The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs (Oxford World's Classics) (17 page)

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hardship, until they arrived at the spacious castle which was called Xanten, where they were later to wear crowns.

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Smiling, Sigelint and Sigmunt kissed Kriemhilt affectionately many times, and also Sivrit. Their sorrow was dispelled. All their retinue were given a warm welcome. They asked that the guests be

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brought before Sigmunt’s hall. The fair damsels were lifted down from their palfreys. Men in great numbers were present there who took pains to serve the fair ladies.

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Although the festivity in the Rhineland had met with great renown, here the heroes were given even better garments, more splendid than any they had worn in all their days. Great marvels might be told of their wealth when they resided there in high honour

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and abundant riches. What gold-coloured sleeves their retinue wore, with pearls and precious stones inlaid! Thus Sigelint, the noble queen, took great care of her retinue.

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Then Lord Sigmunt said before his allies: ‘I proclaim to all Sivrit’s kinsmen: he is to wear my crown before these warriors.’

The men of the Netherlands were glad to hear those tidings.

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Sigmunt commended to Sivrit his crown, his lawgiving powers, and also the land. From then on he was lord over all he found before him in court, where it was for him to pass judgement. This was done in such a manner that fair Kriemhilt’s husband was held in great awe.

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He lived in such high honour, it is true, dispensing justice as the crown-wearer until the tenth year came, and the most beautiful lady gave birth to a son. That met with the wishes of the king’s kinsmen.

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They made haste to baptize him, and gave him the name of Gunther after his uncle. He had no need to be ashamed of that. If he took after his kinsmen, he would prosper. They took great care over his upbringing, as was his due.

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About that time Lady Sigelint died. Then noble Uote’s daughter had all the power over the lands, as well befitted such wealthy ladies. There were plenty who grieved then that death had taken Sigelint from them.

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Now, over there by the Rhine in the land of the Burgundians, so we hear tell, fair Prünhilt had borne powerful Gunther a son. For love of the hero he was named Sivrit. With what great care they had

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him guarded! Noble Gunther assigned him tutors who well knew how to bring him up as a deserving knight. (Ah, what misfortune his friends afterwards suffered!)

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Many tales were told, time and again, of the constant, true renown of the gallant warriors who lived in Sigmunt’s land, as held also for Gunther and his exalted kinsmen. The land of the Nibelungs was subject

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to Sivrit in Xanten—none of his kinsmen was ever wealthier—as were also Schilbunc’s warriors, and the possessions of them both. The valiant hero held his head the higher for this. The brave warrior now

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possessed the greatest hoard any hero ever gained, apart from those who had held it before; he had won it with his own hands, fighting before the mountain, and slaying gallant knights in great numbers for it. He enjoyed honour to a perfect degree, and even if that were not so,

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it would have to be conceded that the noble warrior was one of the best who ever mounted a horse. People feared his might, and rightly so.

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A
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this time Gunther’s wife was thinking: ‘How is it that Lady Kriemhilt holds her head so high? After all, her husband Sivrit is our vassal. He has paid us little homage for a long time now.’ She bore this

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in her heart, concealing it well. It was a great sorrow to her that they were far away from her, and that homage was paid so seldom to her from Sivrit’s land. She would gladly have found out how that had come about.

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She questioned the king if it might perhaps happen that she should see Kriemhilt again. She spoke in private of what she had in mind. The lord of Burgundy was none too pleased at her words.

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‘How might we bring them here to this land?’ said the mighty king. ‘That would be impossible. They reside too far off from us. I daren’t ask it of them.’

Prünhilt answered him with cunning: ‘No matter how powerful a

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king’s vassal might be, he ought not to desist from carrying out his lord’s bidding.’

Gunther smiled at her words. However often he saw Sivrit, he didn’t count it as homage to him.

