Hagen

Hagen was lord of Troneck. Hagen was the son of Aldrian, and his brother was Dancwart. Hagen was also a kinsman (uncle) of Burgundian kings and Kriemhild.

Hagen was renowned as a loyal vassal and henchman of Gunther (Gunnar) in the Nibelungenlied. Hagen often advised Gunther in many issues or policies.

In the Nibelungenlied (as well as in the Thiðrekssaga), the poem alluded to the time when Hagen served as hostage to Etzel with the hero Waltharius (Walter) of Aquitaine. This is told in full in the heroic poem of Waltharius.

It was Hagen who advised Gunther to befriend Siegfried. It was his advice which would result in tragedy and destruction upon the Burgundian royal house. When Queen Brunhild demanded revenge, it was Hagen who first plotted against Siegfried, while the brothers looked away. Hagen discovered Siegfried's weakness from Siegfried's wife, Kriemhild. Hagen plunged Siegfried's own spear in the hero's back.

Kriemhild accused him of her husband's death, but he did not care, and Kriemhild was powerless to act against Hagen. Because of her brothers' failure to punish Hagen, she would wreak destruction and death upon her brothers and their warriors.

Hagen further antagonised Kriemhild when he stole her Nibelung treasure, which she had inherited from her husband. Her brothers again failed to protect her, which made Kriemhild bitter and even more vengeful.

Kriemhild reluctantly accepted a marriage proposal from Etzel, a powerful, heathen king from Hungary. Hagen opposed this marriage, since he knew that Kriemhild would gain powerful allies in Hungary.

Thirteen years after her marriage to Etzel, Kriemhild contrived for her brothers to visit her, hoping to avenge Siegfried's death. Hagen once again opposed the kings' decision, but was powerless to prevent them. Hagen and many of the Burgundians' most powerful vassals joined the kings' visit to Hungary. None of them would ever return.

Upon their arrival in Etzel's capital, Dietrich immediately warned Hagen of Kriemhild's treachery.

Hagen inflamed the situation with Kriemhild from his refusal to pay any respect to the queen. The situation grew worse when Kriemhild encouraged her son Ortlieb to slap Hagen's face. Hagen retaliated against the boy by decapitating Etzel's son.

Fighting broke out first at their quarters. Kriemhild managed to persuade Bloedelin, Etzel's vassal, to provoke and attack the Burgundians. Dancwart, Hagen's brother, was the only survivor in their quarters. Dancwart managed to reach the hall where the kings and most of the retainers were guests. Fighting spread and spilled into the hall.

Hagen was often fighting side by side with Volker, a Burgundian minstrel. Among those who would fall victims to Hagen's sword (Balmung) were Iring, Iring's lord Hawart, and Werbel, the Hunnish minstrel and Etzel's ambassador.

At first, Dietrich and Rudiger did not take part in the battle, because of their friendship with either Hagen or the Burgundian brothers. But the next day, Rudiger reluctantly had to oppose them. Rudiger's death would bring Dietrich's men into the conflict.

All of Dietrich's men were killed except for Hildebrand. Gunther and Hagen were the only survivors of the Burgundians. Hagen tried to kill Hildebrand to avenge Volker's death. Hagen only managed to wound Hildebrand, who fled back to Dietrich.

Dietrich had no choice but to fight against Gunther and Hagen. Dietrich tried to make them surrender in return for safe passage home, which they refused; otherwise they would be branded as cowards. So Dietrich fought them, one by one. He would first overwhelm Hagen, bound him, and delivered him in chains to Kriemhild as prisoner. Dietrich did the same thing to Gunther. Dietrich asked Kriemhild to spare them.

However, Kriemhild had her brother killed, and then Hagen with her husband's sword (Siegfried's). Kriemhild decapitated Hagen with Balmung. Hildebrand, with Etzel's permission, executed Kriemhild for Hagen's death.

In the Thiðrekssaga, the story had a slightly different ending. Thidreks (Dietrich) captured Hogni (Hagen), but when Grimhild (Kriemhild) killed Gernot, Thidreks executed Grimhild with Attila's permission (Etzel), because she had caused the carnage. Hogni did not die. After he was healed from his wounds, Thidreks sent Hogni home.

In the Norse sagas (eg. the Volsunga Saga), Hagen was known as Hogni. Hogni was not a vassal of Gunnar (Gunther), but was the second brother of Gunnar. Hogni had his heart cut out when he and Gunther refused to disclose the location of Sigurd's treasure.

In the Thiðrekssaga however, Hogni was the son of an incubus and the wife of Aldrian (Oda). This made Hogni the half-brother of Grimhild and the Burgundian kings. In the end, he was captured by Thiðreks (Dietrich), but was spared, while Thiðreks, with Attila's permission, executed Grimhild (Gudrun or Kriemhild) for causing the fighting between the Burgundians and the Huns (this ending is different from the Nibelungenlied). See Hogni for a comparison of Hagen and Hogni.

In the Germanic legend known as Waltharius, he was known as Hagano (Hagen) the vassal, first to Gibicho, and later to Guntharius (Gunther), Gibicho's son and successor.

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There was also another Hagen who you should not confuse this one with. This was Hagen, king of Ireland, and the son of Siegebart and an unnamed wife. The Irish Hagen appeared in the Middle High German poem titled Kudrun (or Gudrun), from the early half of the 13th century. Kudrun didn't belong to the Nibelungen cycle, though some of the characters had the same names as in other sagas.