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Nibelungenlied, the lay of the Nibelungs. The ordinary etymology of this name is ‘children of the mist’ (Nebelkinder, O. N. Niflungar), and it is thought to have belonged originally to the dwarfs. Piper, I, 50, interprets it as ‘the sons of Nibul’; Boer, II, 198, considers Hniflungar to be the correct Norse form and interprets it as ‘the descendants of Hnaef’ (O. E. Hnaef, O. H. G. Hnabi), whose death is related in the Finnsaga.

Adventure (M. H. G. aventiure, from O. F. aventure, Lat. adventura). The word meant originally a happening, especially some great event, then the report of such an event. Here it is used in the sense of the different cantos or fitts of the poem, as in the Gudrun and other M. H. G. epies. Among the courtly poets it also frequently denotes the source, or is the personification of the muse of poetry.

Kriemhild is the Upper German form of the Frankish Grimhild. In the MSS. the name generally appears with a further shifting as Chriemhilt, as if the initial consonant were Germanic k. On the various forms of the name, whieh have never yet been satisfactorily explained, see Müllenhoff, Zsfda. , 299, 413;, 313; and Bolinenberger, PB. Beit. , 221- 231.

Gunther is the historieal Gundahari, king of the Burgundians in the fifth century. See the introduction, p. xxxiv.

Gernot was probably introduced by some minstrel in place of the historical Godomar, who appears in the Norse version as Gutthormr, though the names are not etymologically the same, as Godomar would be Guðmarr in Old Norse.

Giselher is the historical Gislaharius. Although mentioned by the Lex Burgundionum as one of the Burgundian kings, he does not appear in the early Norse version, or in other poems dealing with these persons, such as the Waltharius, the Rabenschlacht, the Rosengarten, etc., and was probably introduced at a late date into the saga. Originally no rôle was ascribed to him, and not even his death is told. He probably came from some independent source.