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She said: ‘Dearest lord, to please me, help me to invite Sivrit, and also your sister, to this land, so that we may see them here. Indeed, nothing could ever give me greater pleasure. Whenever I think upon

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your sister’s courtesy and her well-bred disposition, how I rejoice in that, and in how we sat together when I first became your wife! It is an honour for her to love bold Sivrit.’

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She expressed this wish so often that in the end the king said: ‘Well, let me tell you, I have never beheld guests so gladly. It is no hardship to have you thus plead with me. I will send my messengers to the two of them, to invite them to come to us by the Rhine.’

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Then the queen said: ‘In that case, you must tell me when you wish to send for them, or on what days our dear friends are to arrive in this land. Let me know whom you want to send there.’

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‘I will do so,’ said the prince. ‘I will have thirty of my men ride there.’ He bade those come before him. He gave them tidings to take to Sivrit’s land. In her joy, Prünhilt gave them garments of great splendour.

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Then King Gunther said: ‘You warriors must say to mighty Sivrit, and also to my sister—keep nothing back of the message I send—that no one in the world could hold them more dear. And request that they

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both may come to us to the Rhineland. My lady and I will forever be grateful if they do so. Before the next solstice he and his men shall see great numbers here who grant him high honour. Offer my homage

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to King Sigmunt, and tell him that I and my allies are always well-disposed towards him. And tell my sister also not to omit to ride to see her friends—no festivity ever became her better.’

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Prünhilt and Uote, and all the ladies to be found there, sent their homage to Sivrit’s land, to the lovely ladies there, and many a bold warrior.

Armed with the counsel of the king’s allies, the messengers set off. They were well equipped for their journey. Their horses and

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garments had all been made ready for them. Then they left the land. They were in haste to set off on their journey. The king ordered that the messengers be well protected by escorts.

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Within three weeks they came riding into the land of Nibelung’s castle, where they had been sent, in the borderlands of Norway.
*
There they found the warrior. The messengers’ horses were very weary after the long roads. Sivrit and Kriemhilt were both then told that knights

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had arrived who wore such clothing as was customary in Burgundy at that time. Kriemhilt leapt up from a bed on which she lay resting.

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Then she asked a maiden to go to a window. The maiden saw bold Gere standing in the courtyard, together with his companions who had been sent there. What dear tidings she found to dispel her heart’s sorrow!

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She said to the king: ‘See now where they stand! Those men walking with mighty Gere in the courtyard have been sent down the Rhine to us by my brother Gunther!’

Then mighty Sivrit said: ‘Let them be made welcome!’

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The whole household ran to see them. Each of them then addressed the messengers as graciously as he possibly could. Lord Sigmunt was heartily pleased at their arrival.

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Then Gere and his men were given lodgings. They ordered that their horses be stabled. The messengers went over to where Lord Sivrit sat beside Kriemhilt. They had been given permission to go to court, and therefore did so. The host and his wife rose to their feet

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at once. Gere from the land of the Burgundians and his companions-in-arms, Gunther’s men, were warmly welcomed. Mighty Gere was asked to walk over and be seated.

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‘Allow us to convey our message before we go and sit down, we way-weary guests. Let us stand for the time being. We are to tell you the tidings that Gunther and Prünhilt have sent you—they are in fine fettle. And hear too the messages sent by Lady Uote, your mother,

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young Giselher, and also Lord Gernot, and the best of your kinsmen—it was they that sent us here. They offer their homage to you from Gunther’s land.’

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‘Now God reward them!’ said Sivrit. ‘I have complete faith in their loyalty and goodness, as one ought to trust in one’s friends; the same holds for their sister. You must tell us tidings. Are our dear friends in high spirits at home there? Has anyone done my in-laws an injury

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since we parted from them? You must let me know if this is so. I will always help them loyally, until their foes must have good reason to regret my service!’

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Gere the margrave, a doughty warrior, replied: ‘They are in high spirits, as their great honour merits. They invite you to a festivity by the Rhine. They would be very glad to see you—rest assured of that.

