СКАЗАНИЕ О НИБЕЛУНГАХ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ЛИНГВОКУЛЬТУРОЛОГИИ ГЕРМАНСКИХ НАРОДОВ

Abstract

The Lay of the Nibelungs is a prominent literature work dating back to the early 13th century. It is a result of almost 10 century evolution of the material going back into the early Middle Ages. The material was also used by other Germanic peoples for development of Scandinavian sagas, Faroese and Danish ballads. The texts representing the story of the Nibelungs mark different stages of social and cultural development of the relevant Germanic peoples and are of a special interest for the historians dealing with the social history of Europe. The Lay of the Nibelungs, however, content not only contemporary features, like courteous rituals, but also archaic ones deriving from ancient lays and tales which are left unknown to us. The 19th century saw growing influence of the myth of the Nibelungs on German society with de La Mott Fouquet and Wagner creating the most eminent works updating the ancient lay. In the 20th century the Nibelungs-mentality shaped some aspects of Nazi ideology and was widely discussed by the leaders of the Third Reich.