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SIGURD (Sigur6r)

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 83 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SIGURD (Sigur6r) or SIEGERIED (M. H. G. Sifrit), the See also:hero of the See also:Nibelungenlied, and of a number of Scandinavian poems included in the older See also:Edda, as well as of the See also:prose VSlsunga See also:Saga, which is based upon the latter. According to both the See also:German and Scandinavian authorities he was the son of a certain Sigmundr (Siegmund), a See also:king in the See also:Netherlands, or the " See also:land of the See also:Franks." The exploits of this Sigmundr and his See also:elder sons Sinfiotli and Helgi See also:form the subject of the earlier parts of Volsunga Saga, and Siegmund and Fitela (i.e. Sinfiotli) are also mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon poem See also:Beowulf. According to the Scandinavian See also:story Sigmundr was slain in See also:battle before the See also:birth of Sigurd, but the German story makes him survive his son. Sigurd acquired See also:great fame and riches by slaying the See also:dragon See also:Fafnir, but the See also:chief See also:interest of the story centres See also:round his connexion with the See also:court of the Burgundian king Gunnar (See also:Gunther). He married See also:Gudrun (See also:Kriemhild), the See also:sister of that king, and won for him by a stratagem the See also:hand of the Valkyrie Brynhildr, with whom he had himself previously exchanged vows of love. A See also:quarrel arose between Brynhildr and Gudrun, in the course of which the former learnt of the deception which had been practised upon her and this led eventually to the See also:murder of Sigurd. According to the Scandinavian version he was slain by his See also:brother-in-See also:law Guttorin, according to the German version by the See also:knight See also:Hagen. Gunther's See also:brothers were subsequently slain while visiting Atli (Etzel), who married Gudrun after Sigurd's See also:death.

According to the German story they were killed at the instigation of Kriemhild in revenge for Siegfried. The Scandinavian version of the story attributes the See also:

deed to Atli's lust for See also:gold. The story of Sigurd has given rise to more discussion than any other subject connected with the See also:Teutonic heroic See also:age. Like See also:Achilles he is represented as the perfect embodiment of the ideals of the See also:race, and, as in the See also:case of the See also:Greek hero, it is customary to regard his See also:personality and exploits as mythical. There is no question, however, that the Burgundian king who is said to have been his brother-in-law was an See also:historical See also:person who was slain by the See also:Huns, at the See also:time when the Burgundian See also:kingdom was overthrown by the latter. Sigurd himself is not mentioned by any contemporary writer; but, apart from the dragon incident, there is nothing in the story which affords sufficient See also:justification for regarding his personality as mythical. Opinions, however, vary widely as to the precise proportions of See also:history and fiction which the story contains. The story of Siegfried in See also:Richard See also:Wagner's famous See also:opera-See also:cycle Der See also:Ring der Nibelungen is mainly taken from the See also:northern version; but many features, especially the characterization of Hagen, are borrowed from the German story, as is also the See also:episode of Siegfried's murder in the See also:forest. See NIBELUNGENLIED and also R. Heinzel, " Ober See also:die Nibelungensage," in Sitzungsberichte der K. Akademie der Wissenschaften (See also:Vienna, 1885) ; H. Lichtenberger, Le See also:Paine et la legende See also:des Nibelungen (See also:Paris, 1891) ; B.

See also:

Symons, " Heldensage" in H. See also:Paul's Grundriss der germ. Philologie, vol. iii. (See also:Strassburg, 1900) ; and R. C. See also:Boer, Untersuchungen fiber den Ursprung and die Entwicklung der Nibelungensage (See also:Halle, 1906). Also T. Abeling, Nibelungenlied (1907). (F. G. M.

End of Article: SIGURD (Sigur6r)

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