# Siegfried — Bulfinch’s Mythology character guide

> Siegfried in Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0004-i-introduction

## Snapshot

Volsung hero who wins the hoard and slays the dragon Fafner, then finds that a cursed treasure outlives the man who takes it.

## Who they are

Siegfried stands at the center of the Nibelungen cycle, the dragon-slayer whose strength is matched only by the doom attached to what he wins. Bulfinch's Northern Mythology section places him among the Teutonic counterparts to the Greek heroes — same heroic shape, darker weather. The tension that drives his story is not whether he can kill the dragon but what happens to loyalty and love once the gold changes hands, which is why the saga keeps circling back to him long after he falls.

## In the story

### [XL: The Death of Baldur—The Elves—Runic Letters—Iceland—Teutonic Mythology—Nibelungen Lied](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xl-the-death-of-baldur-the-elves-runic-letters-iceland-teutonic-mythology-nibelungen-lied)

Siegfried, hero of the Nibelungen Lied, obtains the Nibelungen hoard, marries Kriemhild, is later murdered by Hagan, and appears in Wagner's Ring as a central figure.

### [The Nibelungen Lied](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-nibelungen-lied)

Youngest king of the Netherlands, woos Kriemhild, aids Günther with his cloak of invisibility, and is murdered by Hagan.

### [The Nibelungen Hoard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-nibelungen-hoard)

Obtained the Nibelungen hoard from the conquered Nibelungs and gave it to Kriemhild as her wedding portion.

### [Wagner’s Nibelungen Ring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/wagner-s-nibelungen-ring)

The hero who reforges Nothung, slays the dragon Fafner, wins the ring, marries Brunhild, and is later betrayed and slain.

### [H](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/h)

Mentioned as slain by Hagan in the Nibelungen Lied.

### [K](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/k)

Husband of Kriemhild.

### [N](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/n)

Seized the Nibelungen Hoard from the Nibelungs.

### [S](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/s)

Young King of the Netherlands, husband of Kriemhild, slain by Hagan after Brunhild's anger.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters/siegfried
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters