The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs (Oxford World's Classics) (19 page)

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People wondered how it had come about that the queens were thus seen to approach separately, not walking alongside one another as before. (Afterwards many a warrior was to pay very dearly for that.)

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There before the minster stood Gunther’s wife. Knights in great numbers were passing the time pleasantly with the fair ladies they saw there. Then Lady Kriemhilt came up with many splendid companies. All the clothes that noble knights’ daughters had ever worn

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before were as nothing compared with her retinue. She was so rich in possessions that thirty kings’ wives could not show such wealth as Kriemhilt. Even if anyone wished to do so, he could not maintain that

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such sumptuous garments were ever seen again as her well-favoured maidens wore on that occasion. Kriemhilt would not have behaved so except to spite Prünhilt.

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They then arrived together outside the spacious minster. Maliciously, the lady of the house, out of great enmity, ordered
Kriemhilt to stop: ‘No bondsman’s wench shall ever walk ahead of a king’s wife.’

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Then fair Kriemhilt said—she was in angry mood—‘It would be better if you could hold your tongue now. You have put your fair person to shame here. How might a vassal’s whore ever become a king’s wife?’

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‘Who are you calling a whore?’ replied the king’s wife.

‘I mean you!’ said Kriemhilt. ‘It was Sivrit, my dearest husband, who first made love to your fair person. It wasn’t my brother who took your maidenhead from you! What were you thinking of?

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It was an evil trick. Why did you let him make love to you, since he is your bondsman? I hear you complain without any justification,’ said Kriemhilt.

‘Indeed,’ replied Prünhilt, ‘I will tell Gunther of this!’

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‘What does that matter to me? Your haughtiness has betrayed you. You claimed I am your subject. Rest assured that I will always resent that. You will meet with no more intimate friendship from me!’

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Prünhilt wept at that. Kriemhilt did not wait any longer. She walked into the minster then with her retinue, ahead of the king’s wife. Great enmity arose there. (Bright eyes were to grow dim and wet in consequence.)

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No matter what service was rendered to God or what anyone sang there, it seemed to Prünhilt to take far too long, for she was greatly troubled in her mind. (Many a bold and worthy hero was to pay for that in time to come.)

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Prünhilt went out with her ladies and stood outside the minster. She thought: ‘Kriemhilt must let me hear more of what she accuses me of so loudly—that shrewish
*
woman! If Sivrit has boasted of this, it will cost him his life!’

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Now noble Kriemhilt came out with many a bold warrior. Lady Prünhilt then said: ‘Stop where you are a while! You called me a whore! You must give proof of that. Your words have caused me grief, let me tell you!’

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Lady Kriemhilt replied: ‘You might as well let me pass. I can prove it by the gold I wear on my hand. My lover brought it to me when he first lay with you.’

Never did Prünhilt have a more miserable day in her life. She said:

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‘This most precious gold was stolen from me and has long been hidden from me, most maliciously. I’ll find out for sure who took it from me.’ Both the ladies were outraged.

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Then Kriemhilt spoke up again: ‘I’ll not be accused of having stolen it. You should have kept quiet about it, if honour were dear to you. I’ll prove by the girdle I wear about me here that I’m not lying. My Sivrit was your lover!’

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She was wearing the braid of silk from Nineveh with its precious stones—it was of ample quality. When Lady Prünhilt saw that, she began to weep. Gunther and all the Burgundians could not fail to hear about this. Then the queen said: ‘Tell the Prince of the Rhineland to

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come here. I want to let him hear how his sister has insulted me. She claims openly here that I am Sivrit’s mistress!’

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The king arrived with his warriors. He saw his beloved weeping there. How kindly he spoke to her! ‘Tell me, dear lady, who has offended you?’

She said to the king: ‘I have good reason to be unhappy. Your sister would gladly part me from all my honour. Let me complain to you: she says that Sivrit, her husband, has made a whore of me!’

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King Gunther replied: ‘That would be an ill deed on her part.’

