# Lord Dietrich — The Nibelungenlied character guide

> Lord Dietrich in The Nibelungenlied by Anonymous.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Dietrich of Bern, noble Dietrich, Sir Dietrich

**First appearance:** 0029-adventure-xxviii-how-the-burgundians-came-to-etzel-s-stronghold

## Snapshot

Exiled lord of Bern, the strongest warrior at Etzel's court, who calls for a truce and carries the king and queen out through the slaughter.

## Who they are

Dietrich of Bern lives at Etzel's court as a foreign prince whose counsel and sword-arm both carry weight. He sees the hall's madness clearly and asks Gunther for safe passage, taking Etzel and Kriemhild under his arm while six hundred of his men file out behind him. His restraint and his grief over the retainers he loses mark him as the one figure who might have stopped the killing, and who will not forget it.

## In the story

### [Adventure XXII: How Etzel Espoused Kriemhilda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/chapters/adventure-xxii-how-etzel-espoused-kriemhilda)

A noble warrior who accompanies Etzel and gives generously at the wedding.

### [Adventure XXVIII: How the Burgundians Came to Etzel’s Stronghold](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/chapters/adventure-xxviii-how-the-burgundians-came-to-etzel-s-stronghold)

Welcomes the Burgundians, warns Hagen of Kriemhilda's vengeful mood, and openly scorns the queen.

### [Adventure XXXIII: How the Burgundians Fought with the Huns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/chapters/adventure-xxxiii-how-the-burgundians-fought-with-the-huns)

Negotiates safe exit from the hall for himself, Etzel, and Kriemhilda, and leads six hundred men out.

### [Adventure XXXVIII: How Lord Dietrich’s Warriors All Were Slain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/chapters/adventure-xxxviii-how-lord-dietrich-s-warriors-all-were-slain)

Dietrich mourns the loss of Rüdeger and his own warriors, lamenting his fate and the destruction of his retinue.

### [Adventure XXXIX: How Gunther and Hagen and Kriemhilda Were Slain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/chapters/adventure-xxxix-how-gunther-and-hagen-and-kriemhilda-were-slain)

Confronts Gunther and Hagen, defeats and captures them, then hands them over to Kriemhilda, mourning the loss of his men.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/characters/dietrich
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_nibelungenlied_se/characters