Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-03-21

from LnS " 6Gkt6TtUftuS UOtCH SstO
Rhine galley and from Metz to Hun
gary Is the scene of that greatest OF
fighting epics, the roaring and ter
ribIe NIB elungen-Lied. The men of
the Rhine and the men of Bavaria,
Hungary and Austria are depicted
in the lied as killing each other.
Battling side By side today, they are
fred for united Uar By the chants
from this tale, Vhich IS the priced
possession of all races and classes of
the Ceramic stock.
Strong and beautiful was Siegfried,
the kings son Of Xante in the Meth
erlands. Strong and beautiful, he rode
down into Worms to win from King
Gunther Of the Rhine his sister Kriem-
hid, who was fair as a dawn that
comes from behind dark clouds.
None were so happy as they. But
in an evil hour Siegfried told Kriem-
hid OF a trick he had put on Brun-
hid, Gunther's queen and Kriemhild
twitted Brunhild in public with what
she had learned.
''Shan this outrage lie upon me?'
wept Brunhild, till Gunther, the king,
went whispering up and down, and his
fierce, loyal vassal, Hagen of Irony,
swore that revenge must be.
At fateful Odenheim, in the Oden-
valid, when Siegfried stopped to drink
at a spring, Hagen thrust him through
with a spear, so that it entered at the
champions back and came out at his
heart.
So died the great warrior, he that
had conquered the Land OF the Nibe-
lungs and won their mighty hoard and
brought the Nibelung knights under
his overlordship.
Hagen brought the dead man home
SIT concerneth me little if Kriemhild
weep said dauntless Hagen of Irony.
She kissed Siegfried's beautiful
head and swore vengeance. For three
days and nights she wept him while
he lay unburied, and for many years
after, when he had long slept in his
coffin of silver and gold in Lorsch on
the Rhine. She could do naught else.
1.-The devils wife viii never forgive
Their till the king took from Kriemhild
the Nibelung's treasure; for he feared
lest the hero's widow win adherents
with it.
They sank the hoard in the Rhine
at Locheim and only Hagen and Gun
Their knew the place.
Kriemhild wept anew and nursed
another. need for revenge
There came a day when King Etzel
of Hungary sent knights to WOO her,
and she Jared into Hun-1and to become
the mighty queen Of that mightiest
king. Sweetly and well she ruled with
him till she was assured that the love
of all Etzel's knights was hers. Then
she spoke to the king and said: Let
Us bid my kin from the Rhine to a
hightide.n
Sixty high warriors and a thousand
Nibelung knights. they rode out of
Worms. There were Gunther and his
two tall brothers, Gernot, the mighty,
and Giselher, the blooming. There
were Hagen with the sword of Bal
uung that Siegfried had won from the
Nibelungs, and FoIker, Gunther's min
strel.
They fought their way through Ba-
varia till their saddles were gay with
blood. They rode into Austria and
were met by loyal Rudeger of Bech-
1aren, King Etzel's markgrave, who
welcomed them and plighted them the
faith of a true host. Splendidly he
led them into Hungary to King Eft
zeTs thousand towers Of Gran.
Kriemhild stepped down from the
castle and kissed her brother, Gunther.
When Hagen saw that, he bound his
helm on tighter.
He had need OF 1t. While King Etzel
sat drinking with them in all trust
and love, Kriemhilds knights fell or
them In the banquet hall. Drink we
the kings w1nel'' cried Hagen then
and cut OF the head OF EtzeI's child
so that 1t few into Kriemhild's lap
Balmung whirled again, and bit the
head OF EtzeI's brother, helmet and all
The Nibelungs, hard pressed, fought
with swords and benches and stools
Scarce could Etzel and Kriemhild win
from the tumult. Folker fddIed death
tunes with his blade on many a Huns
head Dankwart, Hagen's brother
held the door and gathered red gate
money.
The Nibelungs threw the dead and
wounded down the stairs and cried
Enter Enter And earn your queens
pay, oh Huns -
All the long summer day they fought
In the dusk Kriemhild ordered the
place to be kindled. All night 1
burned Yet in the dawn there were
Nibelungs still left alive.
They have orphaned the land r
cried the Hun knights, all red and
black with slaughter. King Etze
sobbed in his beard and called to Ru
deger Of Beehlaren TO avenge them
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