A Companion to the Nibelungenlied (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture)

Few works of the middle ages can boast the "staying power" of the "heroic" "Nibelungenlied" and few have generated more controversy both among scholars and the educated public. The Nibelung theme has been ubiquitous over the past 150 years in a wide spectrum of literary and as well as non-literary endeavors. It was used by Friedrich Hebbel as the basis for one of his best psychological dramas, by Wagner, along with the Old Norse analogues, for "Die Ring des Nibelungen", and by the film maker Fritz Lang for his 1920s Expressionist masterpiece, "Die Nibelungen". Its heroes provided suitable models for German troops who marched against Napoleon, while by the end of World War II, the Nibelung tradition had provided material for a speech by Göring, the name for Germany's western line of defense, and significantly, the cuffband designation of the last 'division' formed in the elite Combat SS. This "Companion to the Nibelungenlied" draws on the expertise of scholars from German, Britain, and the United States to offer the reader fresh perspectives on a wide variety of topics regarding the epic: the latest theories regarding manuscript tradition, authorship, conflict, combat, and politics, the Otherworld and its inhabitants, eroticism (in both the "Nibelungenlied" and Wagner's "Ring"), the reception both of the "Nibelungenlied" in the twentieth century and of its most intriguing protagonist, Kriemhild, key concepts used by the poet, the heroic, feudal, and courtly elements in the work, and an analysis of archetypal elements from the perspective of Jungian psychology. This Companion To The Nibelungenlied Draws On The Expertise Of Scholars From Germany, Britain, And The United States To Offer The Reader Fresh Perspectives On A Wide Variety Of Topics Regarding The Epic: The Latest Theories Regarding Manuscript Tradition, Authorship, Conflict, Combat, And Politics, The Otherworld And Its Inhabitants, Eroticism (in Both The Nibelungenlied And Wagner's Ring), The Twentieth-century Reception Both Of The Nibelungenlied And Of Its Most Intriguing Protagonist, Kriemhild, Key Concepts Used By The Poet, The Heroic, Feudal, And Courtly Elements In The Work, And An Analysis Of Archetypal Elements From The Perspective Of Jungian Psychology.--book Jacket. Ze Stücken Was Gehouwen Dô Daz Edele Wîp: The Reception Of Kriemhild / Otfrid Ehrismann -- Siegfried's Dragon-fight In German Literary Tradition / John L. Flood -- Key Concepts In The Nibelungenlied / Francis G. Gentry -- From Battlefields To Bedchambers: Conquest In The Nibelungenlied / Will Hasty -- Heroic, Chivalric, And Aristocratic Ethos In The Nibelungenlied / Edward R. Haymes -- The Manuscripts Of The Nibelungenlied / Joachim Heinzle -- The Reception Of The Nibelungenlied In The Twentieth Century / Werner Hoffmann -- The Otherworld And Its Inhabitants In The Nibelungenlied / Joyce Tally Lionarons -- The Nibelungenlied: A Psychological Approach / Winder Mcconnell -- Erotic Passion In The Nibelungenlied And Wagner's Ring Des Nibelungen -- Politics In The Nibelungenlied / Brian Murdoch -- The Authorship Of The Nibelungenlied / Werner Wunderlich. Edited By Winder Mcconnell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Acknowledgments ix Contributors xi Introduction 1 Otfrid Ehrismann / "ze stücken was gehouwen dô daz edele wîp": The Reception of Kriemhild 18 John L. Flood / Siegfried’s Dragon-Fight in German Literary Tradition 42 Francis G. Gentry / Key Concepts in the "Nibelungenlied" 66 Will Hasty / From Battlefields to Bedchambers: Conquest in the "Nibelungenlied" 79 Edward R. Haymes / Heroic, Chivalric, and Aristocratic Ethos in the "Nibelungenlied" 94 Joachim Heinzle / The Manuscripts of the "Nibelungenlied" 105 Werner Hoffmann / The Reception of the "Nibelungenlied" in the Twentieth Century 127 Joyce Tally Lionarons / The Otherworld and its Inhabitants in the "Nibelungenlied" 153 Winder McConnell / The "Nibelungenlied": A Psychological Approach 172 James McGlathery / Erotic Passion in the "Nibelungenlied" and Wagner’s "Ring des Nibelungen" 206 Brian Murdoch / Politics in the "Nibelungenlied" 229 Werner Wunderlich / The Authorship of the "Nibelungenlied" 251 Index 279