.
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There is a place that lies by the Danube in Austria which is called Tulln. There Kriemhilt became acquainted with a great number of strange customs which she had never seen before. Plenty of people welcomed her there who afterwards met with sorrow for her sake.
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The retinue that rode before King Etzel was merry and most prosperous, courteous and gallant, some twenty-four princes of high degree and proud. They wished for nothing other than to see their lady. Duke Ramunc of Wallachia came charging past her with seven
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hundred men. They saw them ride like birds in flight. Then Prince Gibeche arrived with hosts of great splendour. Bold Hornboge with
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some thousand men turned away from the king to head for his lady. Loud was the clamour they made, as was that land’s custom. The kinsmen of the Huns also rode hard there.
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Then bold Hawart of Denmark came up, and brave Irinc, well guarded against falsity, and Irnfrit of Thuringia, a gallant man. They welcomed Kriemhilt in such fashion as did them honour, with twelve
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hundred men, whom they led in their host. Then came Lord Blœdelin, Etzel of Hungary’s brother, with three thousand men. He made his way magnificently into the queen’s presence.
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Then King Etzel, and also Sir Dietrich with all his companions, arrived. There were many noble and worthy knights, doughty and of great renown, present there. That then raised Lady Kriemhilt’s spirits high. Then Lord Rüedeger said to the queen: ‘Lady, I want to
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welcome the proud king here.* Let all those whom I bid you kiss be granted that favour. You may not, after all, greet all of Etzel’s men in equal fashion.’
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Then the proud queen was lifted down from her palfrey. Mighty Etzel waited no longer then. He dismounted from his horse, along with many bold men. They saw him walk joyfully towards Kriemhilt.
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Two mighty princes, so we are told, carried the queen’s train, walking alongside her, as King Etzel walked towards her, and there she welcomed the noble prince with a gracious kiss.
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She drew back her head-dress. Her well-favoured complexion shone out of the gold. There were great numbers of men there who said that Lady Helche could not have been fairer. Close to her there stood the king’s brother, Blœdelin. Rüedeger, the powerful margrave,
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bade her kiss him and King Gibeche. Dietrich was also standing there. Etzel’s wife kissed twelve of the warriors. She also welcomed knights in great numbers with her greeting then.
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All the while that Etzel stood by Kriemhilt’s side, the youths there acted as people still do today. Many a great joust was seen to be ridden there. Christian heroes, and also the pagans, carried those out according to their customs. With what true chivalry
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Dietrich’s men caused the shafts to break into splinters which flew high over the shields at the good knights’ hands! Many a shield’s rim was riddled with holes by the German guests. Great clamour
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was heard then of shafts being broken. By now all the warriors of the land had arrived, and the king’s guests also, noble men in great numbers.
Then the mighty king walked away with Lady Kriemhilt. They
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saw standing nearby them a most splendid pavilion. All around the plain was full of huts in which they were to rest after their labours. Many a fair maiden was led beneath these by heroes, along with the
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queen, where she afterwards sat down on a sumptuous upholstered seat. The margrave had seen to it that Kriemhilt’s seat was thought most splendid. Etzel was delighted at that. What Etzel said on that
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occasion is not known to me. Her white hand lay in his right hand. They sat lovingly together there, as Sir Rüedeger did not want to let the king be intimate with Kriemhilt yet.
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Then they ordered that the bohort be abandoned, all over the plain. The great clamour ended amid honour there. Etzel’s men then went into the huts. Lodgings were given them far and wide. The
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day was at an end now. They took their rest until they saw the bright morning shine again. By then many men had made for their horses. Ah, what pastimes they undertook to do the king honour!
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The king asked the Huns to arrange matters as befitted his honour. Then they rode from Tulln to the city of Vienna. There they found well-attired ladies in great numbers. They welcomed King Etzel’s wife with great honours.
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All that they needed was at their disposal in abundance. Gallant heroes in great numbers looked forward to the clamour. They began to find lodgings for them. The king’s festivity began joyfully. They
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could not find lodgings in the city for all. Rüedeger asked those who were not guests to take lodgings out in the country. I believe that Lord Dietrich and many other knights were to be seen at all times
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at Lady Kriemhilt’s side. They had forsaken rest for labour in order to bring good cheer to the guests. Rüedeger and his allies passed the time pleasantly.
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The wedding, when King Etzel lay with Kriemhilt in the city of Vienna, had fallen upon a Whitsun day. I don’t believe she ever had so many men at her service with her first husband. She made herself
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known by gifts to those whom she had never beheld before. Great numbers amongst them said to the strangers: ‘We thought that Lady Kriemhilt would have no wealth—now her gifts have brought about great marvels here!’
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The wedding festivity lasted seventeen days. I believe no man has ever told of any king whose festivity was greater—we have never heard the like. All those present there wore new clothes.
