In the ancient Germanic world, heroes are strong men who exude personality characteristics that pose them as a threat to others. These traits are what make them formidable, but they're also what drives these heroes to their deaths. For example, in the Nibelungenlied, Siegfried appears as the confident and omnipotent hero; he is made nearly invincible by the blood of a dragon and kills men left and right using this power. In the epic Icelandic saga of Njals, Gunnar appears to be a parallel character to Siegfried: he too is practically unbeatable with his magic halberd and kills men wherever he goes. Even though they are both physically powerful, Siegfried and Gunnar represent opposite poles of heroism. Of course, they are both considered heroes in the traditional sense, but their relationships with their loved ones and enemies demonstrate that these men have very different values: Siegfried values ​​power and strength, while Gunnar values ​​loyalty and honor. For both, however, the values ​​that make them heroes also lead to their death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an 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 at the very beginning of the story and immediately threatens to start a fight and take over the land. Even though he is the intruder, Siegfried intimidates the men of Burgundy with his confidence in the face of danger. Hagen warns that, “We must receive this young gentleman with more honor than usual, lest we incur his enmity” (page 28). Likewise, the first description readers receive of Gunnar is this: He was large and strong and an excellent fighter. He could swing a sword and throw a spear with both hands if he wanted... and there was no sport in which it made sense to compete with him and no man was said to be his equal. (34)Physically Siegfried and Gunnar appear to be strong and heroic men. However, at one point in Njal's saga, Gunnar says, "What I don't know... is whether I am less manly than other men because killing disturbs me more than them" (page 93). It is this reluctance to kill that marks the fundamental difference between Siegfried and Gunnar. Siegfried is strong and confident and is willing to kill. Because of this, he uses his relationships and strength to gain more power and ignores the value of other lives. Gunnar, on the other hand, honors the value of every human being and therefore honors the relationships they have. Siegfried and Gunnar each have a deep friendship with another character in the book. For Siegfried it is Gunther. For Gunnar, it is Njal. On the surface, both couples appear to have the same relationship dynamics as they both stick up for their friends whenever they need help. However, this is not entirely true. Siegfried, being a power-hungry hero, does not have a genuine relationship with Gunther. A king's power comes from his honor, but Siegfried essentially usurps all of Gunther's power by fighting his battles for him and taking his wife's virginity. If Siegfried was simply helping 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's just using 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 overcome the quarrel between their wives and the frequent trouble Gunnar gets into. Although Siegfried defends Gunther's power, Gunnar defends Njal's honor. WhenHallgerd forces Sigmund to write a poem mocking Njal and his sons, Gunnar becomes angry and tells Sigmund: You are foolish and incapable of following good advice if you are willing to slander Njal's sons, and even worse, Njal himself, besides to 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 demonstrates his loyalty to Njal by saying this, demonstrating that words can be a powerful testimony of friendship. Although both men claim to be in love with their wives, Siegfried and Gunnar each have very different relationships with their women. For a man with such a large ego, it seems strange that Siegfried would go to such lengths to get a woman. But in reality his search for Kriemhild is perfectly in line with his ego. His goal is not to conquer Burgundy or gain more wealth, but solely to conquer Kriemhild. We already know that Siegfried gets the greatest treasures from Alberich and already has the highest rank in his country. What he doesn't have is a woman. 