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[Illustration: THE MEETING OF SIEGFRIED AND MIMI]




Stories of the

Nibelungen

_for_

Young People

          _Arranged by_
          Gertrude R. Schottenfels
          Chicago Public Schools

          Illustrated

          Chicago
          A. Flanagan Company




          COPYRIGHT, 1905
          BY
          A. FLANAGAN COMPANY




STORIES OF THE NIBELUNGEN


             I. YOUNG SIEGFRIED                        7
            II. MIMI'S STORY                          21
           III. SIEGFRIED'S SWORD                     34
            IV. THE DEATH OF THE DRAGON               43
             V. THE STORY OF BRUNHILDA                53
            VI. GUNTHER AND KRIEMHILD                 61
           VII. SIEGFRIED'S RETURN TO IRELAND         72
          VIII. HOW GUNTHER WON HIS BRIDE             81
            IX. KRIEMHILD AND BRUNHILDA'S QUARREL     91
             X. KRIEMHILD'S REVENGE                  112




PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY

Transcriber's note:

The following notation is used to show the pronunciation symbols used in
this text. An image of this page may be found in the HTML edition.

      [=x] = macron above a letter
      [)x] = breve above a letter
      [.x] = dot above a letter
      [x.] = dot below a letter
      [+x] = tack above a letter
      ['x] = accent above a letter


          NIBELUNGEN     n[=e]'b[)e]-l[u.]ng-[+e]n
          SANTUM         s[)a]n't[)u]m
          SIEGMUND       s[=e]g'm[u.]nd
          NIEDERLAND     n[=e]'der-l[)a]nd
          SIEGELINDA     s[=e]-[+g][)e]l-in'd[)a]
          SIEGFRIED      s[=e]g'frid
          MIMI           m[=e]'m[=e]
          FAFNER         f[)a]f'ner
          ALBERICH       [)a]l'ber-[)i]ck
          WOTAN          w[=o]'t[)a]n
          LOKI           l[=o]'k[=e]
          BRUNHILDA      br[u.]n-h[=i]l'd[)a]
          ISENHEIM       [=e]'s[)e]n-h[=i]me
          GUNTHER        g[)u]n'ter
          HAGEN          hae'gen
          UOTA           [=u]-[=o]'t[)a]
          KRIEMHILD      kr[=e]m'h[=i]ld
          GISELHERR      ['g][=e]'s[)e]l-hare
          GERNOT         g[=e]r'n[=o]
          ETZEL          et'z[)e]l
          ORTLIEB        ort'l[=e]b
          RUDIGER        ru'd[)i]g-er
          BECHLARN       b[)e]ck'laern
          DIETRICH       d[=e]t'r[=i]ck
          ETZELBURG      [)e]t'z[)e]l-berg
          DANKWART       daenk'wert
          WALKYRIE       w[)o]l-k[=i]r'[=i]




Stories of the Nibelungen




I

YOUNG SIEGFRIED


IN THE good old days of Long Ago, when kings had absolute power over all
their subjects, even in the matter of life and death, there dwelt in the
city of Santum, on the beautiful Rhine River, a great and good king
named Siegmund.

He was very powerful, and ruled over the kingdom of Niederland so wisely
and so well that he was loved and honored by all his people. He shared
his throne with Siegelinda, his beautiful wife, who also was noble and
kind of heart.

Siegmund and Siegelinda had one son, called Siegfried--a handsome,
well-built lad, with eyes as blue and sunny as the sky above on a fair
spring morning. He was the only child of the king and queen, but he was
more of a sorrow than a joy to them, for he was as willful and
disobedient as he was beautiful. He could not bear to be crossed in any
way, and wished that he were a man, so that he might do exactly as he
pleased.

Siegfried's parents loved him dearly in spite of his faults and all the
sorrow his wild ways caused them. But one fine morning, while the king
and queen were still asleep, he quietly took his hat, and stole out of
the castle, for he had made up his mind to go out into the wide world to
seek his fortune.

Siegfried walked through the beautiful city, and then for some time
followed a winding country road, until at length he found himself in
the midst of a dense forest. But he was not afraid; he could hear the
birds singing and calling to one another in the green trees overhead,
and now and then a rabbit or a timid squirrel ran across his pathway,
and disappeared in the bushes.

So he wandered along, quite happy. Sometimes he would come to a little
brook, winding its way through the trees and grass, and babbling and
singing among its pebbles. Across the stream he would leap, as lightly
as a hare.

Thus the day wore on, and as twilight gathered, he began to feel very
tired and hungry. He was just beginning to wonder what he should do,
when he noticed that he was nearing the edge of the forest, and a little
farther on what should he see but a blacksmith's shop among the bushes.

In the doorway stood the smith himself in his leathern apron--a little,
odd, misshapen dwarf named Mimi. He looked in wonder at the beautiful
boy, who smiled upon him in a friendly way, and said:

"Good-evening. I am almost dead with thirst and hunger; will you not
take me in, and let me be your helper?"

Mimi was about to say no, when he chanced to look at Siegfried the
second time. He noticed how strong and well built the boy was; so he
said:

"I am not really in need of a helper, for in this out-of-the-way place
there is very little work to be done; but if you wish to learn my
trade, I am willing to give you a trial."

Siegfried was happy to hear this, and with a hearty relish he ate the
coarse brown bread and bowl of milk which Mimi brought to him.

The next morning the blacksmith showed Siegfried how to blow the
bellows, and swing the sledge-hammer, and also how to shape a horseshoe.

"Now, you try it," he said, laying a red-hot piece of iron on the
anvil.

Siegfried was eager to try. He raised the hammer above his head, and
brought it down with such force that the iron flew to pieces and the
anvil was buried in the ground.

Mimi was very angry. He gave the boy a box on the ear that nearly
knocked him over. Now, Siegfried was a king's son, and never before in
all his life had any one but