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Never, I believe, did Kriemhilt preside over so many warriors in the Netherlands. Moreover, I believe that though Sivrit was rich in wealth, he never acquired so many noble warriors as she saw standing before Etzel.
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Nor did anyone ever, at his own wedding, give away so many sumptuous cloaks, long and wide, nor such good garments, which were at their disposal in plenty, as Etzel’s men all gave for Kriemhilt’s sake.
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Her allies and also the guests were all of one mind—not to be sparing with regard to any kind of possessions there. Anything anyone asked of them was readily given. Thus many of the knights there were left bereft of clothing because of their generosity.
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Kriemhilt thought back to the days when she resided by the Rhine alongside her noble husband. Her eyes grew wet. She took great care to conceal this, so that no one could see it. After much sorrow so many honours had befallen her.
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No matter how much generosity was practised, it was all as nothing compared with that of Dietrich. All that Botelunc’s son had given him was now entirely squandered away. Generous Rüedeger’s hands also wrought many marvels there. Prince Blœdelin of Hungary bade
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that coffers in great numbers be emptied there of silver and gold—that was given away there. The king’s heroes were seen to live in great joy.
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Wärbel and Swemmelin, the king’s minstrels, I believe, both gained at that wedding some thousand marks or even more, there where fair Kriemhilt sat at Etzel’s side beneath her crown.
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On the eighteenth morning they then rode away from Vienna. Many shields were hewn to pieces by the lances borne by the warriors’ hands in chivalrous pursuits. Thus King Etzel returned to Hungary.
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In
old Hainburg they passed the night. No one could count then the numbers of the people, nor with what companies they rode across the lands. Ah, what fair ladies they found in Etzel’s homelands!
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At prosperous Wieselburg they took ship. The river was so covered over by horses and men as if it were solid ground, so little could be seen of its flow. The way-weary ladies found both peace and rest there.
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Many excellent skiffs were lashed together, so that neither waves nor the tide might harm them. Over them many good tents were pitched, as if they still had both land and fields beneath them.
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Tidings of this then came to Etzelnburc, where men and women alike rejoiced. Helche’s retinue, over whom the lady had previously presided, rejoiced in many a joyous day with Kriemhilt. Noble maidens
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in great numbers stood in expectation there, who had had much sorrow since Helche’s death. Kriemhilt found seven further kings’ daughters there, an ornament to all of Etzel’s lands.
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The damsel Herrat still had charge of the retinue, Helche’s sister’s daughter, rich in virtue, Dietrich’s bride, a noble king’s child, the daughter of Näntwin—she afterwards acquired great honour. She
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rejoiced at the arrival of the guests. Moreover, great prosperity had been prepared to meet the occasion. Who could tell you how the king resided thereafter? Never did the Huns live better with a queen than there!
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When the king rode away from the riverbank with his wife, it was explained to her who each of the ladies was. They greeted noble Kriemhilt all the better for that. Ah, how powerfully she afterwards resided in Helche’s stead! Much loyal homage was paid to her. The
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queen then distributed gold and garments, silver and precious stones. All that she had brought across the Rhine with her to the Huns had to be given away in its entirety. Moreover, all the king’s kinsmen and
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all his vassals afterwards became her subjects and served her, so that she had more power at her command than Lady Helche had ever had, and they were now obliged to serve Kriemhilt until her death.
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The court, and also the country, then stood in such high repute that everyone enjoyed such pastimes as their hearts desired at all times there, for love of the king and the queen’s wealth.*
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TWENTY-THIRD ADVENTURE
HOW KRIEMHILT SAW TO IT THAT HER BROTHERS CAME TO THE FESTIVITY
AMID great honour—I tell you in all truth—they resided together until the seventh year. By that time the queen had given birth to a son. At that King Etzel’s joy could never have been greater.
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Kriemhilt insisted on having Etzel’s child baptized afterwards according to the Christian order. It was named Ortliep. There was great joy at this all over Etzel’s lands.
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For many a day thereafter Kriemhilt now set about practising all the virtuous courtesies that Lady Helche had possessed. Herrat, the maiden in exile, taught her the custom of the land. In secret she mourned greatly over Helche. Kriemhilt was very well known to
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strangers and acquaintances alike. They said that no lady ever presided over a king’s land in a better and more generous way—that was their true belief. She held that repute among the Huns until the thirteenth year.
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By now she had clearly discerned that no one opposed her—as even now a king’s warriors do a prince’s wife—and that she saw twelve kings before her at all times. Yet still her thoughts turned to the many wrongs that had befallen her back at home. She thought
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also of the great honour in the land of the Nibelungs over which she had had power, and of which Hagen’s hands had entirely deprived her by Sivrit’s death, and wondered whether he might yet still come to suffer at her hands for that. ‘That might come about if I could bring him into this land!’
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She dreamt how her brother Giselher walked hand in hand with her time and again. She very often kissed him in her sweet slumbers—thereafter they were both to meet with sorrow.
