The Nibelungenlied · Chapter
Adventure XXII: How Etzel Espoused Kriemhilda explained
Kriemhilda travels to meet King Etzel, who woos and marries her in Vienna with great splendor.
What happens
Kriemhilda travels to meet King Etzel, who woos and marries her in Vienna with great splendor. The wedding lasts seventeen days, with lavish gifts and feasting. Kriemhilda is welcomed by the Hunnish court and takes her place as queen, though she still remembers her former husband Siegfried.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Etzel's wooing and marriage to Kriemhilda is a central event, marked by ceremony and celebration, though Kriemhilda still mourns Siegfried.
Power and Wealth
The wedding displays immense wealth through gifts, clothing, and feasting, demonstrating Etzel's power and Kriemhilda's new status.
Honor and Reputation
Rüdeger ensures the wooing is done honorably, and Kriemhilda's generous gifts enhance her reputation among the Huns.
Characters to notice
- Kriemhilda
The bride of King Etzel, she travels to meet him and is married in Vienna, giving gifts and remembering Siegfried.
- Etzel
King Etzel woos and marries Kriemhilda, hosting a grand wedding with many guests and festivities.
- Rüdeger
The margrave arranges the meeting and wedding, advising Kriemhilda on whom to kiss and ensuring all is done honorably.
- Lord Dietrich
A noble warrior who accompanies Etzel and gives generously at the wedding.
- Bloedel
Etzel's brother, who comes from Hungary and distributes gold and silver at the wedding.
- Hagen
Not directly present in this chapter, but referenced indirectly through Kriemhilda's past sorrows.
- Siegfried
Kriemhilda's first husband, remembered with tears during the wedding festivities.
- Helka
Etzel's former queen, whose ladies now serve Kriemhilda and whose seat she takes.
Key passages
“The marriage was accomplish'd one day in Whitsuntide, When first the royal Etzel lay by Kriemhilda's side, Within Vienna's city.”
The wedding took place on Whitsunday in Vienna, where Etzel and Kriemhilda were married.
The marriage is consummated during the Pentecost season.
“The merry-making lasted for days full seventeen. And never was there told of another king, I ween, Whose wedding was more noble”
The festivities continued for seventeen days, and no other king's wedding was as splendid.
The duration and grandeur of the wedding are emphasized.
“Yet days of old in Rhineland she could not quite forget, Beside her noble husband; and then her eyes grew wet.”
Kriemhilda still remembered her time in the Rhineland with Siegfried and wept.
Kriemhilda's grief for Siegfried persists despite her new marriage.