Die Nibelungen: Siegfried, and the Myth of ‘Myth’

Abstract

This paper sets out to critically discuss and analyse both the scholarly and general implementation of the word ‘myth’ as designator of style, narrative, and cultural significance, within film studies and adjacent academic fields. This is done through an examination of scholarly discourse surrounding the topics of mythology, folk tale, and fairy tale, specifically in regard to Fritz Lang’s film Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924), and, albeit to a lesser extent, its sequel Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Rache (1924). Studies of folkloric narratives within other disciplines are also considered, particularly those that have exercised direct influence on the development of film criticism, such as psychoanalysis. Finally, drawing on film studies, folkloristics, and literature studies, the most prominent parts of this text provide analysis of Die Nibelungen in the light of this discourse.