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I believe it was the Foul Fiend who prompted Kriemhilt to sever the bond of friendship with Gunther, whom she had kissed in reconciliation in Burgundy. Yet again her clothes were tainted by hot tears. Early and late it lay in her heart how they had brought
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it about, through no fault of her own, that she had to love a pagan husband. Hagen and Gunther had caused her this anguish. Seldom
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did this resolve leave her heart. She thought: ‘I am so powerful and have such great wealth that I may yet inflict some suffering upon my foes. I would gladly do so, indeed, upon Hagen of Tronege. My
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heart often grieves for those who were loyal to me. As for those who inflicted suffering upon me there, if I could have them about me, then my beloved would be well avenged—I can hardly wait for that,’ said Etzel’s wife.
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At that time all the king’s men, Kriemhilt’s warriors, held her dear—that had worked out very well. Eckewart had charge of the treasury, winning allies thereby. No one could thwart Kriemhilt’s purpose. She thought constantly: ‘I will ask the king,’ that he should
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kindly grant her* that her friends be brought to Hungary. No one discerned the queen’s evil purpose.
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One night as she lay by the king—he had his arms about her as was his custom when making love to that noble lady; she was as dear to him as his life—the proud queen’s thoughts turned to her foes. She
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said to the king: ‘My dearest lord, I would gladly ask you, if it were to meet with your favour, to show me if I have merited that my friends might be truly dear to you.’
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The mighty king replied—loyal was his disposition—‘I will show you that clearly. Whenever happiness and good fortune befalls those warriors, I have reason to rejoice, for I never gained better allies through love of a woman.’
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Then the queen said: ‘As you have been told, I have many kinsmen of high birth. That is why I am so sorry that they so seldom deign to see me here. I hear the people say of me that I am nothing but an exile.’
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King Etzel replied: ‘My dearest lady, if they didn’t think it too far, I would invite them to cross the Rhine—all those you would gladly see—to come here to my lands.’
The lady was pleased when she found that was his will. She said:
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‘If you will keep your word to me, my lord, then have messengers sent to Worms across the Rhine, and I’ll send messages to my friends to tell them what I have in mind. Then noble, worthy knights in great numbers will come to us here in this land.’
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He said: ‘Let it take place as soon as you give the order. You can’t be as willing to see your friends as I would be to see noble Uote’s sons. It troubles me greatly that they have been strangers to us for so long. If it pleases you well, my dearest lady, I would gladly send my fiddlers to Burgundy to invite your friends.’
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He bade the worthy fiddlers be brought at once. They hastened
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to where the king sat alongside the queen. He told them both that they were to be sent as messengers to Burgundy. He then bade that garments of great splendour be prepared for them. Clothes were prepared
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for twenty-four warriors. Moreover, they were told by the king the message they were to take, that they were to invite Gunther and his men to Hungary. Lady Kriemhilt spoke to them in private.
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Then the mighty king said: ‘I shall tell you what you are to do. I wish my friends joy and all good fortune, and may they deign to ride into my lands here. Seldom have I had such dear guests. If
Kriemhilt’s kinsmen want to meet with my wishes at all, they should not omit to come to my festivity this summer, for much of my joy lies with my in-laws.’
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Then proud Swemmelin the fiddler said: ‘When is your festivity in these lands to be? Let us know so that we can tell your friends there.’
King Etzel replied: ‘At the next solstice.’
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‘We shall do all that you command,’ said Wärbelin then.
The queen asked that they be brought secretly to her chamber, where she spoke to the messengers. (Knights in great numbers met with little joy in consequence.)
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She said to the two messengers: ‘Now earn great wealth if you will kindly carry out my wishes and give the message I send home to our land. I shall make you rich in property and give you splendid garments.
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You must never tell any of my friends that you may see in Worms on the Rhine that you ever saw me low in spirits. Give my homage to the bold and worthy heroes. Ask that they do the king’s bidding,
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and thus part me from all my misery. The Huns must think that I lack any friends. If I were a knight I’d visit them from time to time.
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And tell Gernot, my noble brother, that no one in this world could hold him dearer. Ask him to bring our best friends with him to me in this land, to do us honour. And tell Giselher also that he should bear
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in mind that I never suffered any wrong at his hands, and therefore my eyes would very much like to see him here. I would be most glad to have him here because of his great loyalty. Tell my mother, too, of
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the honour I possess here. And if Hagen of Tronege wanted to remain there, who then would lead them through the lands? He has known the roads to Hungary well since his youth.’
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The messengers did not know at all why they had been told that they should not let Hagen of Tronege remain by the Rhine. It cost them dear afterwards. When war was declared on Hagen, it consigned many a knight along with him to grim death.
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The letters and the embassy had now been given to them. They journeyed rich in wealth and could live in splendour. Etzel, and also his fair wife, gave them leave to depart. They were attired in noble garments.