#kriemhild can and will murder over love

[setrija-nibelungenfangirl]

Day 7

Fanon OTP(s)

My favourite fanon ships are Hagen x Volker and Hagen x Gunther – which I prefer changes every now and then.

Hagen x Volker:

These two share such an intimate bond as brothers in arms: they always support each other and their declarations of friendship and love are some of the sweetest moments in the Nibelungenlied. Hagen getting mad with rage after Volker is killed by Hildebrand is the tragic cherry on top.

Another main reason why I like them lies in a major theme of the second Nibelungenlied part: the portrayal of heroic exorbitance. There is a value shift in the text after the Burgundians cross the Danube: Starting from Hagen the Burgundians increasingly orientate their behaviour towards a warrior ethos, according to which the one way to increase one’s honor is to not shy away from a fight – to rush towards the opponent instead – and to inflict as much damage as possible to the opposing side (= kill as many enemies as possible). To accept their doom, to provoke fate, becomes the new agenda of the Burgundians. This is a really toxic mindset from a modern perspective (probably already from a medieval one), but it’s really fascinating to me and a very big and dark appeal of the Nibelungenlied, I haven’t mentioned yet.

And the pair of Hagen and Volker exemplifies this aspect of the Nibelungenlied in a big way in my eyes. They encourage traits of exorbitant heroism within the other by supporting each other in their aggressive behavior: Hagen rushing to Volker’s aid after the latter murdered one of the huns during the tournament, Volker aiding Hagen when he makes a widow cry by presenting her the sword of her death husband. Also, Volker is just like Hagen a master in the art of provocation, which makes him further the perfect match for mister ‘Yeah, I killed your husband, watcha gonna do about it, hm?’.

I also like the fanon interpretation of Volker being a more free-spirited person, who likes to enjoy life (and maybe to also flirt xD) due to him being a musician – maybe even with a somewhat sensitive, artistic side? Which is a great contrast to Hagen, who I like to imagine to be more occupied with his duties and therefore more stuck up and less likely to just relax once and a while.

Hagen x Gunther:

Their power dynamic is just so interesting to me. Normally, it is assumed that the king is the one with the clearly greater power and decision-making authority. But this dynamic often seems to be turned on its head with the two of them. Hagen is often the one who makes decisions independently and convinces Gunther of them or simply enforces them over Gunther's head (in the second part of the Nibelungenlied). However, Hagen does not seem to do this to disempower Gunther, but on the contrary to promote his interests and strengthen his position as king. Nor does Gunther seem to be bothered by the fact that Hagen has this great decision-making power as a vassal. On the contrary, he seems to be used to it and even consciously wants it – at least that is one possible conclusion that can be drawn from the stanza 119 of the Nibelungenlied:

Hagen actually acts appropriately when, as a vassal, he does not interfere in the dialogue between two king’s sons (Gunther and Siegfried) – but this is exactly the kind of interference Gunther wants and expects from him here. Which, I think, says a lot about their everyday dynamics.

There are also tensions and differences of opinion between the two in the Nibelungenlied (there are one or two scenes, where they do seem to get a bit rude towards each other), but despite these differences they stick together. I kinda really like the scene of Gunther defending Hagen at the Cruentation – despite it being only one line (probably because of the mental image I have of that scene). And of course, further moments demonstrating their bond are the scenes of Gunther and his brothers not handing over Hagen to Kriemhild and Hagen not revealing the hiding place of the hoard to Kriemhild.

Hagen's backstory, that he spent his childhood and youth as a hostage at Etzel’s court in Gunther’s place, also adds an interesting aspect to their dynamic. And the Waltharius can provide further material for additional angst between the two.

Hagen x Walther:

I also like Hagen x Walther for being childhood friends and comrades in arms, who share a deep and intimate bond: Hagen almost not being able to leave Walther’s embrace, before fleeing to Worms. Walther lamenting, where their famous harmony went. The sight of Hagen letting Walther forget about his father and not caring much about his home.

Them spending their childhood and youth as hostages in a faraway land as well as the events of the Waltharius itself leave plenty of room for angst and complicated feelings between these two. Their friendship surviving and these two laughing together, despite mutilating each other mere moments ago, is a bitter sweet ending in the Waltharius.

[haljathefangirlcat]

By the way, what are your thoughts on Glaumvor and Kostbera, if you had to include them in your "ideal" version of the story? Especially Kostbera. In terms of being difficult to get along with, much less remain married to, I would rate Hagens on a scale of Rosengarten Hagen > Nibelungenlied Hagen > Wagner Hagen > Volsung Saga Hogni > Thidrekssaga Hogni > Ballad Hogni. And of course Waltharius Hagen is the prequel where he isn't quite so intense, murderous, or scheming. And especially in the Continental sources, where there's no mention of a wife, it's hard to imagine him finding the time to get married with how much he's stuck babysitting his lord or friends. So if Kostbera exists, is she just clearing out of the room so Walther or Volker can take over and deal with Hagen's bad moods?

