Siegfried: Working Hard to get his Woman
Far
away and long ago, there was a
prince named Siegfried who lived in
the far North. He was known throughout the world for being
gallant,
wealthy, and strong in any fight. He had everything a man could
possibly need in his life- except for a wife. Siegfried got the
idea
in his head that he wanted to marry a maiden named Kriemhild, who was
the sister of the king in Rhineland. Everyone knew that Siegfried
would have no trouble convincing Kriemhild to be his wife. After
all,
most ladies found Siegfried to be very appealing for many different
reasons. The problem would be in convincing King Gunther,
Kriemhild's
brother, that Siegfried was the right man for his sister.
Siegfried's parents worried about how Gunther would react to their son's desire to marry Kriemhild, and they tried to convince Siegfried to find another woman to marry. But as with many of his other qualities, Siegfried had stubbornness to spare. He insisted that he would never marry if he couldn't marry Kriemhild. So Siegfried set off with twelve of his men toward the Rhineland, hoping to return soon, and with a wife in tow! Once they set out on their way, Siegfried immediately began to email Gunther so the man would be aware of his intentions.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: PrinceSieg@hero.com
Subject: Your Lovely Sister
Hello King Gunther! I don't know if you have ever heard of me before, but my name is Siegfried and I am a prince far to the North. It is my deepest desire to marry your lovely sister, Kriemhild. What can I do to convince you I am meant for her, and she for me?
To: PrinceSieg@hero.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Subject: Ha, You Wish!
Sorry, Prince Siegfried! I'm not so easy to convince. My sister deserves to marry the best man in all the land. But she will have to wait a while. I, too, desire to be married, and I don't think I want her getting married before me.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: PrinceSieg@hero.com
Re: Ha, You Wish!
Well, that's perfect then! Who is it that you wish to marry? If I can help you get with the woman you want to marry, then will you allow Kriemhild to be with me?
To: PrinceSieg@hero.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Subject: I suppose
I guess that if you can really help me to marry the woman I want, then I will let you marry Kriemhild.
And so it was settled. When Siegfried arrived in Rhineland, he immediately met with Gunther. Gunther told him that he wished to marry Queen Brunhild more than any other woman in the world. This would be a challenge, because Brunhild was known as one of the strongest women in the world, and it was rumored that she refused to marry anyone unless the suitor could beat her in a physical competition. Because Siegfried was known as a hero and general strong-man, Gunther knew he would come in handy. The two men planned their trip to go get Brunhild, and gathered some men to take along with them.
After a long journey, Siegfried and Gunther arrived in the land of Queen Brunhild. She saw the men approaching the gates of her town and went out to see who they were and what they wanted. Siegfried explained to her that Gunther wanted to woo her to be his wife. Brunhild gave Gunther an appraising look, and then announced that she would marry this man if he could beat her in three games. However, if he should fail, it would mean death for Gunther, Siegfried, and all the men they had brought with them.
The first game was a stone-throwing competition. All Gunther had to do was throw his stone further than Brunhild in order to win. But "stone" was a major understatement when Gunther saw exactly what he was supposed to throw. It was more like a large boulder. As soon as Siegfried saw Gunther's task, he knew he had to help the man out. Siegfried had a cloak known as the Hood of Darkness that made him completely invisible. He threw it over his shoulders and strode to where the competitors were lining up for the throwing. He quietly let Gunther know he was there, and then whispered into the man's ear that he would throw the boulder if Gunther would just go through the motions of it. So that is what they did, and the boulder thrown by "Gunther" - really Sigfried - flew past the landing spot of Brunhild's.
The next two tasks were similar, and allowed Brunhild and her suitor to display their physical strength. Brunhild was used to her suitors failing the test horribly, but Gunther managed to beat her in all three rounds, with a little secret help from Siegfried, of course. Brunhild couldn't go back on her word, so she agreed to go home with Gunther and marry him. This was the best news for Siegfried, because Gunther getting his wife meant Siegfried could be with Kriemhild.
When the group returned to Rhineland, Siegfried, his men, and Kriemhild prepared to head back to their home in the North. Though miles and miles apart, the two weddings happened at nearly the same time. Thanks to Siegfried, King Gunther was able to marry the lovely (to his eyes at least) Queen Brunhild. And because of that, Siegfried, who was once a prince and became the king, was finally allowed to wed Kriemhild, for whom he had been longing for quite a long time even though no one thought he could win her hand in marriage.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: Kriemhild@newqueen.com
Subject: Married!
