In the ancient Germanic world, heroes are strong men who exude defining personality characteristics that present them as a threat to others. These traits are what make them fearsome, but they are also what pushes these heroes to their deaths. For example, in The Nibelungenlied, Siegfried appears as the confident and omnipotent hero; he is made almost invincible by the blood of a dragon and is killing men left and right using this power. In the Icelandic epic Njals saga, Gunnar seems to be a parallel character to Siegfried: he too is practically invincible with his magic halberd and kills men wherever he goes. Although they are both physically powerful, Siegfried and Gunnar represent opposite poles of heroism. Certainly, they are both considered heroes in the traditional sense, but their relationships with those close to them and their enemies demonstrate that these men have very different values: Siegfried values ​​power and strength, while Gunnar values ​​loyalty and honor. But for both of them, the values ​​that make them heroes also lead them to death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayLike all great heroes, Gunnar and Siegfried are described as the greatest fighters in the land. Despite his parents' concerns, Siegfried travels to Burgundy early in the story and immediately threatens to start a fight and take over the land. Even though he is the intruder, Siegfried intimidates the Burgundians with his confidence in the face of danger. Hagen warns: “We must receive this young lord with more honor than usual, lest we incur his enmity” (page 28). Likewise, the first description readers get of Gunnar is this: He was tall and strong and an excellent fighter. He could brandish a sword and throw a spear with either hand, if he wished...and there was no sport in which it was worth competing with him and it was said that no no man was his equal. (34)Physically, Siegfried and Gunnar appear to be strong and heroic men. However, at one point in the Njals saga, Gunnar says: "What I don't know... is whether I am less manly than other men because killing bothers me more than them" (page 93) . It is this hesitation to kill that marks the main difference between Siegfried and Gunnar. Siegfried is strong and confident and is ready to kill. Because of this, he uses his connections and strength to gain more power and ignores the value of other lives. Gunnar, on the other hand, honors the value of each human and thus honors the relationships he maintains. Siegfried and Gunnar each have a deep friendship with another character in the book. For Siegfried, it's Gunther. For Gunnar, it's Njal. On the surface, both couples seem to have the same relationship dynamic in that they both stand up for their friends whenever they need help. However, this is not entirely true. Siegfried, being a power-hungry hero, has no real relationship with Gunther. A king's power comes from his honor, but Siegfried usurps all of Gunther's power by fighting for him and taking his wife's virginity. If Siegfried would just help his friend, he would not take the ring and garter as a consolation prize for raping his friend's wife. Siegfried doesn't really need Gunther as a friend; he just uses it. On the other hand, Gunnar and Njal both need each other, which is why they have such a close friendship. Njal is not a fighter and Gunnar is not as wise as Njal. Together, as a team, they manage to peacefully overcomethe quarrel between their wives and the frequent troubles Gunnar finds himself in. Although Siegfried defends Gunther's power, Gunnar defends Njal's honor. When Hallgerd forces Sigmund to write a poem mocking Njal and his sons, Gunnar becomes angry and tells Sigmund: You are stupid and incapable of following good advice if you are willing to slander Njal's sons, and worse. , Njal himself, on top of what you have already done to them, and this will lead to your death. And if anyone here repeats these words, he will be sent away and will also bear my wrath. (74) Gunnar further proves his loyalty to Njal by saying this, showing that words can be a powerful testament to friendship. Although both men claim to be in love with their wives, Siegfried and Gunnar each have very different relationships with their wives. For a man with such a big ego, it seems strange that Siegfried would go to such lengths to obtain a wife. But in fact, his pursuit of Kriemhild fits his ego perfectly. His goal is not to capture Burgundy or obtain more wealth, but only to conquer Kriemhild. We already know that Siegfried wins Alberich's greatest treasures and already holds the highest rank in his country. What he doesn't have is a wife. Siegfried does not fall in love with Kriemhild; he falls in love with the idea of ​​obtaining the one great treasure he doesn't have. This is evident from Siegfried's intense desire for Kriemhild before he even sees her. Siegfried declares: "I will take Kriemhild, the beautiful daughter of Burgundy... because of her very great beauty, for even if the most powerful emperors wanted to marry, I know that he would not demean himself by loving the beautiful princess . (23) He knew that she was of rare beauty and that she was a woman that many suitors hoped to woo. Knowing only this, Siegfried views Kriemhild as the ultimate prize for his ego, the final piece