Stories of Siegfried, Told to the Children

In Short

Mary Macgregor's Stories of Siegfried adapts the medieval German epic Nibelungenlied for young readers, tracking the legendary Prince Siegfried from his boyhood in a woodland smithy to his tragic death and far-reaching vengeance. Siegfried slays dragons, wins a magical Nibelung treasure, and aids King Gunther of Burgundy in winning the formidable Queen Brunhild. However, courtly deception and pride spark a fatal rift between the queens. Slain by the treacherous counsellor Hagen, Siegfried is mournfully remembered, but his widow Kriemhild secures ultimate, bloody retribution against his murderers years later in a distant land.

The Story

Siegfried, a bold Prince of the Netherlands with a heart of gold, begins his adventures in the forest forge of Mimer the blacksmith. The envious dwarf attempts to destroy the prince by sending him into the woods to fetch charcoal, knowing a terrible dragon named Regin lurks there. Unafraid, Siegfried slays the monster, along with another beast, and bathes in their blood, making his skin entirely invulnerable. Leaving the smithy, he encounters twelve foolish giants and two dwarf princes squandering a vast dragon-hoard. Called upon to divide the gold, Siegfried receives the magic sword Balmung and a Cloak of Darkness, but when the princes grow quarrelsome, he slays them and takes the boundless Nibelung treasure for himself.

Knighted in splendor by his father King Siegmund, Siegfried hungers for renown and sets out for the city of Worms in Burgundy, drawn by tales of the peerless Princess Kriemhild. He arrives boasting of his might, but King Gunther welcomes him peacefully. Siegfried aids the Burgundians in repelling a massive invasion by the Saxon and Danish armies, defeating Kings Ludeger and Ludecast. His victory earns him a long-awaited introduction to Kriemhild, and the two quickly fall in love.

Meanwhile, King Gunther longs to win Queen Brunhild of Isenland, a warrior princess who demands her suitors defeat her in three physical contests—spear-throwing, stone-casting, and leaping—or face execution. Siegfried agrees to help Gunther win her on the condition that he may marry Kriemhild. Donning his Cloak of Darkness, Siegfried invisibly performs the feats of strength while Gunther merely mimics the motions, tricking Brunhild into surrendering her kingdom.

A double wedding follows at Worms, but Brunhild weepingly resents Kriemhild's marriage to Siegfried, believing him to be merely Gunther's vassal. Years later, Siegfried and Kriemhild return to Worms for a grand festival. A bitter argument erupts between the two queens over their husbands' relative status, and Kriemhild reveals the shameful truth: Siegfried, not Gunther, subdued Brunhild. Outraged and humiliated, Brunhild finds an ally in Gunther's grim counsellor, Hagen.

Hagen tricks the devoted Kriemhild into revealing Siegfried's sole physical vulnerability—a spot between his shoulders where a falling leaf blocked the dragon's blood. During a royal hunt in the forest, as Siegfried bends over a cool spring to drink, Hagen stabs him through this fatal spot with a spear.

Kriemhild's grief is absolute. Hagen compounds his cruelty by seizing the Nibelung hoard and sinking it to the bottom of the Rhine. Years later, Kriemhild marries Etzel, King of the Huns. She invites her Burgundian kinsmen and Hagen to a feast in her new realm, where she demands the return of her treasure. When Hagen refuses, a ruinous battle ensues, ending in the total destruction of the Burgundian visitors and completing Siegfried's tragic vengeance.

How It Unfolds

The forge in the forest Prince Siegfried grows up under the care of the cunning dwarf Mimer, playing wild pranks and subduing forest bears. Seeking to destroy the overbearing youth, Mimer sends him deep into the woods to fetch charcoal, knowing his dragon brother Regin lies in wait to devour him.

The winning of the hoard After slaying the dragon and bathing in its blood to become invulnerable, Siegfried stumbles upon two dwarf princes and twelve giants bickering over an infinite mountain of gold. He accepts the magic sword Balmung as payment to divide the hoard, but when the dwarfs attack him, he slays them, subdues their giant guardians, and claims the Nibelung treasure along with a Cloak of Darkness.

The journey to Worms Newly knighted and eager for adventure, Siegfried rides to Burgundy to see the famous Princess Kriemhild, boldly threatening to seize King Gunther's lands before settling into courtly friendship. He proves his unmatched prowess by leading the Burgundians to victory against invading armies, capturing Kings Ludegast and Ludeger.

