The Nibelungenlied · Chapter
Adventure XVI: How Siegfried Was Slain explained
King Gunther and Hagen treacherously organize a hunt in the forest, intending to murder Siegfried.
What happens
King Gunther and Hagen treacherously organize a hunt in the forest, intending to murder Siegfried. Despite Kriemhilda's ominous dream and pleas, Siegfried joins the hunt. After a day of exceptional hunting, the party rests near a spring. Hagen tricks Siegfried into a race to the spring, and while Siegfried drinks, Hagen stabs him through the cross-mark on his back, killing him.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Dietrich, the…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Betrayal and Deception
Hagen and Gunther's treacherous plot to murder Siegfried under the guise of a friendly hunt.
- Fate and Foreboding
Kriemhilda's prophetic dream foreshadows Siegfried's death, yet fate unfolds inevitably.
- Revenge and Vengeance
Brunhilda's desire for revenge against Siegfried drives the murder plot.
Characters to notice
- Siegfried
The heroic protagonist who is betrayed and murdered by Hagen during a hunt.
- Kriemhilda
Siegfried's wife who has a prophetic dream and begs him not to go hunting.
- King Gunther
King of Burgundy who conspires with Hagen to murder Siegfried.
- Hagen
The treacherous vassal who plots and executes Siegfried's murder.
- Brunhilda
Gunther's wife whose counsel leads to the plot against Siegfried.
- Giselher
Kriemhilda's brother who remains at home during the hunt.
- Gernot
Kriemhilda's brother who remains at home during the hunt.
Key passages
“Last night I had an ill dream: two wild boars I did see That chased you o'er the moorland: the flowers grew red as blood.”
Kriemhilda tells Siegfried of her nightmare in which two boars chased him and flowers turned blood-red.
Kriemhilda's dream serves as a clear omen of Siegfried's impending death.
“He stabb'd him through the cross-mark, and through the wound his blood Straight from his heart outspurted, and Hagen's shirt was wet; So foul a misdeed never befell a hero yet.”
Hagen stabs Siegfried in the vulnerable spot on his back, and blood soaks Hagen's shirt, marking the foulest deed ever done to a hero.
The murder of Siegfried is described as a heinous and unprecedented act of treachery.
