nd.

Siegfried heard their whispers, but in no wise did he give heed to the
wish of the nobles.

Never, he thought while his beautiful mother and his bounteous father
lived, would he wear the crown.

Indeed Siegfried had no wish to sit upon a throne, he wished but to
subdue the evil-doers in the land. Or better still, he wished to go
forth in search of new adventure. And this right soon he did.

IV

SIEGFRIED AT THE COURT OF WORMS

At the Court of Worms in Burgundy dwelt the Princess Kriemhild, whose
fame for beauty and kindness had spread to many a far-off land. She
lived with her mother Queen Ute and her three brothers King Gunther,
King Gernot, and King Giselher. Her father had long been dead. Gunther
sat upon the throne and had for chief counselor his cruel uncle Hagen.

One night Kriemhild dreamed that a beautiful wild hawk with feathers
of gold came and perched upon her wrist. It grew so tame that she
took it with her to the hunt. Upward it soared when loosed toward the
bright blue sky. Then the dream-maiden saw two mighty eagles swoop
down upon her petted hawk and tear it to pieces.

The Princess told her dream to her mother, who said, "The hawk, my
daughter, is a noble knight who shall be thy husband, but, alas,
unless God defend him from his foes, thou shalt lose him ere he has
long been thine." Kriemhild replied, "O lady mother, I wish no knight
to woo me from thy side." "Nay," said the Queen, "Speak not thus, for
God will send to thee a noble knight and strong."

Hearing of the Princess, Siegfried, who lived in the Netherlands,
began to think that she was strangely like the unknown maiden whose
image he carried in his heart. So he set out to go into Burgundy to
see the beautiful Kriemhild who had sent many knights away.

Siegfried's father wished to send an army with him but Siegfried said,
"Nay, give me only, I pray thee, eleven stalwart warriors."

Tidings had reached King Gunther of the band of strangers who had so
boldly entered the royal city. He sent for Hagen, chief counselor,
who said they must needs be princes or ambassadors. "One knight, the
fairest and the boldest, is, methinks, the wondrous hero Siegfried,
who has won great treasure from the Nibelungs, and has killed two
little princely dwarfs, their twelve giants, and seven hundred great
champions of the neighboring country with his good sword Balmung."
Graciously then did the King welcome Siegfried.

"I beseech thee, noble