I've actually never tried to mix the canons, so to say, when it comes to these two.

As you said, Hagen never gets a wife or even a passing love interest in Continental sources -- he really seems like the sort of guy who'd always be too busy fixing up everyone's messes (and then, sometimes, contibuting to making even bigger ones, lol) to even think about that sort of thing, but to me, there's also the way he just feels almost removed from women and their whole sphere, in a sense. In the Nibelungenlied, he remembers Helche fondly, but she's already dead by that point and doesn't even figure in that story; he seems to like Gotelinde, but when they do meet in person, he really only talks to her due to the shield of another man, her dead brother, and then, that whole interaction between them serves mainly to set up the pretext that later allows him not to fight Rudiger; he seems to agree with every other man in Bechlaren that Dietlinde is lovely, but rather than appreciating her himself, he's more concerned with setting up a marriage for Giselher (and thus, an alliance for the Burgundians), while from Dietlinde's point of view, he seems to be the only strange new man in her home to intimidate her; Kriemhild clearly trusts him and feels comfortable with him in the beginning, but the one scene where we really see that dynamic between them is already the one where he's using her to find out how to kill Siegfried without any apparent regret even while addressing her in fairly affectionate terms, and their relationship only goes downhill from there; he goes from calling Brunhild a devil to passionately swearing he'll avenge her honor, but tbh, to me both of these things seem more like they're about Brunhild's shifting relationship to Gunther, rather than about Brunhild as her own person. And even in the Waltharius, his interactions with (the woefully underutilized) Hildegund pretty much boil down to a "hey, Walther, tell your girl to pour us some wine." I'm not saying that I see him as incapable of having significant relationship with women (on the contrary, I'll cling with all my strength to the scraps we get of his affection for Helche, the possibility of a pre-mess positive-if-deteriorating relationship with Kriemhild, and that one source of the story of Walther that's eluding me rn but where Walther apparently wants to flee with Hagen but Hagen stops him and is all like "wtf, no, Hildegund is great and she deserves better than you abandoning her like this"), or even that I don't ship him women (I do!), but when it's so much easier to build on his relationships with men (as much as those are still, ofc, influenced by hierarchies and alliances), imagining a stable straight relationship of any kind, much less a marriage, for him is just something that always feels a bit too much of a hassle or even too out of left field to me.

When it comes to Gunther's wife, too, I prefer to go with the Nibelungenlied/Klage version, where Brunhild doesn't kill herself but rather stays alive at least until the coronation of Siegfried Jr., her son with Gunther. I actually like to imagine she took on a role as Siegfried Jr.'s chief advisor, with a good chunk of Worm's best knights dead in Etzel's court and Ute being presumably grief-stricken. My girl can (try to) put the entire mess behind her and be a well-respected and influential Queen Mother with a son to shape as she pleases guide and no husband to answer to, as a treat. But that leaves little room for a second marriage...

On the Norse side of things, on the other hand, I see both Hogni/Kostbera and Gunnar/Glaumvor as complex relationships. The former because what little we see of them involves Kostbera repeatedly trying to warn Hogni off the journey to Hunaland and Hogni outright dismissing her fears (to reassure her? To reassure himself? He just kinda snapped at her because he had a lot on his mind? All plausible options, imo) but, at the same time, they worked well enough together to have three or four kids; the latter, because they essentially have a repeat of the warning scene between Kostbera and Hogni, except Gunnar concludes it by admitting he actually agrees with Glaumvor but will face the danger anyway, but also because I can't imagine Glaumvor never heard anything about the whole thing with Brynhild and married Gunnar with a light-hearted, optimistic attitude. I picture both as arranged marriages, with no big "I'd leap through the flames for you" moment, and I think that, while Kostbera may have married Hogni pretty readily around the time Gunnar married Brynhild and Gudrun married Sigurd or shortly after because marrying into the Gjukungs was probably looking like a great prospect at the time, Glaumvor may have been pushed into Gunnar's arms by relatives trying to inch their own way closer to Sigurd's gold. I don't see either Hogni or Gunnar as the type to mistreat his wife (... well, beyond the occasional deception) but I imagine both relationship as relatively detached in the beginning, then warming up slowly and gradually through the years, especially in Glaumvor's case.