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And ask my lady to go there with you. When the winter is at an end, before the next solstice, they would like to see you.’

Mighty Sivrit then said: ‘That could hardly be.’

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Then Gere of Burgundy spoke again: ‘Your mother Uote urges this upon you, nor should you deny Gernot and Giselher anything. I hear people lament daily that you are so far away from them. My lady

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Prünhilt and all her maidens look forward to this, and it would put them in high spirits if it might be that they should see you again.’

These tidings seemed good to fair Kriemhilt. Gere was her kinsman.

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The host bade him be seated. He ordered that wine be poured for the guests. That was delayed no longer. By then Sigmunt had also arrived to see the messengers. The lord addressed the Burgundians amicably: ‘Welcome, you warriors, you men of Gunther! Since Sivrit,

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my son, won Kriemhilt for his wife, we ought to see you more often here in this land, if you value our friendship.’

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They said that they would gladly go there whenever he wished. Happiness relieved them of much great weariness. They bade the messengers be seated and brought in dishes for them. Sivrit ordered that food be given to his guests in abundance.

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They were obliged to remain there for a full nine days. By that time the bold knights were complaining that they were not to ride back to their land. By then King Sivrit had sent for his allies. He asked what

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they advised about whether they should ride to the Rhine. ‘Gunther, my friend, has sent for me—he and his kinsmen—to invite me to a festivity. Well, I’d gladly go to see him, except that his land lies too far off. And they ask that Kriemhilt should go with me. Advise me,

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now, dear friends, in what fashion am I to go there? Even if I were to wage campaigns for them in thirty lands, Sivrit’s hands would still be willing to serve them there.’

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Then his warriors said: ‘If you are of a mind to make the journey to the festivity, we will advise what you should do. You should ride to the Rhine with a thousand warriors. Thus you may appear with high honour over there amongst the Burgundians.’

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Then Lord Sigmunt of the Netherlands said: ‘If you want to go to the festivity, why do you not tell me of it? If it causes you no shame, then I’ll ride there with you. I’ll take a hundred knights to swell your company.’

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‘If you wish to ride with us, dearest father,’ said bold Sivrit, ‘I shall be delighted. Before twelve days have passed, I will leave my lands.’

All who then desired them were given horses, and also garments.

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When the noble king had resolved upon the journey, they bade the bold, worthy messengers ride back. Sivrit sent tidings to his
in-laws in the Rhineland that he would most willingly be at their festivity there.

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Sivrit and Kriemhilt, so we hear tell, gave so much to the messengers that their palfreys could not carry it home to their lands—he was a wealthy man. Rejoicing, they drove off their sturdy packhorses.

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Sivrit, and also Sigmunt, gave garments to their retinue. Count Eckewart gave immediate orders that ladies’ clothing should be sought out—the best to be found or that anyone could procure in all of Sivrit’s land. They set about preparing the saddles and the shields.

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They gave to the knights and ladies who were to ride there with them whatever they wished, so that nothing was lacking. Sivrit took splendid guests in great numbers with him to his friends.

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The messengers were in great haste along the roads to their land. Sir Gere arrived in Burgundy then. He was warmly welcomed. Then the messengers dismounted from their chargers and palfreys, outside Gunther’s hall. Young and old alike walked over, as is still the practice,

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to ask for tidings. Then the worthy knight said: ‘When I tell the tidings to the king, you will hear them soon enough.’ He walked with his companions into Gunther’s presence.

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The king leapt from his seat, rejoicing greatly. Fair Prünhilt thanked them then for returning so rapidly. Gunther said to the messengers: ‘How fares Sivrit, who has brought me much happiness?’

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Bold Gere replied: ‘He blushed for joy there, he and your sister. Never did any man send such loyal tidings to his friends as did Lord Sivrit to you, and also his father.’

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Then the noble king’s wife said to the margrave: ‘Now tell me, is Kriemhilt coming to us? Does her fair person retain any of the courtesy she commanded so well?’