The Nibelungenlied & The Saga of the Volsungs
The Saga of the Volsungs is an Old Norse or Nordic work of literature that depicts the folk legend of Sigmund the dragon slayer. In The Nibelungenlied we get the story of Siegfried the dragon slayer in a German folk legend. Both of these stories depict the tales of might achievements of men and women from some of Iceland’s and Germany’s great families as they wrestle for political power, engage in blood feuds, and carry out raids and battles. We also see the clash between the pagan and the Christian in both version of the legend. These sagas also share a variety of common elements: victory and vengeance, honor and glory, blood and guts, feuds and battles, swords and sorcery, and warriors and poets. So, too, both tales devote a considerable portion of their text to the female characters. A number of important events turn on decisions made by women. Queens, sorceresses, wives, daughters and other types of women are significant to the unfolding of events. Through the relations between men and women we are witness to the often complex emotional and sensual needs of such individuals. This research will now compare and contrast the portrayal of women in The Saga of the Volsungs and The Nibelungenlied.
In both of these texts we see that women are portrayed on one level as warriors. Brynhild is a perfect example of this, as her miraculous strength and tremendous abilities as a warrior cause many would-be suitors to die. Yet women are still viewed as inferior to men in The Nibelungenlied. Siegfried helps his brother-in-law defeat Brynhild. He then sneaks into the marriage chamber and when Brynhild rejects her husband’s advances, Siegfried holds he down while she is raped. In this portrayal we get the picture of a strong woman as one who is not quite right. Something appears wrong in a woman who is too powerful. Brynhild kills suitors, her powers are lost once she loses ...