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 that: I will take Kriemhild, the beautiful maiden of Burgundy... for her very great beauty, for even if the most powerful emperors desired to marry, I know that he would not humiliate himself by loving the beautiful princess. (23)He knew that she was of rare beauty and was a woman whom many suitors hoped to woo. Knowing only this, Siegfried sees Kriemhild as the ultimate prize for his ego, the final piece of the puzzle that would bring him greater fame. In contrast, Gunnar is sincerely 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 loudly for a long time" (page 53). Although "Hrut told Gunnar... all about Hallgerd's character, and at first thought that Gunnar had many faults, in the end they came to an agreement" (page 54). This shows that Gunnar knew that Hallgerd was not perfect, but he still loves her because he sees her as a person rather than a precious object, like Siegfried saw Kriemhild. Ironically, both heroes were ultimately brought to their demise by none other than their own wives. . Siegfried, being an egoist, is too confident in his own strength, and this leads him to be careless in using his power. Since he only sees Kriemhild as a weak object, he never stops to think that she would ever be powerful enough to do anything. So, he feels comfortable telling her about the one spot on his shoulder that isn't invincible. Hagen knows that Siegfried is overly confident and would feel safe in 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. Through this ego drive, Siegfried refuses to win in the normal way: he handicaps himself on purpose. Siegfried tells Hagen that he "will lie down on the grass at your feet, as a handicap... [and] will carry with me all my equipment, my spear, my shield, and all my hunting clothes" (page 130) . Hagen deliberately does not provide wine for the entire day, so after the race Siegfried becomes tired and thirsty and drinks from the stream. This is exactly the vulnerable position Hagen wants him to be in, and he takes the opportunity to attack Siegfried from behind and kill him. Ultimately, it's the relationship ofSiegfried with Kriemhild who acted as the catalyst for his death. While Siegfried dies because he is overconfident in his strength, Gunnar dies because of his stubborn attachment to being loyal and honorable. During the famine, "Gunnar shared hay and food with many people, and all who came to him received provisions while there was any" (page 79). He continues his generosity until he runs out of supplies and then goes out to buy some from Otkel. Nj?l acknowledges Gunnar's generosity by saying that, "There is no hope for others if men like him cannot get supplies" (Page 80). Meanwhile, Hallgerd convinces the slave to steal food from Otkel. When Gunnar finds out, he slaps her in the face. Even though he had heard all the stories Hrut had told him about Hallgerd's previous husbands, Gunnar does not hold back because he finds it so shameful that his wife would do such a dishonorable act. Later, Gunnar has a battle with Gizur, Elif and his brothers. Gunnar is on the verge of victory when he decides to shoot their own arrow at them. He wants to do this because he believes that “[it would] be a shame for them to be hurt by their own weapons” (page 129). Even though his mother urged him not to, Gunnar still insists on doing so, because he feels that shame would hurt them more deeply than any physical attack. This attack, however, drives them to attack and ultimately kill him. When he asks Hallgerd for help, she refuses because of that slap. Ultimately, it is Gunnar's deep value of honor that kills him. Both heroes, at times, seem to make decisions that seem incongruous with their actions. However, these inconsistencies only serve to hide their true motivations. In The Nibelungenlied, Gunther is stressed when Liudegast and Liudeger threaten to invade his country. Siegfried self-sacrificingly says to Gunther, “If you seek friends, I will surely be one of them, and I trust to conduct myself honorably to the end of my days” (page 35). In this case, it seems that Siegfried's true motive is to help his friend. This “honor” he would obtain, however, is only a means to an end. He's just using his strength to help Gunther gain more power for himself. His later actions (for example, raping Brunhild) demonstrate that Siegfried does not truly value honor as he says he does. At one point in the Njals Saga, Gunnar goes out raiding and killing men for over a year. The book graphically depicts Gunnar killing people left and right and taking their money. In this case, Gunnar seems to be driven solely by the allure of power and money. With this large amount of treasure, Gunnar earns the respect of King Harald Gormsson who offers him even greater 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 newfound wealth with his friends. He also tells Njal that he "wants to get along with everyone" (page 52). Here, Gunnar shows that his pillaging and killing were just a way to gain respect and honor from those around him. He actually dislikes murder, as he later confides in Njal that he feels guilty whenever he kills men. As with Siegfried, Gunnar's conflicting actions are merely a means to an end. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Unexpectedly for the heroes, both Siegfried and Gunnar die very early in their stories. Ironically, it is their heroism that causes their downfall, and this makes the two very similar. Siegfried is a hero because he is.