Nibelungenlied

Kriemhild is the understated protagonist of The Nibelungenlied since her quest for vengeance provides the epic’s backbone. Kriemhild is the daughter of Dancrat and Uote; the sister of Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher; and the wife of Siegfried, then Etzel. The poet describes her as “so fair that none in the land could be fairer” (17). Out of all the characters in the epic, Kriemhild is the most dynamic since her personality changes drastically over time.

At the beginning of the epic, the poet establishes Kriemhild as “the adornment of her sex” (17) and holds her as an ideal medieval Germanic woman. She is “desired by brave fighting men” (17) but expresses disdain for marriage—that is, until Siegfried comes to Worms, and she becomes infatuated with him. Once Kriemhild and Siegfried marry and Sieglind dies, Kriemhild gains “the entire power which such great ladies are entitled to wield over their territories” (98), but she uses her abundance to practice largesse (giving gifts). She continues to show such generosity even after Siegfried dies and she loses her title as Queen of the Netherlands, as shown when she performs “marvels of generosity” (173) after marrying Etzel in Vienna.