190 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



NIBELUNGEN LIED. 



This famous historic poem, which is called 

 the Iliad of Germany, was produced about 

 1210, and is divided into two parts, and thirty- 

 two lieds or cantos. The first part ends with 

 the death of Siegfried, and the second part with 

 the death of Kriemhild. 



Siegfried, the youngest of the kings of the 

 Netherlands, went to Worms to crave the hand 

 of Kriemhild in marriage. While he was 

 staying with Gtinther, king of Burgundy (the 

 lady's brother), he assisted him to obtain in 

 marriage Brunhild, queen of Issland, who an- 

 nounced publicly that he only should be her 

 husband who could beat her in hurling a spear, 

 throwing a huge stone, and in leaping. Sieg- 

 fried, who possessed a cloak of invisibility, 

 aided Gunther in these three contests, and 

 Brunhild became his wife. In return for these 

 services Gunther gave Siegfried his sister 

 Kriemhild in marriage. After a time the 

 bride and bridegroom went to visit Gtinther, 

 when the two ladies disputed about the rela- 

 tive merits of their respective husbands, and 

 Kriemhild, to exalt Siegfried, boasted that 

 Gunther owed to him his victories and his wife. 

 Brunhild, in great anger, now employed Hagan 

 to murder Siegfried, and this he did by stab- 

 bing him in the back while he was drinking 

 from a brook. 



Thirteen years elapsed, and the widow mar- 



ried Etzel, king of the Huns. After a time 

 she invited Brunhild and Hagan to a visit. 

 Hagan, in this visit, killed Etzel's young son, 

 and Kriemhild was like a fury. A battle 

 ensued in which Gunther and Hagan were 

 made prisoners, and Kriemhild cut off both 

 their heads with her own hand. Hildebrand, 

 horrified at this act of blood, slew Kriemhild ; 

 and so the poem ends. Who was its author, 

 or rather the man who cast it in its present 

 form, is altogether unknown ; the attribution 

 of it to minnesingers of Ktirenberg in Upper 

 Austria now finds very little acceptance. 



The Nibelungen Lied has been ascribed 

 to Heinrich von Ofterdingen, a minnesinger ; 

 but it certainly existed before that epoch, if 

 not as a complete whole, in separate lays, and 

 all that Heinrich von Ofterdingen could have 

 done was to collect the floating lays, connect 

 them, and form them into a complete story. 



The Volsunga Saga is the Icelandic ver- 

 sion of the Nibelungen Lied. This saga has 

 been translated in to English by William Morris. 



There is a continuation of the poem, called. 

 Nibelungen Klage, or Lament for the Nibe- 

 lungs, a production much inferior to the 

 Nibelungen Lied. In spite of the uncouth 

 versification of this last, it exercises a strong 

 fascination upon the reader, owing to the gran- 

 deur of its conception, its strong characteriza- 

 tion, and tragic intensity. 



THE MEANING OF CHRISTIAN NAMES. 



Aaron, Hebrew, a mountain, a loft. 



Abel, 1 Hebrew, vanity. 



Abraham, Hebrew, the father of 



many. 

 Absalom, Hebrew, the father < f 



peace. 



Adam, Hebrew, red earth. 

 Adolphus, Saxon, happiness and 



help. 



Adrian, Latin, one who helps. 

 Alan, Celtic, harmony ; or ,SY /.///>, 



a hound. 



Albert, Saxon, all bright. 

 Alexander, Greek, a helper of men. 

 Alfred, Saxon, all peace. 

 Alonzo, form of Alphonso, q. v. 

 Alphonso, German, ready or willing. 

 Ambrose, Greek, immortal. 

 Amos, Hebrew, a burden. 

 Andrew, Greek, courageoxis. 

 Anthony, Latin, flourishing. 

 Archibald, German, a bold observer. 

 Arnold, German, a maintainer of 



honor. 

 Arthur, British, a strong man. 



Auluftin"; | Latin > venerable, grand. 

 Baldwin, German, a bold winner. 

 Bardulph, German, a famous helper. 

 Barnaby, Hebrew, a prophet's son. 

 Bartholomew, Hebrew, the son of 



him who made the waters to 



rise. 



F.eaumont, French, a pretty mount. 

 Uede, Saxon, prayer. 

 Benjamin, Hebrew, the son of a right 



naod. 



CHRISTIAN NAMES OF >IK\. 



Bennet, Latin, blessed. 



Bernard, German, bear's heart. 



Bertram, German, fair, illustrious. 



Bertrand, German, bright raven. 



Boniface, Lathi, a well doer. 



Brian, French, having a thundering 

 voice. 



Cad wallader,Ur7 //!, valiant in \var. 



Cresar, Lntin, adorned with hair. 



Caleb, Hebrew, a dog. 



Cecil, Latin, dim-sighted. 



Charles, German, noble spirited. 



Christopher, Greek, bearing Christ. 



Clement, Latin, mild tempered. 



Conrad, German, able counsel. 



Constantino, Latin, resolute. 



Cornelius, Latin, meaning uncer- 

 tain. 



Crispin, Latin, having curled locks. 



Cuthbert, Saxon, known famously. 



Dan, Hebrew, judgment. 



Danit-l, Hebrew, God i-; judge. 



David, .Hebrew, well-beloved. 



Denis, Greek, belonging to the god 

 of wine. 



Douglas, Gaelic, dark gray. 



Duncan, Sa.ron, brown chief. 



Dunstaa, Sa:ro>t, most high. 



Edgar, Satan, happy honor. 



Edmund, Saxon, happy peace. 



Edward, Saxon, happy keeper. 



Edwin, Saxon, nappy conqueror. 



Egbert, Saxon, ever bright. 



Elijah, Hebrew, God the Lord. 



Elisha, Hebrew, the salvation of 

 God. 



F.uuuauuel, Hebrew, God with us. 



Enoch, llebretr, dedicated. 



Kphraim, Hebrew, fruitful. 



Erasmus, Greek, lovely, worthy to 

 he loved. 



Ernest, Greek, earnest, MTJIHI-.. 



Ksau, /fr/iri ir. hairy. 



Kngene, Grei k. nolily descended. 



Eustace, f .'//,-, standing firm. 



Evan or Ivan, British, the same a> 

 John. 



Everard, German, well reported. 



Ezekiel, Jl< '/>/> w, the strength of 

 God. 



Felix, Lut in. happy. 



Ferdinand, ilerma'n, pure peace. 



I-'ergus, Sa.i-im, manly strength. 



Francis, German, free. 



Frederic, <' -mi an, rich peace. 



Gabriel, ffi/irnr, the strength of 

 God, 



Geoffrey, German, joyful. 



George, Greek, a husbandman. 



Gerard, Sa.run. si nuig with a spear. 



Gideon, Hebrew, a breaker. 



Gilbert, K'l.r-in, bright as gold. 



Giles, Greek, a little gnat. 



Godard, German, a godly disposi- 

 tion. 



Godfrey, German, God's peace, 



Godwin, Gi-mian, victorious in God. 



Griffith, British, having great faith. 



Guy, l-'reni'li, a leader. 



Hannibal, I'tinif, a gracious lord. 



Harold, Saxon, a champion. 



Hector, Gretk, a stout defender. 



Henry, German, a rich lord. 



Herbert, German, a bright lord. 



