At the court in Worms, an agreement is reached: Siegfried, made virtually invulnerable by a bath in dragon's blood, is to use his cloak of invisibility to conquer the indomitable Queen Brunhild of Isenland for King Gunther. In return, Gunther promises Siegfried his beautiful sister Kriemhild as his wife. Thus the men's secret pact is consummated - and broken. The truth comes to light and, driven by betrayal, revenge, blind loyalty and love, the Nibelungs race inexorably towards cruel catastrophe. Hagen succeeds in murdering Siegfried from ambush, the widow Kriemhild demands retribution and years later gets the opportunity to take revenge on Hagen and her family with a bloodbath.
Hebbel's trilogy tells of archaic conflicts. Following the Middle High German epic, it depicts people whose unbroken instincts, drives, and dark lusts prevail over reason and ethos. Since its rediscovery, the Nibelungenlied has become a German national epic, and over the centuries it has been repeatedly ideologically charged for propagandistic purposes. And so, when we approach the myth from the present, it always points to the dark sides, longings and abysses of German history.
Text source and further information about this event: http://www.staatstheater-mainz.com/web/veranstaltungen/schauspiel-17-18/nibelungen
