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Show Ten Minute Classics Famous Tales and Legends Told in Brief Form The Host Famous Epic of the Embattled Teuton Hosts By J. VU. mULLER Oopjrlht ky J. W. Ma liar From the Netherlands down the Rhine valley and from Melt to Hungary Hun-gary is the scene of that greatest of pghling epics, the roaring and terrible ter-rible Mihelungen-IAed. The men of the Rhine and the men of liavaria. Hungary and Austria are depicted in the lied as killing each other. Battling side by side today, they are fired for united war by the chants from this tale, which is the prized possession of all races and classes of the Germanic stock. Strong and beautiful was Siegfried, (lie king's eon of Xante in the Netherlands. Neth-erlands. Strung and beautiful, he rode down Into Worms to win from King Cuntlnr of the Rhine his sister Krleiu-til Krleiu-til ll. who was fair as a dawn that ionics from behind dark clouds. None were so happy as they. Itut In an evil hour Siegfried told Krlem-hlld Krlem-hlld of a trick be had put on Brunhild, Brun-hild, Cum tier's queen, and Krlemhlld twitted Hrunhlld in public with what she hud learned. "Shall this outrage Ho upon me?" wept Brunhild, till Ounther, the king, went whispering up and down, and his fierce, loyal vassal, Hngen of Trouy, swore that revenge must be. At fateful Odenholm, In the Oden-wald, Oden-wald, when Siegfried stooped to drink at a spring, Hagen thrust him through with n spear, so that lt entered at tho champion's buck and cume out at his So died the great warrior, he thut had conquered the Land of the Nlbe-lungs Nlbe-lungs and won their mighty hoard and brought tho Nlheiuiig knights under his overlordshlp. Hagen brought tho dend man home "It concerneth me little If Krlemhlld weep," said dauntless Hagen of Trony. She kissed Siegfried's beautiful head und swore vengeance. For three days and nights she wept him while he lay nnburled, and for many years after, when he had long slept lu his Collin of silver and gold in Lorsch on tho Khlne. She could do naught else. "Tho devil's wife will never forgive me," said Hagen. He worked on Ounther Oun-ther till the king took from Krlemhlld the Nibel iiug's treusure; for he feared lest the hero's widow win adherents with it. They sank the hoard In the Rhine at Lochelm and only Hagen and Ounther Oun-ther know the place. Krlemhlld wept 'anew and nursed another need for revenge. There came a day when King Etzel of Hungary sent knights to woo her, and she fared Into Hun-land to become tho mighty queen of that mightiest king. Sweetly and well she ruled with him till she was assured that the love of all Fuel's knights wus hers. Then she spoke to the king und said: "Let us bid my kin from the Rhino to a hlghtldo." Sixty high warriors and a thousand Nlbolung knights, they rode out of Worms. There wore Ounther and his two tall brothers, Oernot, the mighty, mid Clselber, the blooming. There were Hagen with the sword of Ral-iiiuiig Ral-iiiuiig that Siegfried had won from the Nlbelungs, and Folker, Ounther's minstrel. min-strel. They fought their way through Bb varla till their saddles wore gay with blood. They rode Into Austria und were mot by loynl Rudoger of Iloch-laren. Iloch-laren. King Etzel's markgrave, who welcomed them und plighted them the faith of a true host. Splendidly ho led them Into Hungary to King Etzel's Et-zel's thousand towers of Oran. Krlemhlld stepped down from the castle and kissed her brother, Ounther. When Hagen saw thut, he bound his holm on tighter. Ho had need of If. While King Etzol sat drinking with them In all trust nud love, Krlemhlld's knights fell on them In the banquet hall. "Prink we the king's wine!" cried Hagen then, and cut off the bend of Ftzei's child, so thut It Hew into Krlemhlld's lap. Kalinuug whirled again, and hit the head of Ktzel's brother, helmet and all. I The Nibeluugs, hard pressed, fought with sv ords