German Hero-sagas and Folk-tales

Oxford Myths and Legends

by Barbara Leonie Picard (adapter), Joan Kiddell-Monroe (Illustrator)

This collection includes the splendid legends of the great German heroes, among them the story of Gudrun, and the saga of Siegfried and the vengeance of Kriemhild. There is also a lively collection of traditional folk tales, with the escapades of the rascally Till Eulenspiegel, and stories
such as The Mousetower and The Ratcatcher of Hamelin .

Genres: Mythology, Germany, Fiction, Fantasy, German Literature

204 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 1994

About the author

Barbara Leonie Picard's first book was published in 1949, and was followed by over twenty more, all of which received praise for the mature and thought-provoking fare they offered young readers. She is well-known for her re-tellings of Homer, Gilgamesh, and ancient myths for young readers.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really and truly looking forward to reading Barbara Leonie Picard's German Hero-Sagas and Folk-Tales, and while the compiled tales themselves are I guess interesting enough and present a decent and varied collection of German (and Germanic) folkloric themes (although I do tend to think that Barbara Leonie Picard has translated these stories, or rather has retold them, in a style that often reads a bit too much like a literal translation from German to English, with a cadence and style of expression that at least to and for me tends to feel a bit halting, and occasionally even flow and read more than a bit unnaturally in English), the fact that there is NO background material included, basically NOTHING except for the retold hero sagas and folktales, makes German Hero-Sagas and Folk-Tales quite, and actually for me, absolutely and utterly useless for any kind of folkloric research or comparitive studies (for at the very least, there should have been a bit of a bibliography, presenting potential, extant literary sources, but nothing of the like exists, no sources whatsoever have been listed, have been included by Ms. Picard).

And while a potential reader who simply desires to read a selection of German hero sagas and folktales (in English) might well enjoy these stories just for themselves (as tales), I was and remain profoundly and massively disappointed and annoyed (so much so that upon rereading, I have now actually decided to change my original and erstwhile two star ranking into but one star, and to also be increasingly leery of purchasing folk and fairy tales collections online, as unfortunately, the book descriptions provided only very rarely indicate whether sources materials, whether author's notes and the like have been included). Also and furthermore, since this tome, since German Hero-Sagas and Folk-Tales was published by the prestigious and generally academically inclined Oxford University Press, I had also and I guess wrongly assumed that there would be at least some bibliographical and background information on sources/origins included (for truly, if I had been aware of this for me, massive and major shortcoming, I would never have even bothered purchasing a copy of German Hero-Sagas and Folk-Tales for my personal library, as especially a bit of a bibliography of source materials is kind of essential for me when it comes to collections of folklore, when it comes to compilations of folk and/or fairy tales).

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

زیگورد یا زیگفرید یکی از قهرمانان افسانه‌ای اساطیر اسکاندیناوی و ژرمن‌ها است که به عنوان شخصیت اصلی حماسهٔ ولسونگا ساگا، و یکی از پهلوانان سرود نیبلونگ‌ها به شمار می‌رود. او به علت کشتن اژدهای فافنیر و شنا کردن در خون آن اژدها رویین‌تن شده‌بود، ولی برگی به کمرش چسبیده بود و او از آن ناحیه آسیب‌پذیر بود و به خاطر همین مسئله نیز به قتل رسید. زیگورد همچنین با خوردن مقداری از خون فافنیر توانایی برای درک زبان پرندگان را کسب کرد. زیگورد پس از کشتن فافنیر، برونهیلد که یک باکره سپر بود را ملاقات می‌کند. او به عنوان زیگفرید یکی از قهرمانان سرود آلمانی نیبلونگ‌ها، و اپراهای ریشارد واگنر، با عنوان‌های زیگفرید و گوتردامرونگ است.
بر طبق ولسونگا ساگا زیگورد، فرزند زیگموند و همسر دومش هیوردیس به شمار می‌رفت. زیگورد در دربار پادشاه دانمارک با افتخار بزرگ شد، او همچنین فرزند خوانده آهنگری ماهر به نام رگین (برادر ناراضی فافنیر) بود که توسط او برای بازیابی گنجی گرانبها و افسانه‌ای به مأموریتی فرستاده شد. این گنجینه ابتدا به دست پدر رگین، هرایدمار، پادشاه دورف‌ها که زمانی متعلق به دورفی به نام اندواری بود، به دست آمده بود. برای دست‌یابی به این گنجینه، رگین و برادرش فافنیر پدرشان هرایدمار را به قتل رساندند. اما در این میان فافنیر تمام گنجینه را برای خود می‌خواست و چنین شد که به واسطهٔ نفرین انگشتر طلای اندواری تبدیل به اژدها شد تا از آن محافظت کند. پادشاه به زیگورد قبل از سفر اجازه انتخاب اسبی در دربار را داد و هنگامی که او عازم انتخاب بهترین اسب شد، با پیرمرد ریشویی روبرو شد که او را نمی‌شناخت. پیرمرد به زیگفرید گفت که چگونه یک اسب انتخاب کند، و از میان آن‌ها اسبی را انتخاب می‌کند که از سلیپنر زاده شده و باید خصوصیاتی قابل تحسین داشته باشد. آن‌ها آن اسب را گرانی نامیدند.
رگین که آرزوی داشتن گنجی که برادرش از آن محافظت می‌کرد را داشت، بدین منظور شمشیری بزرگ برای زیگفرید ساخت. اما این شمشیر در اولین باری که مورد استفاده قرار گرفت، شکست. سپس برای بار دوم توسط قطعاتی از شمشیری که به پدر زیگفرید متعلق بود برای او شمشیری استثنایی خلق کرد. زیگفرید پیش از آنکه به اژدها حمله کند، علیه قاتلان پدرش لشکرکشی کرد و آن‌ها را از بین برد، سپس آمادهٔ مقابله با اژدها شد.
زیگفرید توسط این شمشیر اژدها را کشته و گنجینه را بدست آورد. او وقتی متوجه شد رگین نیز قصد دارد به او خیانت کند و نقشه قتلش را کشیده است، سر آهنگر را از بدنش جدا کرد. زیگفرید گنجینه را برای خود برداشت و حلقهٔ نفرین شده را نیز غافل از پیامدهای آن در انگشت خود قرار داد. پس از کشتن فافنیر، زیگفرید به قلعه‌ای رسید که در آنجا والکیری به نام برونهیلد را ملاقات کرد. برونهیلد به دلیل نافرمانی از دستور اودین، به خوابی ابدی در میان دیواری که با حلقه‌های آتش احاطه شده بود مجازات شده بود. زیگفرید دلاور، از شعله‌های آتش گذشت و با دیدن برونهیلد، شیفتهٔ او گشت و با یک بوسه او را از خواب ابدی بیدار کرد. او همچنین حلقهٔ جادویی و نفرین شده خود را به برونهیلد داده و با یکدیگر نامزد شدند. در طی ماجراجویی‌های زیگفرید، توسط جادوگری پلید به نام گریم‌هیلد، معجونی جادویی به خورد او داده شد که بر اثر آن زیگفرید به طور کامل برونهیلد را فراموش کرده و با زنی دیگر به نام «گودرون» ازدواج نمود. آن‌ها صاحب دوقلوهای سوانهیلد و زیگموند زیگوردارسون شدند.

