The Nibelungenlied · Chapter
Adventure XXXII: How Bloedelin Was Slain explained
Bloedel and his thousand Hunnish warriors confront Dankwart and his Burgundian yeomen at the table.
What happens
Bloedel and his thousand Hunnish warriors confront Dankwart and his Burgundian yeomen at the table. Bloedel declares that the attack is vengeance for Siegfried's murder, orchestrated by Kriemhilda. Dankwart slays Bloedel with a single blow, sparking a brutal battle. The Burgundians fight desperately, killing many Huns, but are overwhelmed; nine thousand yeomen and all but a dozen knights are slain. Dankwart, alone, fights his way through the Huns, seeking to reach his brother Hagen and the court to report the massacre.
Themes in this chapter
Revenge and Vengeance
Kriemhilda's orchestration of the attack and Bloedel's explicit mention of Siegfried's murder drive the chapter's violence as vengeance.
Betrayal and Deception
The Huns attack under guise of hospitality, betraying the Burgundians who were invited as guests.
Loyalty and Friendship
Dankwart's loyalty to his brother Hagen and his masters Gunther and Gernot compels him to fight alone and seek to deliver his message.
Characters to notice
- Dankwart
The marshal and Hagen's brother, who slays Bloedel and fights alone against the Huns, eventually making his way to the court.
- Bloedel
The Hunnish lord who leads the attack on Dankwart's men, citing revenge for Siegfried, and is beheaded by Dankwart.
- Hagen
Dankwart's brother, blamed by Bloedel for Siegfried's death; Dankwart seeks to reach him for aid.
- Kriemhilda
The queen who orchestrated the attack against the Burgundians as revenge for Siegfried's murder.
- King Gunther
One of Dankwart's masters, implicated in Siegfried's death and a target of Kriemhilda's vengeance.
- Etzel
King Etzel, whose wife Kriemhilda plotted the attack; his knights are informed of Bloedel's death.
- Aldrian
Father of Dankwart and Hagen, mentioned as 'the son of Aldrian' in Dankwart's cry.
Key passages
“Be that thy wedding-dower, unto the bride of Nudung, whom thou wouldst woo and wed!”
Let this be your wedding gift for the bride of Nudung, whom you intended to marry.
Dankwart mockingly dedicates Bloedel's death as a dowry for his intended bride.
“Now would to God, I had a messenger To seek my brother Hagen, and make him well aware How I amid these warriors so sorely am bested!”
I wish I had a messenger to tell my brother Hagen how hard-pressed I am by these warriors.
Dankwart, alone and overwhelmed, longs to send word to Hagen for help.
“His path was newly-sprinkled with life-blood warm and wet. No single-handed warrior had ever striven yet Against a host of foemen, as he had boldly done.”
The ground was freshly stained with warm blood; no lone warrior had ever fought so bravely against such a multitude.
The narrator emphasizes Dankwart's extraordinary valor as he fights his way through the Huns alone.