and benches und stools. Scarce could Ktzel and Krlemhild win from tho tumult. Folker Addled death tunes vtlth his blade on many a Hun's head. Daukwurt, Union's brother, held tho door und gathered rod gate-money. gate-money. The N'lbelungs throw the dead and WOUndod down the stairs and cried: "Fnter! Enter! And earn your queen's pay, on llui.s " Ail !' long summer day they fought. In the du.sk Krieiuh !1 ordered the placo to be kindled All night lt buried. Yet l.l the dawn tin re Were Nlbelungs still left ilhe. "They bae Drpbuwd the land!" cried the Hun Knights, all rod unit black Willi slaughter. King Fl.ii sohbed In bis board cud called to Itu def-T of F.ochliirei. to aeiige them. "I brought the strangers into the land as guor.ts, o King!" cried the faithful num. "Take back what thou !ias given nic I will quit the country empiy rtther than 1 will die dishonored." dishon-ored." Bill they implored him. llenvtly he aimed himself nud called his l.nlghls. "I grieve for ye, homeless men I" cried bo to the men of the Rhine. He saw that Hngen hud lost his shield and said: "Take mine, Hagen. Might-est Might-est thou but win back with It to Bur-I Bur-I gundy I" "Ood reward thee, noble Rudeger !" answered Hagen. Then Iendegcr rushed at them. He struck Oernot a fatal I blow, but before the Rhine's prince dropped he struck truly with the sharp sword that Rudeger hud given him so that the loyal knight of Bechlareu died from his own loving gift. They made sorry terms with each other. The knights of the Rhine were few when the fighting was done; hut of the knights of Rudeger there wus not one left. I'ulaces and towers rang with tht woo of the Huns. The brave Aim-lung knights of Prince Dietrich of Berne run to the place, and, weeping, begged for Rudeger's body. "Come and tuke him !" answered Folker, waving his terrible red fiddle bow. "So shall ye serve Rudeger truly." Hlldebrnnd of Berne hit Folker so that shield and helm flew In splinters. That was the end of the bold fiddler. llngcn's brother, Dankward, fell slain. Wolfhnrt of Berne and young ciselher killed each other. They gave each other a grim death. There were none left save Prince i Dietrich of Berne and his man Hlldebrnnd Hllde-brnnd on one side, and Ounther the king and his vassal Hagen on the other. These two were sorely spent. Dietrich Die-trich grappled them and hound them. So. he bore them to Krlemhlld. "Most high queen," suld the prince of Berne, grieving, "there were never nobler captives than these. Let the homeless knights live for my sake." She sent them to separate dungeons. Then she went In to Hagen and suld, high and furious: "Tell me where the Nlbolung hoard Is, and ye may both win buck alive to Burgundy." Orim I lageii answered : "I have sworn that none shall have It while my muster Ounther lives." Krlemheld went In to her brother and smote off his head. Bearing It , by the hair, she showed lt to the knight of Trony. "Now the secret is safe!" cried Hagen. Ha-gen. "None knoweth of the treasure now suve Ood and I. Thou shall never see It, devil that thou art." Krlemhlld drew Bulmung, Siegfried's sword, from the sheath at fettered Ha-gon's Ha-gon's side. She lifted lt with both hands and took off his head. "I core not what comes of it." cried old Hlldebrnnd, Dietrich's niaD. He swung his blade and slew her. Thus lt befell because of the high pride of two loving women. The end of the hlghtldo was woe. So at the lust ull Joy turns to sorrow. This Is the full of the Nlbelungs. This epic of the Teuton races which is closely related to the myths of Iceland and the Norse sagas, was not won from its concealment in ancient an-cient Gothic manuscripts till Jo-harm Jo-harm Jakob liodmer published a part of it in German in 1757. Since then it has become a prized possession posses-sion of the northern races of Europe. Eu-rope. The King Etzel of the epic is the great and terrible warrior, King Attila of history. |