The Inspiring Life of Siegfried

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“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” (Mark Twain) For one to master fear it takes time, experience, and above all it takes a strong will to be courageous; Siegfried had all these things. Siegfried is the hero of the Nibelungenlied, a pre-Christian story, so not all of his deeds would be pleasing to God. His major accomplishments were killing a dragon and fighting the Nibelungs. The Nibelungs were a family of dwarves who possessed a treasure they believed no one could take; cartloads of gold, the magical sword Balmung, and a ring that produced 8 gold rings every seven days. Siegfried also fought against a dragon, with amazing results! "The great hero slew a dragon and bathed in its blood, which made him invincible against all weapons. No mortal can defeat him in combat.”(Ashliman). Siegfried was a shrewd ally when he secretly helped Gunther woo Brunhild. Like Achilles, Siegfried was made immortal by a magical bath, and like Achilles, Siegfried still had to have courage in the battles he fought. People should pay attention to the great courage of Siegfried, and try to be like him. “In the Netherlands there grew the child of a noble king his father had for name Siegemund, his mother Sieglind, in a mighty castle known far and wide, in the lowlands of the Rhine: Xanten.” (Nibelungenlied 5) . Siegfried grew up in his father's castle and was a crown prince. Siegfried, like his barbarian ancestors, was brawny; this made him an excellent and courageous fighter. Siegfried grew up being famous amongst his people for his strength, being without blemish, and for how fair he was. Siegfried was a prince so he had a formal education in reading and writing, but he also was trained in sword fighting, spear throwing, survival training, and horseback riding. “The most stately women held him in their love; with the zeal which was his due men trained

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