of the puzzle that would bring him greater fame. On the other hand, Gunnar is genuinely attracted to his wife, Hallgerd, and wants to marry her despite all warnings. that was given to him. Unlike Siegfried, who was determined to marry Kriemhild before he even met her, Gunnar and Hallgerd had "talked aloud for a long time" (page 53). Even though "Hrut told Gunnar all...about Hallgerd's character and thought at first that there were many faults in Gunnar, it eventually came to an agreement" (page 54). This shows that Gunnar knew that Hallgerd was not perfect, but loved her anyway because he saw her as a person rather than a precious object, like Siegfried saw Kriemhild. Ironically, both heroes were ultimately brought to their end by none other than their own wives. . Siegfried, being an egoist, is overconfident in his strength, leading him to use his power carelessly. Since he only sees Kriemhild as a weak object, he keeps thinking that she would one day be powerful enough to do anything. Therefore, he feels comfortable talking to her about the one spot on her shoulder that isn't invincible. Hagen knows that Siegfried is overconfident and would feel safe exposing his weakness to his wife, and so, Hagen uses this knowledge to manipulate and kill Siegfried. Hagen challenges Siegfried to a race, appealing to Siegfried's competitive nature, and even encourages him by saying that he, Hagen, is no match for Siegfried. Thanks to this ego boost, Siegfried refuses to win in the usual way: he voluntarily handicaps himself. Siegfried tells Hagen that he will "lie down in the grass at your feet, like a handicap... [and] take with me all my equipment, my spear and my shield and all my hunting clothes" (page 130) . Hagen deliberately does not provide wine all day,so that after the race Siegfried gets tired and thirsty and drinks a drink from the stream. This is exactly the vulnerable position Hagen wants him to be in, and he takes advantage of it to attack Siegfried from behind and kill him. Ultimately, it was Siegfried's relationship with Kriemhild that acted as the catalyst for his death. While Siegfried dies because he is too confident in his strength, Gunnar dies because of his stubborn dedication to being loyal and honorable. During the famine, “Gunnar shared hay and food with many people, and all who turned to him received supplies while there was any” (page 79). He continues his generosity until he runs out of supplies and then leaves to buy some from Otkel. Njöl acknowledges Gunnar's generosity by saying: "There is no hope for others if men like him cannot provide themselves" (page 80). Meanwhile, Hallgerd asks the slave to steal food from Otkel. When Gunnar finds out, he slaps her. Even though he has heard all the stories Hrut has told him about Hallgerd's previous husbands, Gunnar does not hold back because he finds it so shameful that his wife would commit such a dishonorable act. Later, Gunnar fights with Gizur, Elif and his brothers. Gunnar is about to win when he decides to shoot his own arrow at them. He wants to do this because he believes that “it would shame them to be hurt by their own weapons” (page 129). Even though his mother urged him not to do it, Gunnar still insists on doing it, because he believes the shame would hurt them more deeply than any physical attack. This attack, however, prompts them to attack him in return and ultimately kill him. When he asks Hallgerd to help him, she refuses because of this slap. Ultimately, it is Gunnar's deep value of honor that kills him. Both heroes, at times, seem to make decisions that seem incongruous to their actions. However, these incongruities only serve to hide their true motivations. In The Nibelungenlied, Gunther is stressed when Liudegast and Liudeger threaten to invade his country. Siegfried selflessly tells Gunther: “If you are looking for friends, I will certainly be one of them, and I hope that I will fulfill them honorably until the end of my days” (page 35). In this case, it seems that Siegfried's true motivation is to help his friend. This “honor” that he would obtain, however, is only a means to an end. He only uses his strength to help Gunther gain more power. His later actions (e.g., raping Brunhild) prove that Siegfried does not truly value honor as he claims. At one point in the Njals saga, Gunnar raids and kills men for over a year. The book graphically describes Gunnar killing people left and right and taking their money. In this case, Gunnar appears to be motivated solely by the lure of power and money. Thanks to this large amount of treasure, Gunnar gains the respect of King Harald Gormsson who offers him even more power and wealth. At this point, Gunnar shows his true colors. He refuses the king's offer, saying that he "wanted to return to Iceland to see his relatives and friends" (page 51). Upon returning home, Gunnar shares his new wealth with his friends. He also tells Njal that he “wants to get along well with everyone” (page 52). Here, Gunnar shows that his pillaging and killings were just a way to gain the respect and honor of those around him. He doesn't really enjoy killing, as he later confides to Njal that he feels guilty every time he kills men. As with Siegfried, Gunnar's contrasting actions are only a means to an end. Keep in mind: this is just one.