Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Intro, part 3 · Unit 1: Gods and heroes of the Teutons

3. The Nibelungs, part 2: The treasure brings sorrow

Goal: Your child can tell how the quarrel of the two queens led to Siegfried's death, and how Kriemhilda's revenge ended the story.

⏱ About 20 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

You'll need

  • The book, open to this chapter
  • Paper and colored pencils

What's in the book

The Nibelungs, sections IV and V: the two queens quarrel, Hagen learns Siegfried's one weak spot and kills him at a spring, then hides the treasure in the Rhine. Kriemhilda marries Etzel (Attila), king of the Huns, invites her brothers to a festival, and a great fight destroys the Burgundians. Kriemhilda and Hagen are both killed.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Set the scene

    Ask your child to remind you who Siegfried, Kriemhilda, Gunther, Brunhilda and Hagen were.

  2. Read the chapter

    Read from section IV to the end of the Introduction. It begins:

    Now comes the sad part of the Nibelung tale.

    Heads-up: Siegfried is speared in the back, and at the end Kriemhilda has her brother and Hagen beheaded. The book tells it in a few plain sentences. Read ahead and decide how much to read aloud to a younger child.

  3. Tell it back

    Prompts:

    - How did Hagen find out where Siegfried could be wounded?

    - What did Hagen do with the treasure?

    - Why did Kriemhilda agree to marry Etzel?

    - How did the story end?

  4. Talk it over

    Read this sentence:

    Thus the treasure of the Nibelungs brought disaster to Siegfried.

    Ask:

    - Was it really the treasure that caused all the trouble, or something in the people?

    - Kriemhilda's revenge brought more killing. What does the story seem to say about revenge?

  5. A link to history

    SayEtzel is the old German name for Attila, king of the Huns. He was a real man, and you will meet him in Chapter II. The poem mixes real people with legends.

  6. Extra (optional)

    Draw Hagen sinking the treasure into the Rhine. Some people say it is still there.

Afterwards

Ask your child to retell the whole Nibelung story in five sentences, one for each part.

Tip

This is the saddest story in the book's opening. If your child is upset, it helps to say that poets in those days liked stories that ended in great tragedy, like some of Shakespeare's plays.

Answers to the book's problems

Hagen tricked Kriemhilda into sewing a little silk cross on Siegfried's clothes over the spot. He hid the treasure in the Rhine. She hoped Etzel, who carried the sword of Tiew, would help her take vengeance on Gunther and Hagen. After a great fight at Etzel's court, Kriemhilda had Gunther and Hagen killed, and then a friend of Hagen killed her. The treasure seems to bring out greed and hatred; revenge only leads to more sorrow.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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