Brother! Siegfried and I just married. Literally, our ceremony was over mere minutes ago. I just wanted to let you know how happy I am before we set off for our honeymoon. You know how bad the cell service can be on large ships, so I didn't know if I would be able to send this later. I'm so glad you allowed me to marry him! Hope you're as happy as I am!
To: Kriemhild@newqueen.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Re: Married!
Indeed, I am as happy as you are, sister! How strange that you and Siegfried just married today-- Brunhild and I did as well. Our ceremony was this morning. And I know what you mean about the cell service. Something about being in the middle of the ocean for traveling really makes the phones staticky! Talk to you soon. But not too soon of course- you know, honeymoon and all...
Author's Note: There is a lot to say about Siegfried! His story is very long, and it tells about a lot of adventures he went through, not just in helping Gunther to get his wife. Apparently, Siegfried was known for slaying dragons and kings. The original story even says he bathed in dragon blood which made his skin hard like a dragon's and impenetrable. He even had a sword with a name of its own- Balmung. In the source I used for my story, both couples go on to have children. Things are nice for a while, but a happy ending is not in store for these couples. Brunhild found out that Gunther and Siegfried had tricked her, and she was really furious about it. The trick in this story involved Siegfried helping Gunther along with his tasks without Brunhild's knowledge. In another version, part of the trick consists of Siegfried disguising himself physically as Gunther and sleeping with Brunhild, so that she is really not sure who she married. Yet another version tells that Siegfried actually fell in love with Brunhild, but Kriemhild's mother makes him drink a magic potion that causes him to forget all about Brunhild. After Brunhild found out about the trick, a man named Sir Hagen, who was particularly loyal to Brunhild, vowed revenge and tried to kill Siegfried when Siegfried was weak and sick. Siegfried ended up killing Hagen instead of the other way around, but Siegfried still died anyways shortly thereafter. Rather than telling the truth, those involved decided to say Siegfried went hunting alone and was killed by robbers in the woods. The stories surrounding Siegfried are actually really interesting and involve a lot of adventure. I hadn't heard of him before choosing him for this storybook, but now I'm surprised his stories are not more well-known!
Source:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- Siegfried.
Image Information:
"Siegfried Bent Low Before the Lady Kriemhild." Granville Fell. Weblink: The Baldwin Project.
"King Gunther." Weblink: Project Gutenberg.
"Brynhild." Gaston Bussiere, 1897. Weblink: Wikipedia- Brynhildr.
Siegfried's parents worried about how Gunther would react to their son's desire to marry Kriemhild, and they tried to convince Siegfried to find another woman to marry. But as with many of his other qualities, Siegfried had stubbornness to spare. He insisted that he would never marry if he couldn't marry Kriemhild. So Siegfried set off with twelve of his men toward the Rhineland, hoping to return soon, and with a wife in tow! Once they set out on their way, Siegfried immediately began to email Gunther so the man would be aware of his intentions.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: PrinceSieg@hero.com
Subject: Your Lovely Sister
Hello King Gunther! I don't know if you have ever heard of me before, but my name is Siegfried and I am a prince far to the North. It is my deepest desire to marry your lovely sister, Kriemhild. What can I do to convince you I am meant for her, and she for me?
To: PrinceSieg@hero.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Subject: Ha, You Wish!
Sorry, Prince Siegfried! I'm not so easy to convince. My sister deserves to marry the best man in all the land. But she will have to wait a while. I, too, desire to be married, and I don't think I want her getting married before me.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: PrinceSieg@hero.com
Re: Ha, You Wish!
Well, that's perfect then! Who is it that you wish to marry? If I can help you get with the woman you want to marry, then will you allow Kriemhild to be with me?
To: PrinceSieg@hero.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Subject: I suppose
I guess that if you can really help me to marry the woman I want, then I will let you marry Kriemhild.
And so it was settled. When Siegfried arrived in Rhineland, he immediately met with Gunther. Gunther told him that he wished to marry Queen Brunhild more than any other woman in the world. This would be a challenge, because Brunhild was known as one of the strongest women in the world, and it was rumored that she refused to marry anyone unless the suitor could beat her in a physical competition. Because Siegfried was known as a hero and general strong-man, Gunther knew he would come in handy. The two men planned their trip to go get Brunhild, and gathered some men to take along with them.