[Someone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with the book overall because of all the wrong morals the book suggests or teaches.
I'll write down a few.

1. If you're not a king or kings associate, you're practically nothing.
In the hero saga, the kings and nobles basically used the other knights or minions as toys. Many lives were wasted in the most stupid reasons ever. Like getting the heart of a pretty princess, getting gold, protecting ONE GUY who killed another king.

2. Fighting always solves the problem.
One of the story had the most ridiculous ending ever. A king tried to steal from 2 lovers, he sent 12 good warriors who all failed and DIED. He then got nearly killed when the lovers old friend cut off one of the lovers leg. The next paragraph abruptively ended the whole thing saying that the king, the lovers and friend all made up and were friends again.
In another story, a criminal got away after a good long fight.

3. Women are dumb and bad.
Seriosly, all the women in this book were so stupid and stubborn. If you're not beautiful, you pretty much fall in as a bad guy. They brag about things and create disaster.

4. Curiousity is bad.
Just wrong....

5. Tricking people or cheating people is a-ok.
In fact, tricking people will get you out of trouble.

These are some of the wrong things that most of the story teaches.

The first story..... wow... what a great way to start a story book, putting the most ridiculous story in the front.
The story telling was very fast pace like many other folk-tales but because there were so many names just mashed in there, it was a bit annoying especially when half of the names were not so important at all.
The stupidity of this Harmut fellow just amused me. He has no idea how to woe a woman. Like kinapping her, waging war on her people and killing her father is such a turn on for a woman. Then he claims that he won't marry her until she WANTS to marry him. What the hell?
Also, waging war just because he wants to marry a dumb broad who doesn't even want to accept him? wow... this story has the worst politics ever.
The whole reason why he's so into Gudrun, is only because of her beauty? Not really a lesson I want to teach kids.
I hated how Gudrun was so mean to make Hartmut believe she was going to marry him. I mean, kidnapping is one thing, but two wrongs don't make a right.

[Reza Valimoradi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each nation has its own stories. These stories are what we call myths and legends. For a story to becoming legend it needs to have a main concepts which roots in the nation's strongest beliefs. Therefore when someone is Reading Nation's myths he should try to obtain the main concepts that are hidden in the lines of the story.
Through reading this book you can learn what are the main important concepts that ancient Germans cared about. These concepts are rooted in German culture. So if you are keen to understand what made German's to be who they are now you should read as much as you can from the historical literature, in particular, they are myths and legends since these stories have shaped the core concepts that the Germanic culture is built on.
Besides understanding these core principles you can enjoy reading such breathtaking stories. after all these stories have been with people for centuries, so they have been polished for many years. Consequently what you are reading right now is not made by one writer but by the contribution of thousands of writers or storytellers who were the ones that told these stories from one person to another until we get them. I am sure you won't be disappointed by reading his book so read it and enjoy it.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection for giving the reader a starting point in depressing German stories...or at least that seemed like the focus. I couldn't give it more stars because the retellings are rather stiff at times, and there are no notes to put some of the longer pieces into context.
There is humor in a couple of the stories, so it's not ALL grim and depressing, but mostly so. Casual curses with permanent effects that harm both the victim and the one uttering the curse. Noble men dying over bad causes. A grim and not very dramatic version of the Pied Piper.
Just make sure to have something cheerful on hand to read in between these tales, and you will be fine.