About the work
Die Nibelungen is a three-part tragedy by Friedrich Hebbel based on the medieval Nibelungenlied, written between 1850 and 1860. It comprises the one-act prelude "Der gehörnte Siegfried" and the five-act tragedies "Siegfrieds Tod" and "Kriemhilds Rache", and premiered on 31 January and on 16/18 May 1861 at the Grand Ducal Court Theatre in Weimar under intendant Franz von Dingelstedt.
Plot
The dragon-slayer Siegfried arrives at the Burgundian court in Worms, defeats King Gunther in a contest and falls in love with his sister Kriemhild; in return he helps Gunther win the Icelandic queen Brünhild as his wife through deception. When Brünhild discovers the trick, she demands Siegfried's death, and Hagen kills him during a hunt by striking his one vulnerable spot between the shoulders. Years later, Kriemhild, bent on revenge, marries King Etzel and lures the Burgundians to his court, where she orchestrates a bloodbath against Hagen and Gunther before being killed herself.
Cultural significance
The trilogy is among the most widely regarded stage adaptations of the Nibelung legend, combining the medieval material with psychologically developed characters. Hebbel received the Schiller Prize for the work in 1863.