After a long journey, Siegfried and Gunther arrived in the land of Queen Brunhild. She saw the men approaching the gates of her town and went out to see who they were and what they wanted. Siegfried explained to her that Gunther wanted to woo her to be his wife. Brunhild gave Gunther an appraising look, and then announced that she would marry this man if he could beat her in three games. However, if he should fail, it would mean death for Gunther, Siegfried, and all the men they had brought with them.
The first game was a stone-throwing competition. All Gunther had to do was throw his stone further than Brunhild in order to win. But "stone" was a major understatement when Gunther saw exactly what he was supposed to throw. It was more like a large boulder. As soon as Siegfried saw Gunther's task, he knew he had to help the man out. Siegfried had a cloak known as the Hood of Darkness that made him completely invisible. He threw it over his shoulders and strode to where the competitors were lining up for the throwing. He quietly let Gunther know he was there, and then whispered into the man's ear that he would throw the boulder if Gunther would just go through the motions of it. So that is what they did, and the boulder thrown by "Gunther" - really Sigfried - flew past the landing spot of Brunhild's.
The next two tasks were similar, and allowed Brunhild and her suitor to display their physical strength. Brunhild was used to her suitors failing the test horribly, but Gunther managed to beat her in all three rounds, with a little secret help from Siegfried, of course. Brunhild couldn't go back on her word, so she agreed to go home with Gunther and marry him. This was the best news for Siegfried, because Gunther getting his wife meant Siegfried could be with Kriemhild.
When the group returned to Rhineland, Siegfried, his men, and Kriemhild prepared to head back to their home in the North. Though miles and miles apart, the two weddings happened at nearly the same time. Thanks to Siegfried, King Gunther was able to marry the lovely (to his eyes at least) Queen Brunhild. And because of that, Siegfried, who was once a prince and became the king, was finally allowed to wed Kriemhild, for whom he had been longing for quite a long time even though no one thought he could win her hand in marriage.
To: KGunther@rhine.com
From: Kriemhild@newqueen.com
Subject: Married!
Brother! Siegfried and I just married. Literally, our ceremony was over mere minutes ago. I just wanted to let you know how happy I am before we set off for our honeymoon. You know how bad the cell service can be on large ships, so I didn't know if I would be able to send this later. I'm so glad you allowed me to marry him! Hope you're as happy as I am!
To: Kriemhild@newqueen.com
From: KGunther@rhine.com
Re: Married!
Indeed, I am as happy as you are, sister! How strange that you and Siegfried just married today-- Brunhild and I did as well. Our ceremony was this morning. And I know what you mean about the cell service. Something about being in the middle of the ocean for traveling really makes the phones staticky! Talk to you soon. But not too soon of course- you know, honeymoon and all...
Author's Note: There is a lot to say about Siegfried! His story is very long, and it tells about a lot of adventures he went through, not just in helping Gunther to get his wife. Apparently, Siegfried was known for slaying dragons and kings. The original story even says he bathed in dragon blood which made his skin hard like a dragon's and impenetrable. He even had a sword with a name of its own- Balmung. In the source I used for my story, both couples go on to have children. Things are nice for a while, but a happy ending is not in store for these couples. Brunhild found out that Gunther and Siegfried had tricked her, and she was really furious about it. The trick in this story involved Siegfried helping Gunther along with his tasks without Brunhild's knowledge. In another version, part of the trick consists of Siegfried disguising himself physically as Gunther and sleeping with Brunhild, so that she is really not sure who she married. Yet another version tells that Siegfried actually fell in love with Brunhild, but Kriemhild's mother makes him drink a magic potion that causes him to forget all about Brunhild. After Brunhild found out about the trick, a man named Sir Hagen, who was particularly loyal to Brunhild, vowed revenge and tried to kill Siegfried when Siegfried was weak and sick. Siegfried ended up killing Hagen instead of the other way around, but Siegfried still died anyways shortly thereafter. Rather than telling the truth, those involved decided to say Siegfried went hunting alone and was killed by robbers in the woods. The stories surrounding Siegfried are actually really interesting and involve a lot of adventure. I hadn't heard of him before choosing him for this storybook, but now I'm surprised his stories are not more well-known!
Source:
Mabie, H.W.. Heroes Every Child Should Know. New York: Doubleday, 1908. Weblink: Baldwin Project- Siegfried.
Image Information:
"Siegfried Bent Low Before the Lady Kriemhild." Granville Fell. Weblink: The Baldwin Project.
"King Gunther." Weblink: Project Gutenberg.
"Brynhild." Gaston Bussiere, 1897. Weblink: Wikipedia- Brynhildr.
Coverpage....Introduction....Arthur....Siegfried....Richard....William