The Nibelungs, in German-Scandinavian mythology and epic, are the owners of the gold treasure (treasures and magic ring of power) of the dwarf zwerg Andvari, who had previously stolen gold from the Rhine maidens.
The original owners of the Andvari treasure are the sorcerer Hreidmar, the giants Fasolt and Fafnir, who turned into a dragon to guard the treasure. The treasure was eventually taken over by the hero Siegfried (Sigurd) - the Nibelung, the king of the "country of the Nibelungs", his sons Schilbunk and Nibelung, their warriors. After the villainous murder of Siegfried, the Burgundian kings Gibihungs - brothers Gunnar and Hogni, named the Nibelungs after the treasure passed into their hands - became the owners of the treasures. Thus, the word "Nibelungs" is associated with the owners of the gold treasure, cursed by the dwarf Andvari, known from other mythological sources as Albrich. Interestingly, in the Germanic and Scandinavian traditions, the treasures of the Nibelungs are the material embodiment of the power, power, happiness and good luck of their owner. This cursed treasure also included a magical gold ring,which was capable of not only multiplying wealth, but also bringing death to its owner.
It visited Hreidmar, Fafnir, Regin and, finally, Sigurd, all of them cost their lives to own the ring. The brothers Nibelungs Gunnar and Hegni, who killed Sigurd while hunting a wild boar, also died. His widow Kriemhilda lured them to her and ordered them to be executed: Gunnar was thrown into a moat with reptiles teeming there and then beheaded, and the heart was cut out from the still alive Hogni. The Nibelungs met death with dignity and did not reveal the secret of the gold treasure hidden by them, bringing misfortune and death to everyone.
SONG ABOUT NIBELUNGS
The most ancient monument of the German heroic epic. In terms of content, it falls into two parts. The first 10 songs describe Siegfried's heroic deeds, his love for Brunhilde, Siegfried's marriage to Kriemhild, the sister of King Gunther (Gunnar), Gunther's matchmaking to the warrior maiden Brunhilde, and Siegfried's villainous murder.
The next 10 songs tell about Kriemhilda's revenge for the death of her husband, the painful death of Gunther (Gunnar) and Hagen (Hogni) and the decline of the Burgundian kingdom.
The historical basis of the "Song of the Nibelungs" is formed by the events of the era of the Great Nations Migration - the capture of Europe by the Huns under the leadership of Attila in the 5th century BC. e. However, everyday life, etiquette, class relations described in it represent Germany in the XII century of the era of feudalism.
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The Song of the Nibelungs was likely written between 1200 and 1210. in Austria as a court poet influenced by Christianity. She absorbed several cycles of more ancient epic legends, and later became the subject of numerous revisions, a source of poetic themes and motives. The stanza of this poem, peculiar in its rhythmic pattern and very dynamic, was perceived by many medieval poets and was called the "Nibelungian stanza". The poets of Germany in the 19th century also turned to her.