The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-24
The Sieofned Stories.

The Siegfried-BrunhiId legend, Wn'cn
inspired Richard Wagner TO some OF his
| grandest creations is the subject OF
sketch in the December number of Poet
Lore. 1t is interesting, as is the history
| Of all these old stories that have been
in use for long ages:
''The story of Siegfried and Brunhild
tells US of the glorious youth Sigurd
(this name Sigurd is merely the Morse
for the German Siegfried). the son of
Sigmund, who by killing a dragon ac-
quired an immense treasure and soon
after, on his wapderings, found the beau
tiful maiden Brunhild ON a mountain
surrounded by a ring of fire. She had
been placed there by the supreme god
for an act OF disobedience, and was fat
ed 70 be awakened by the hero Sigurd
She at once falls in love with Sigurd,
with all the passion of a powerful soul.
and Sigurd answers her affection. But
he is destined cruelty TO deceive her
without his knowledge. For he leaves
her TO seek further adventures and comes
TO the land Of King Gunnar. Gunnar
| covets Sigurds treasure and wants the
| famous Brunhid. His mother conse-
| quently administers a magic potion to
| Sigurd by which he completely forgets
! Brunhild and marries Gunnar's sister
| Gudrun. Gunnar now asks Sigurd to lend
| him aid in getting the far-famed Brun-
| hid. Sgurd. whose oblivion has become
| complete, gladly assents. He alone can
| ride through the ring OF fire. and as
sumes Gunnar's appearance. so that
Brunhild does not recognize him. She
| had given up all hope Of ever seeing
! Sigurd again, for much time had elapsed
since he had left her. and she conse-
| quently follows the pretender Gunnar.
| Then Sigurd and Gunnar resume their
natural appearance, and Gunnar mar
| ries Brunhild. But she had not long
| been his queen when, in quarrel with
| Sigurds wife, Gudrun, she discovers the
deceit. Her old love for Sigurd breaks
| out again like fame. The thought that
Sigurd deceived her and that he be-
! longs 10 another woman consumes her.
! She induces her husband 20 kill him, and
when she hears that Sigurd is dead she
| pierceS herself with the sword, and is
buried upon the same funeral pyre with
her beloved Sigurd.
Camille Won Kenze describes the Ed
da,' as grand and uncanny, like the
| northern light NO ray Of midness which
the creed of Christ introduced into the
world has ever graced the authors of
these poems; everywhere the old Ger
manic power and harshness. Every
| character stands out like a rock Nothing
is pretty here This grandeur of feeling
and of thought remained the most strik-
| ing characteristic OF these old songs even
after they lost in great measure their
original form.
'gThese songs of the 'Fdda' were popu-
lar in the north even after Christianity
had overthrow the heathenish observ-
! ances. after they had ceased to repre-
sent the actual state of htings. They
were still appreciated at a time when
! the entire surface of German life had
| changed, especially on the continent. and
! when in Germany proper the old saga
was being nodded into a completely new
form, corresponding to new life. And.
| indeed q very different life from that
/ in the cold north was the life of Ger
| many toward the end of the twelfth CEN
tury-that is, that period which produced
/ what is not only the greatest form of
| the Siegfried story, but the greatest of
| all medieval epics, the Nibelungen-
! led
In literature the old poetry, often
written in Latin and generally eccle-
| siastical in it's nature was succeeded by
! a secular form of verse in the mother
/ tongue which breathed a thoroughly
worldly atmosphere, and was typical of
| a brilliant society,"
Still the new literature and the new
! ideals did not drive out the old. The
| old stories and songs still held the popu-
| lar heart, and in Austria, where French
| influence was nodded in a form suited to
! the new age. About the year 1900 some
/ unknown collector or reviser arranged
| the survivals. Of the Siegfried songs in
/ the epic of tie 'Niebelungenlied'
Just as the songs of the 'Edda'' were
! in G sense representative of the times
/ IN, nh
/ so the ''Nibelungenlied,' though show
| ing in every line traces of the fierce past,
! though dealing with Municipalities such
| as only the times of the migratons could
| produce. Is the child of the twelfth CEN
| fury. \ milder spirit, brought about by
( Christian doctrines. has come over the
| old story; the northern light has yielded
! to the warmer hues of morn. The whole
! tale has changed and has become mir
| rOr of Barbarossa's age.
! The songs of the "Edda," It will be
| remembered. told us how Sigurd killed
| a dragon and acquired a treasure, how
| he found and fell in love with Brunhild.
/ how he was made TO forget her and I'M
Willingly helped to deceive her, how she
! discovered the fraud and was seized again
/ with love for him. had him put to death
/ and died with him. They Furthermore
! told US how Gudrun, Sigurd's wife. mar
! RED another man after Sigurds death.
! how her second husband, coveting the
| treasure which had belonged to Sigurd,
/ invited his wife's brothers and killed
/ them. and how Gudrun wreaked terrible
/ revenge on her husband for this deed.
/ In the ''Nibelungenlied" Bruuhild, the
! greatest figure of the "Edda,'' loses
much Of her Importance and the whole
( of the epic becomes the story OF Kriem-
/ hild's love for her husband Segfried
/ Kremhild who corresponds to Gudrun,
! in the "Edda." he kills her brothers for
! numbering her husband Siegfried, and
/ through grief at her husbands death
/ changes from a lovely maiden to a fear
/ ful avenCer.'
/ While the Nibelungenled' represents
( the last great crystalzation Of the old
/ Siegfrled sagas in a popular form, the
! stories We're in later times woven into
new shapes although the old power was
/ gone"