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<blockquote data-quote="tarchon" data-source="post: 896021" data-attributes="member: 5990">Nibelung really comes from the same root as Nifl in Niflheim, the idea being that the Nibelungs (&quot;-ung&quot;/&quot;-ing&quot; was a common suffix used to derive tribal and clan names) were denizens of the underworld, dwarves.&nbsp; The story has a very close parallel in ON sources, particularly in the &lt;i&gt;Volsungasaga&lt;/i&gt;, perhaps the greatest epic in the Norse corpus.This saga is really THE dragon-slaying sword and sorcery epic that inspired Tolkein, from dragon hoard to shattered sword, and the modern form of high fantasy owes its shape to no medieval work more than the &lt;i&gt;Volsungasaga&lt;/I&gt;.Getting to the topic of the ring, it most famously had the curse of Andvari:(&quot;Force&quot; here is an obscure word for a waterfall or channel.) <a href="http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Volsunga/" target="_blank">http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Volsunga/</a>Some of the other sources indicate that the reason Andvari tried to keep it back was that the ring had the power to find gold.&nbsp; The second part of its Norse name &lt;i&gt;Andvaranaut&lt;/i&gt; is curiously translated as &quot;loop&quot; by Morris and Magnusson - I've also seen &quot;gem&quot; and &quot;ring,&quot; and &quot;naut&quot; commonly means &quot;cattle&quot; in ON, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was originally &quot;naudh&quot; = &quot;need&quot; or &quot;nautr&quot; = &quot;gift.&quot;The version of the story that most strongly influenced Wagner was from the &lt;i&gt;Nibelungenlied,&lt;/i&gt; which is rather abridged from the version current among the Norse and also seems to interpolate some other legendary figures like Theoderic the Great and Attila the Hun.&nbsp; The &lt;i&gt;Nibelungenlied&lt;/i&gt; though doesn't elaborate much on the ring, and most of Wagner's attributions to it aside form the curse and its function as a plot device are probably his own invention.Speculative persons might speculate that the ring was intended as a metaphor for avarice and covetousness in the original cycle.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="tarchon, post: 896021, member: 5990"] Nibelung really comes from the same root as Nifl in Niflheim, the idea being that the Nibelungs ("-ung"/"-ing" was a common suffix used to derive tribal and clan names) were denizens of the underworld, dwarves. The story has a very close parallel in ON sources, particularly in the Volsungasaga, perhaps the greatest epic in the Norse corpus. This saga is really THE dragon-slaying sword and sorcery epic that inspired Tolkein, from dragon hoard to shattered sword, and the modern form of high fantasy owes its shape to no medieval work more than the Volsungasaga. Getting to the topic of the ring, it most famously had the curse of Andvari: ("Force" here is an obscure word for a waterfall or channel.) [url]http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Volsunga/[/url] Some of the other sources indicate that the reason Andvari tried to keep it back was that the ring had the power to find gold. The second part of its Norse name Andvaranaut is curiously translated as "loop" by Morris and Magnusson - I've also seen "gem" and "ring," and "naut" commonly means "cattle" in ON, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was originally "naudh" = "need" or "nautr" = "gift." The version of the story that most strongly influenced Wagner was from the Nibelungenlied, which is rather abridged from the version current among the Norse and also seems to interpolate some other legendary figures like Theoderic the Great and Attila the Hun. The Nibelungenlied though doesn't elaborate much on the ring, and most of Wagner's attributions to it aside form the curse and its function as a plot device are probably his own invention. Speculative persons might speculate that the ring was intended as a metaphor for avarice and covetousness in the original cycle. [/QUOTE]

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