The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-06
for the spirit OF his original than power of reeas.ns it

But anu leaving the Rhine aud discussing Wagner
before speaking Of Worms and the found OF the
old Nibe ung heroes and heroines. found little there
In fact to remind OF the places connected with tie
events narrated IN the German HAD fact which is
no great credit To Worms There the Luther mon-
umen indeed that ugly collection OF beautiful statues
just pun together like the adventures OF the ''Nbe
lungen Lied, without any central idea to connect them.
bought German guide book OF the city expecting TO
ind full descriptions or Interesting points connected
with the old Bureundians but found nothing IN 1t but
ridiculous explanation OF the legend aud condensed ac
count OF the ''Led' taken IRON Vimars 'Literarscbe
Gesenchte. And yet Worms was the residence Of
the Burgundlan kings The Burgundians were de-
stroyed by the Huns, just as the "Liedh tells Gun
ther and his brothers historical personages so
Attiia and Boedel (Blcd@l perhaps, too, kremhiida
Hide or ltlcol and certainly Theodore OF Verona
aud the Bishop Pilgrim OF Passau Historical events
must have taken place at certain places historical
persons must have lived somew here or other And the
poet poets Of the NibeuDg describe to US Worms
and Rhine as the theatre OF the story The event
supposed 10 be chroniced in tho Nbeiungen Lied" is
the destruction OF Gundicarus by the Huns, which
event took place in the year 1876
rik STORY OF THE NIBELuNGEN LIED
The legend OF the Lied runs IN this wise. In Bur-
gundy there lived beautiful princess named kricm-
hlda, the daughter of KIM Dankrat and Queen Ute,
alter whose death she was brought up and protected
by her brothers, King Gunther and The your kings
sion at the bourg IN orms dreaming only OF mvriago
with the Church. She did indeed dream once how she
saw young favorite falcon torn to pieces by two
eagles and her mother. Dame Ute, interpreted the
cream Tor her, "rhe falcon that thou trlineds" Sue
SAID, lis sure noble mate; God shield him IN HIS
mercy, or thou must lose him straight" In the mean
time, while Kriemhilua is thus dreaming there lived
at Aanten. on the Rhine, the youthful knight called
Siegfred OF the royal Sgmund and Segndc. He
has already might deeds, has subjected the
gloomy OF the SchilbuEgs aud the Nbeungs, has
taken the Tarnknppe and mantle OF invsiblity away
from Alberto. and Is the recognized ruler OF the Nib
elungs and their treasure phe Hoardl He has also
slain the dragon ard bathed IN tho monsters blood 50
that he is nvuncrable except IN one place on his back,
whereon leaf lodged during the immersion. Sieg-
fried has heard OF the marvellous beauty OF
kriemhilda, and with twelve companions he sets out
for Worms He is well received and fingers at tho
Burgundau Court an entire year before he has a
chance OF even seeing the fair kriemhida Aner
very successful with the Saxons, in which Sieg-
performs marvellous leafs OF skill. King Gunther
appears, and Scgried beholds her. They exchange
stolen clances and deeply IN love with each other.
sieeired would probably have had to WOO and wait
long II King GuDther had not fallen in love iron
hearsay with the beautiful Princess Brunnhilda,
Who queen high seated Altar beyond the sea.
For beauty she WAS natchess for strength without peer
Her love to him she eed who could pass her AT the
She threw stone bounded b. hind the mark
Must conquer The hsrse maiden whom lie sought to %ed
Siegiricd possessing mighty strength OF his own be-
sides the Tarnkappe, by means Of which he could make
himself invisible al any moment even while present,
proposed TO assist King Gunher on the condition that
II brunnhilda won Kremhda should be his
bride. With q few followers Gunthor and Siegfricd
brilliantly clad, and bearing great presents, sailed
down the Rhlne and
ON tho twelfth bright morning, have heard told,
The bark WAS waited onwad with those warriors bold
The next adventure in the Lied tells US .'then Gun
Their BrunnhJah by contcst ting with her in games
OF strength assisted and saved by the invisible sies
fried
SO Gunther the winner, and Brunnhilda declared
her readiness to proceed 10 Worms where the mar
RAY, should take place. Arriving there the be-
trothals take place; Gunther IS welded with Brunn-
hilda and Sicgiried with Kriemh,lda
Ten years aitcrward Drunnhda induced Gunther to
invite Siegiried and Krlemhilda to Worms, and they
accept the invitation, arriving ut The Rhine in comrany
with KING Sigmund and some thousands OF kniRhts
In Worms all went merry us marriage bell until one
day
THE TWO QUEENS
seated watching tho tournament, when they be.