The conquest of Isenland To win Kriemhild's hand, Siegfried accompanies King Gunther to Isenland to help him woo the formidable Queen Brunhild. Using his Cloak of Darkness to remain invisible, Siegfried performs the deadly strength trials in Gunther's place, allowing the Burgundian king to claim the warrior queen.

The clash of queens During a return visit to Worms years after a joint wedding feast, Queen Brunhild mocks Kriemhild for marrying a mere vassal. In a fit of defensive anger, Kriemhild exposes the deceitful trick played on Brunhild in Isenland, igniting a deadly feud.

The murder in the woods Exploiting Kriemhild's concern for her husband's safety, the treacherous Hagen tricks her into marking the single spot on Siegfried's back where he can be wounded. During a forest hunt, Hagen cowardly stabs the hero in the back while he drinks from a clear spring.

The late vengeance After years of mourning and seeing her stolen Nibelung treasure buried in the Rhine by Hagen, Kriemhild weds King Etzel of the Huns. She lures her Burgundian relatives to her new home, orchestrating a violent slaughter that wipes out the Burgundian knights and avenges her fallen lord.

The People

• Siegfried: A hero with a heart of gold and boundless physical strength. He seeks adventure, honor, and the love of Kriemhild, but his impulsive generosity and willingness to use trickery on Gunther's behalf ultimately set his own doom in motion.
• Kriemhild: The gentle, beautiful Princess of Burgundy who becomes Siegfried's devoted wife. Her pride for her husband leads her to reveal the secret of Brunhild's conquest, and her misplaced trust in Hagen results in Siegfried's death, transforming her love into an unyielding drive for revenge.
• King Gunther: The ruler of Burgundy, who longs to appear strong and marry the fierce Queen Brunhild. Weak-willed and dependent on others, he relies on Siegfried's magical assistance to win his bride and later allows his counsellor Hagen to murder his protector.
• Queen Brunhild: The proud, warlike ruler of Isenland who submits only to the man who can best her in physical combat. Humiliated by the revelation that she was tricked into marrying Gunther, her unyielding hatred fuels the plot against Siegfried.
• Hagen: King Gunther's dark, keen-eyed counsellor. Driven by jealousy, political ambition, and spite, he ruthlessly plots Siegfried's murder, steals the Nibelung treasure, and refuses to yield even when facing total annihilation in the land of the Huns.

In Its Own Voice

'Denis! Denis!' You are called, but you do not hear, for you are not really in the nursery any longer. Macgregor addresses her young reader directly in the book's opening dedication, framing the ancient tale as a hypnotic escape into a world of magic and ancient heroes.

'His country and his kings I will surely wrest from him if he treat me with disdain.' Siegfried boasts of his strength to his father Siegmund before departing for Worms, revealing the young prince's fearless and fiery temper.

'While Siegfried drank of the cool, clear water, Hagen stabbed him' This tragic narrative moment, echoed in the book's illustration captions, captures the cowardly betrayal that brings down the dragon-slaying hero.

What It's Really About

Beneath its fairy-tale surface of dragons, magic cloaks, and underground dwarf kingdoms, the narrative presents a stern moral examination of deception and its inevitable consequences. Siegfried is exceptionally brave and good-natured, yet his downfall stems directly from a noble lie: assisting Gunther in tricking Brunhild through invisible magic. This initial dishonest act cascades into royal jealousy, public humiliation, and ultimately murder. The story questions the nature of heroism, showing that physical invulnerability counts for little when weighed against courtly intrigue and betrayal. It also contrasts the fleeting nature of earthly riches—exemplified by the cursed Nibelung hoard—with the enduring, destructive power of grief and unresolved vengeance.

Why Read It Today

Mary Macgregor's retelling serves as an exceptional bridge between introductory children's fairy tales and the grand, darker world of classical European folklore. Readers who enjoy Arthurian legends or Norse mythology will appreciate the book's clean, rhythmic prose, which retains the tragic weight and heroic dignity of the original medieval epic while keeping the language fully accessible.

The text does not shy away from the tragedy inherent in the source material. Rather than smoothing over the violent ending into a simplistic happy conclusion, Macgregor preserves the emotional consequence of Hagen's treachery and Kriemhild's decades-long sorrow. The story moves at a swift, engaging pace, though modern readers should anticipate archaic story elements such as formal knightly customs, courtly chivalry, and dramatic turns of fate. The emotional core—a noble hero undone not by monsters, but by the jealousy of those he trusted—remains timeless, haunting, and deeply resonant.