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‘She is wearing my girdle here, which I lost, and my red gold. I shall deeply regret that I was ever born, unless you, king, can defend me against this great disgrace. If so, I shall always be grateful to you.’

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Then King Gunther said: ‘Let him come forth. If he’s boasted of this, he must admit it in public, or else the hero of the Netherlands must deny it.’ They ordered that Kriemhilt’s lover be brought at once.

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When Lord Sivrit saw the agitated women—he knew nothing of the matter—how quick he was to speak! ‘Why are these ladies weeping? I would gladly know the reason, or for what cause the king has sent for me.’

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King Gunther replied: ‘This causes me great distress. My lady Prünhilt has said here that you have boasted of being the first to make love to her fair person—so Kriemhilt, your wife, says!’

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Then mighty Sivrit said: ‘If she has said that, then it will cost her dear before I have done, and I will prove myself innocent to you of having said any such thing to her by the grave oaths I will swear before all your men.’

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Then the King of the Rhineland said: ‘You must give proof of that. If the oath which you offer can be given here, I will absolve you from all falseness.’

Then they bade the proud Burgundians stand in a circle.
*

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Valiant Sivrit offered his hand to swear the oath, but then the mighty king said: ‘Your entire innocence is so well known to me that I will absolve you of having done that of which my sister accuses you.’

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Sivrit then replied: ‘If my wife were to get away with having caused Prünhilt dismay, that would grieve me beyond measure, rest assured.’

The two gallant, worthy knights exchanged glances with one another then.

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‘Ladies should be brought up,’ said Sir Sivrit, ‘to refrain from insolent words. Forbid your wife to utter the like, and I will do the same to mine. I am truly ashamed of her most unbecoming behaviour.’

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Many of the fair women were no longer on speaking terms. Prünhilt was so sad that Gunther’s men were bound to take pity on her. Then Hagen of Tronege came walking up to his lady.

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Finding her in tears, he asked what troubled her. She told him what had happened. He vowed to her on the spot that Kriemhilt’s husband would pay for this, or he would never be happy about it.

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Ortwin and Gernot joined the discussion, as the heroes plotted Sivrit’s death. Giselher, noble Uote’s son, also came up to them. When he heard what they were saying, he said in good faith: ‘You

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most worthy warriors, why are you acting this way? Sivrit never merited such enmity that he should lose his life for such a cause. Mere trifles, after all, make women angry.’

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‘Are we to breed bastards?’
*
replied Hagen. ‘Such worthy warriors as we are would have little honour by that. I will die unless his boast of his dealings with my dear lady costs him his life.’

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Then the king himself said: ‘He’s brought us nothing but profit and honour. He must be allowed to live. What would it avail if I were now to be hostile to the warrior? He was always loyal to us and most willing in our cause.’

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Then Sir Ortwin of Metz said: ‘Even his great strength cannot help him now. If my lord permits it, I’ll do him harm.’

The heroes had declared hostilities against Sivrit without cause.

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No one would have pursued the matter, except that Hagen suggested again and again to Sir Gunther that if Sivrit were no longer alive, then many kings’ lands would become subject to him. Gunther the hero grew sorrowful at that.

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Then they let the matter lie. Games were then to be seen there. Ah, what stout shafts were broken before the minster, before Sivrit’s wife, all the way to the great hall! There was anger among plenty of Gunther’s men. The king said: ‘Let such murderous anger be! Sivrit

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was born to bring us bliss and honour. Moreover, the wondrously valiant
*
man is so ferociously strong—if he learned of this, no one would dare oppose him!’

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‘No, that’s not so,’ replied Hagen. ‘Keep your peace for now. I’m confident that in secret I can contrive that Prünhilt’s weeping will cost him dear. Hagen will forever be his enemy now!’

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Then King Gunther said: ‘How might that be brought about?’

Hagen answered: ‘I’ll tell you. We’ll have messengers whom no one knows here ride into our land, declaring hostilities openly. Then

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you will announce before the guests that you and your men want to wage war. Once that is done, he’ll vow to serve you in the cause—he’ll lose his life by that. I’ll find out information that will serve us from the bold warrior’s wife.’