gan to quarrel about the dignity and rank OF their
respective husbands. Kremhda asserted that Sieg-
fried tho bravest knight IN the world and de-
served TO rule over Burgundy. To this Brunnhilda
objected saying that Sicgired was but vassa OF Gun
theirs Kriemhilda said she would teach Brunnhda
better when they next went to the minister and would
precede her thlther
THE QUEENS.
BY both to-day 1t shall BE-
That the church dare before ning ulhers queen
So before the minister the womdhs contest took
place. Brunnhlda them
Bitterly and proudly she bsde fair kriemhid stand;
NO vassaless precedeth the lady OF the land"
Brunnhilda complained to her husband Gunther
would have preferred to hear nothing ut all about
Segfried wished he had not been
tell his vile certain things about the other queen But
now the secret out. Gunthers mcn ict That their
King had been nsuted and Hagan, OF Fronci deter.
mined TO revenge The insult A alse alarm OF was
raised and Hagan under pretence OF protecting SeY.
freds lie, learned from kriemhilda the vulnerable
spot OF her husbands body. Before going to the war
II arranged by Hagan that the KING aud his guests
I'm The Nosgesl
here, while siesired bending down to drink tho
IRON spring, Hagan plunged his spear INTO his
body and slew him Thus cnaed the quarrel OF the
queens Kremhlda, though desiring revenge, ad-
take of retribuon She sends Tor her treasures,
which belonged to Siegiricd and are now bers:-
The tale of that treasure might we'll wonder
II much twelve huge in four whole nights
Could carry mountain down to the salt sci bay
1t to fro each wagon three journeyed day
wa. made nn Of nothing but precious stones and gold
Not mark the less thereafter LEI, than
Good reason sure had Hagan to covet such hoard
Krcmhda, having gone with Gunthcr Journey
Hagan got possession OF the treasure and thinking 10
secure for himself more convenient season. he
cast 1t into 'rhe Rhine at Lochhcm" but she never
could get II for all his desire" kriemhida
lamencd the Death OF sicgIred Tor space oil thirteen
years Dame Uta tired OF ihc d,ssensons at the Bur
gundan Court butt the abbey OF Lorsch ami sump-
iuous palace close by where she found seclusion and
her at Lorsch. Kremhiida promised TO do I'd If the
body OF her husband could be taken too The
mand given to transfer Segircd's remains, and
now,
At Lorseh, beside TIE minister. in many honord guise
There yet, In long eoin. the stately warrior lies.
LOVE.
Kricmhilda vas about TO leave Worms when a mes
senger arrived IRON KING EIzel (Aitlal asking her
become his wife, She accepted sti harborug THOUGHTS
of revengng the dead Seg ricd. Alter she had been
married seven years she induced Etzel to
the Burr undians to nus Court King Gunther his
Court where, AFTER few days OF festivities, the
uage revenge began, and OF the Bureu indians
returned to tell the Story on the Rhire. Ii
terrible revenge; but kriemhiida herself was among
the slain.
This is in brief the story of the "Nibelungcn Lied"
which is treated by Wagner in the third aud con-
Guiding portion OF his tetralopy But he has given
10 siegfried tar grander character than have the
poets OF tho "Nbeluneen." Indeed the reads
poem of the NiDelungon the greater becomes our
surprise that The Germans much beauty IN
IT, since every vestige OF symbolic ideaism has been
rambling
narrative without beauty and without meaning. But
wAoNERs ''NBELUNGKNn
Is grand creation and were II not Tor the altcravo
verse which with all desire try 10 like. would be
the greatest OF the NIbeung legend that has
vet appeared. nave, unfortunately, never read Jor
dan version OF the Lied He, too, believe, connects
the story with its true sources rather he illustrates
1t by It's connection with Scandinavian my thoogy In
describing Wagner's opera | shall have occasion
enter more July into this subject OF the