[1] The interest may be more than national, as in Paradise Lost.

[2] The Epic of Hades falls short of the requirements of this definition in (b) and (d); Bulwer Lytton’s King Arthur in (c); such poems as Arnold’s Sohrab and Rustum in (a) and (d); Tennyson’s Idylls of the King was felt by its author to fall so far short of answering to condition (d), that he would not claim for it the title Epic of Arthur.

[3] For the origin of the conception of such a hero there are two theories. One is that of the nature-myth, according to which the hero is the personification of some natural force or phenomenon, as Achilles has been said to personify the Sun in his course. According to this, Sigurd represents the Day, or the Light, or the Spring. The other is that of an actual tribal chief, whose exploits are glorified and exaggerated in the folksongs of after days. According to this, the genesis of an epic poem proceeds somewhat thus:—(1) a warrior vaunts his own and his ancestors’ exploits as a preliminary to fight, as Glaucus does in Il. vi, and as savage chiefs have done in all ages and countries; (2) his followers sing the prowess of the chief and his ancestors; (3) the specially gifted bard chants them at a feast like the Highland sennachie, or before a battle, like Taillefer.

[4] The Story of the Volsungs, Camelot Series, Walter Scott, 1s.

[5] The differences in the names in the two stories are mainly due to the fact that in the Volsunga-saga they assume a Norse form, in the Nibelungenlied a German one. Thus, Sigurd becomes Siegfried; Gunnar becomes Gunther; Hogni, Gunnar’s brother, becomes Hagen, Gunther’s uncle; Gudrun, as a character, becomes Kriemhild, whose name, however, is taken from Grimhild, a very different personage from the kindly and pious mother of Kriemhild. The Hun-king, Atli, becomes Etzel; Andvari, the dwarf who was robbed of the Hoard, appears as Alberich.

[6] An example of such is the GehÖrnte Siegfried (Horn-skinned Siegfried), which did this in detail, and (in Carlyle’s words) “under a rude prose dress, is to this day a real child’s book and people’s book among the Germans.”

[7] Siegfried’s reason, which critics and translators, from Carlyle downward, have left unexplained, seems to be this:—Siegfried was already known to Brunhild, and was the mightiest man she knew. Hence, if she saw him acting as a mere vassal to Gunther, she would infer that the latter was yet mightier, an impression to be confirmed by his apparent victory in the test; and so her reluctance to abide by the result, which, had she resisted, would have proved insuperable, would be more likely to be overcome.

[8] One rider dashing at full speed past another, would snatch his cloak from his shoulders: the latter then gave chase to recover his property. Opportunity for display of fine horsemanship, and much amusement to the spectators, were thus afforded.

[9] The scene which follows will be more intelligible if we understand that it took place in the Reception-hall or Presence-hall, through which Brunhild passes with her train while the king is waiting there for his sister.

[10] For the six lines which follow, Simrock’s reading is adopted.

[11] For this and the next line Simrock’s text is followed.

[12] Because Hildebrand had been Dietrich’s foster-father.

[13] Simrock’s arrangement is adopted in the last two strophes.

[End of Footnotes]