Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/624

NIBELUNGENLIED. the story is this: Siegfried, Kinj; of the Nibe- lungs in Nether Germany, wooes Krienihild, sis- ter of tile BurgiinUian King tiiinther, for whom lie procures to wife Jinmhilda, Queen of Icehmd, by wearing a magic cloak, and is rewarded with Kriemhild"s hand. Brunhilda discovers the decep- tion and procures the murder of Siegfried by JIagen. To avenge herself, Krienihild accepts the suit of Elzel and invites Gunther with his brothers and courtiers to visit her. llagcn per- ceives her intent, buries the Nibelungen treasure in the Rhine, and, after vain ett'orts to dissuade the King, accompanies him. The liurgundians are attacked in a hall and all are finally killed, not without loss to Etzel of Krienihild, of their son, and of all his warriors, save only Dietrich von Bern (Theodoric of Verona) aiitratuiii of the legend is the defeat of the Hiirgiuidian King (iundahari by Attila in 437. Krienihild seems identical with the girl lldico (Hilde), who was with him at his death, according to .Jordanes, but the actual Theodoric belongs to a later period, and if Siegfried be, as many have thouglit, identical with Arniinius, he is more than four centuries earlier. Others regard Siegfried, with Urunhilda. as mythi- cal. The poem derives such unity as it has from various forms of the eonllieting claims of double allegiance. In Krienihild there is the conllict between wife, sister, and mother; in Siegfried between husband and vassal ; in Hagen between chivalrie honor and allegiance; and in Riidiger, Etzel's great vassal, between hospitality and loyalty. Thus in one form or another that faithfulness (Trciic) that Heine said was the strongest characteristic of the (ieriiian nation is the main-spring of tragic action. But the >S'oh(/ lacks unity of inner structure. Passages of deep feeling and pathos alternate not alone with those of fierce, rugged strength, but with others trivial, grotesque, or even, as iu (lunther's wedding, downright biirlesipie. The episodes, too, are so inartistically welded that a school of critics, Laeliniann at their head, even thought they could distinguish the elenients of compilation; but this position is now generally aliandoned. The his- tory of the Xibelnngcniied is not without in- terest. l'"or centuries it was quite forgotten. Uodmer (q.v. ) printed fragments of it in 17.")7, but it was received with intic and popular favor till its contents have become part of (iernian literary consciousness. It has been the subject of critical studies by the (Jrimms, Miillenhon", Zarnckc. Bartsch, and Scherer; has been edited several times in its three versions, and well trans- lated into modern fiermair by Simrock, Bartsch, and Freytag. There are English versions by l.ettsom " ( 1«.50), Foster- Barham (1887), and Birch (ISK7). BiiiLiocBAniY. Tlic history of the Xibelungen controversy is told in Fischer, Die Furnrhuniirn iihir (las yihclunficnlied srit K. Lnchmann (Leipzig. 1874). Consult, also, Mutli, Einlei- tuiig (Paderborn, 1S77); Willmanns, Bvitrdge zitr Krkluniiiy unci Geschivkte lies- Sibtiumjvidwi (Halle, 1877) ; Kenning, Mbilungeiistudkn (ib., 1SS3) ; V. Grimm, Die dcutsche llilden- tiugc, 3d ed., by Steig (Giitersloh, 18110) ; Hein- zel, Leber die Xibeltiiiyeiisuye (Vienna. 188.5) ; Miiller, Mijlhologie der deutschen Heldensage (Heilbroiin, 188U) ; Liclilciibergcr, Le poeme et la leyetide des Xibelungen (Paris, 1891); and, Gaston Paris, in I'oitnes et legenden <lu nuiyen ugc (ib., 1001). There is a poetical analysis in Carl_vle"s Miseelluneuiis Essugs. The Xibelungen- lied has furnished Jordan the material for his epic. Die yibelungen, and Wagner the subject for the ihelungen TriUjgy, which has, however, more Xorse than German elements. Siegfried ])lays a prominent part in other Middle High tierman epics, eg, liilcrolf and Der Rosengurten. NIB'LO'S GARDEN. A former Xew York theatre on Broadway, near Prince Street, estab- lished in 18"28 under the name of the Sana Souei, and later the property of William X'iblo. It was famous as the home of the spectacular drama during the second half of the nineteenth century. It was twice burned and rebuilt, ami was finally torn down in 1900. ISICJEA., ni-se'a, or NICE, nes (Gk. N/kij, .Vi7,r, Xinat'o, yH.aia. city of victory). A city of Bithynia. iu Asia ilinor, situated at the ea.stcrn end of Lake Ascania. It was built on the site of an older town by Antigonus (B.C. 31G), and received the name of Antigoneia. which i Lysimaclius changed to Xica-a, in honor of his wife. It was a handsome town and of great importance in the time of the Roman and Byzantine emiicrors; all the streets crossed each other at right angles, and from a mag- nificent monument in the centre the four gates of the city were visible. It was early the resi- dence of a Christian bishop, later of an arch- bishop. In 1078 it was captured by the Sel- juks. In 1097 it was taken by the Crusaders. Theodore Lasearis (q.v.) made it the capital of his dominions in Asia Minor in l'2no. and it re- mained the seat of an iiidr'])eiideiit Greek State until 12(J1, when Michael Pala'ologus. Emperor of Xicica, restored the Byzantine Enijiire. It fell into the power of the Osmaiilis in 132t). Nicira's chief importance in history is in connection with the two church councils held there. (See Xlc.EA, CoiMii.s OF.) At the present time it is a small village called Isnik, with many interestilig ruins. The church in which the council is said lo have been held is now a mosque. NICffiA, roiNCiLS OF. Two ccunienical coun- cils (if the Christian Church, held at Xicira ia': Bithynia. The first was convened by the Em- peror Constantine ill 32.'> to settle the .rian con- troversy. Of some 1800 bishops in the Emjiire, 318 attended the council. The total number of dele- gates, including presbyters and others, was jiroba- Illy more than l.'iOO. The eastern )Movinces wer». laigi'ly represented. Many of the members werw venerable and illustrious men. among whom were Eusebius (if Ca'sarea, eminent for learning: .tha- nasius, then only a young deacon, attendant OD the Bishop of Alexandria, small and insignifi- cant in person, but conspicuous f(U' intellect, elo- quence, and zeal; Arius. a parish priest of Alex- andria. tiO years old, tall and emaciated in per- son, wild, sometimes almost to madness, in man- ner ascetic, and negligent in dress, yet having A i 1 .1