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It was ill that the king took the advice of Hagen, his vassal. Those excellent knights began to contrive great disloyalty, before anyone could discover it. By the squabbling of two ladies, heroes in great numbers were doomed.

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O
N
the fourth morning after that, thirty-two men were seen to ride to court. Gunther, that powerful king, was then informed that hostilities had been declared against him. It was lies that caused ladies the greatest sorrow of all time. The messengers gained permission to

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approach and said that they were Liudeger’s men—those that Sivrit’s hands had conquered before and brought as hostages into Gunther’s land. Gunther greeted the messengers then and bade them be seated.

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One amongst them said: ‘Lord, let us stand until we have told the tidings that have been sent you. Indeed, many a mother’s child bears you enmity, let us tell you. Liudegast and Liudeger, on whom in the

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past you inflicted such grievous injury, declare hostilities against you. They want to ride into your land with their armies.’

The king grew angry when he heard those tidings. Then they

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told the traitors to go to their lodgings. How could Sir Sivrit—he or anyone else—defend himself against what they contrived there? It was to bring the plotters themselves great grief in time to come.

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The king walked about plotting with his allies. Hagen of Tronege never left him in peace. Plenty of the king’s men would have settled matters peacefully, but Hagen would never desist from what he counselled.

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One day Sivrit found them plotting. Then the hero of the Netherlands asked: ‘How is it that the king and his men walk about in such sadness? I’ll always help them avenge it if anyone has done them any wrong.’

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Lord Gunther replied: ‘I have good reason to grieve. Liudegast and Liudeger have declared hostilities against me. They want to ride in open battle into my land.’

Then the bold warrior said: ‘Sivrit’s hands will take care to prevent

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that and maintain all your honour. I will act against those warriors as I did before: I will lay waste to their castles and their lands before I have done with them—let my head be your pledge for that!

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You and your warriors must stay at home here and let me ride against them with the men I have at my disposal. I shall prove to you that I serve you willingly. Your enemies will suffer at my hands, rest assured.’

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‘Happy am I to hear these tidings!’ replied the king, as if he were genuinely glad of the aid Sivrit had promised. Falsely, the disloyal king made him a deep bow.

Then Lord Sivrit said: ‘You have very little cause for anxiety.’

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Then they sent the squires ahead on the journey.
*
That was put on as a show for Sivrit and his men. He ordered the men of the Netherlands to make ready then. Sivrit’s warriors sought out warlike garb.

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Then mighty Sivrit said: ‘My father Sigmunt, you must remain here. We will return to the Rhine in a short while, if God grants us good fortune. You must stay here with the king and be of good cheer.’

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They tied their banners to their spears, intent on setting off. There were plenty of Gunther’s men present there who knew nothing of why this had happened. A great retinue could then be seen at Sivrit’s side. They tied their helmets and also their breastplates

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together, placing them on the palfreys. Strong knights in great
numbers made ready to leave the land. Then Hagen of Tronege went in search of Kriemhilt and asked to be given leave to depart—they were intent on leaving the land.

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‘Now happy am I’, said Kriemhilt then, ‘that I ever gained such a husband as dares stand so well at the head of my dear allies, as my lord Sivrit does before my friends! That puts me in high spirits,’ said the queen. ‘My dearest friend Hagen, remember that I will always

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willingly serve you and never bore you enmity. Let my dear husband profit by that. He mustn’t pay for it if I have done Prünhilt any wrong. I regretted it afterwards,’ said the noble woman. ‘Indeed he

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has beaten me so badly for ever saying anything that troubled her mind. The bold and worthy hero has avenged that well.’

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Hagen said: ‘You’ll be well reconciled in days to come. Kriemhilt, dear lady, you must tell me how I can serve your husband Sivrit. I will do so willingly, lady, for I wish no one better fortune.’

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‘I’d be entirely free of fear’, said the noble woman, ‘that anyone might take his life in battle, if only he would not let his pride have the better of him. Otherwise the bold and worthy warrior would always be safe.’