If I had to mesh those two visions together, I think I'd have Kostbera and Hagen as two sharp, strong-willed people who do have some things in common yet feel distant and slightly awkward around each other nonetheless, with Kostbera either slightly lonely and resentful of Hagen for being more dedicated to his duty and closer to his male friends (or "friends") than to her but also slightly grateful at the same time for the chance to mostly just do her own thing without her husband sticking his nose into her business, or having her own tightly-knit and kind of dramatic circle of female friends (or, again, "friends") as a contrast to his own dynamics, or a bit of both. As for Glaumvor and Gunther, I'd imagine the same uncertainty and shyness I usually pick for Glaumvor and Gunnar... only taken even further and a lot more difficult to grow past, what with Kriemhild still being in Worms for a while after Siegfried's death/being seemingly sent off to a land of pagans after having her husband murdered. Yup, Glaumvor would really be like "oh god, what DID I get myself into" about it.

(Btw, I sort of cackled a bit at seeing Wagner!Hagen in the middle of that ranking, tbh. Not that I don't love him a lot (<33333) but my boy is self-loathing on legs plus generalized misanthropy to go with the usual murder plus a horrible sleeping schedule probably plus terrible family dynamics no matter where you look... and just the thought of Wagner!Alberich as a father-in-law is, imo, terrifying. XDD As for Waltharius!Hagen, he literally waxes poetry about the human condition and needs to be comforted with hugs and kisses when he's upset. I want to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair. <333)

[lightheaded-dullahan]

Ah fuck I’ve got a few words about some revaluations in Kriemhild’s profile…

So in the big bond 5 and I believe her line to Siegfried - she’s basically become bitter and hateful of Siegfried upon finding out from Hagen that the only reason Hagen killed him was for his own sake. And how her entire revenge was for someone who didn’t even love her (her own words).

Except…that’s such an awful interpretation??? Especially from Kriemhild.

Siegfried’s entire thing during the drama of his wife, his brother in law, and Brünnhilde is that HE believes he is to blame. That all the suffering his wife, and everyone else is going through, can be solved with his death. It often reads to me as Siegfried being heavily suicidal- and turns his death into instead of a perceived betrayal to instead an assisted suicide. Hagen even knows himself he’ll go down as an evil villain - but he does it because it is the one thing Siegfried has ever asked for.

Now, sure, we can blame Siegfried for what happens afterwards. But Kriemhild is the one who revealed his weak spot. Surely she has blame? But no, Hagen tricked her into revealing it.

Well we can’t blame Hagen , he already took the blame with his killing of Siegfried. But he’s not to blame.

It always goes back to Gunther. Kriemhild’s brother. HES always the one it goes back to.

The whole reason Brünnhilde thinks Siegfried is a vassel and thus gets into a fight with Kriemhild? Because Gunther refused to let Siegfried be with Kriemhild unless he helped him win the queen.

The whole reason Brünnhilde wants Siegfried dead? Gunther commanded Siegfried to strip her down for him when she easily hung him up because she wasn’t happy being married to him.

Kriemhild and Siegfried are both victims in the story. Siegfried’s death is the catalyst for revenge. But the way they handle her reaction feels

Wrong.

It feels like, in a sort of disgusting way, that it’s supposed to be to allow her to be free for the players to imagine themselves in. Maybe that’s not it, and I’m just overthinking - but considering so much else ? I can believe it.

And I hate it.

All it does is reinforce that Siegfried was the true villain. He was no hero. All he did was cause suffering.

It was *never* Siegfried alone who caused suffering. Siegfried is shown time and time again to give himself such little wants of his own that it doesn’t make sense.

Siegfried has done three things for himself.

1. He asked Hagen to kill him, to spare his wife and Brünnhilde from their suffering

2. He gave up his heart to Sieg so that he could live- not because he was asked to, but because he wanted to

And-

3. He came to court Kriemhild because he had fallen in love with her.

The only thing Siegfried and Kriemhild did to deserve their suffering was fall in love with one another.

And I hate how even that has been taken from them now.

[cyborg-squid]

Love-belt 6.5

love, it’s about crazy love, it’s about obsessive love, Fate’s always had a lot of this but you can see it a lot in Higashide’s work from the very beginning

Gilles love for Jeanne creating Jalter, Medb’s desire for control over Cu leading to Cu Alter, Jason not being able to bear Medea’s god-cursed love, Orion being able to bear (heh) Artemis’ painful goddess love cause he loves her back and his super strong form being him literally receivin that love, Sigurd receiving Brynhild’s maddened love and also being strongest for it, Charlotte’s speech in Atlantis, LB Odysseus lacking love for Penelope and losing because of it, Circe’s more realistic getting over her feelings for a man who doesn’t love her back

AND SO FROM THIS! We can see how Salome is thematically involved with Lostbelt 6.5, with a lot of her maddened love aspects being played up via Innocent Monster which also ties in with Lostbelt 6.5 “Life and death of a certain fantasy”. and then Kriemhild too, her love for Siegfried driving her to madness and murder after his death, and Roland, a lot of his madness coming from the poem series with ‘Orlando Innamorato’ and ‘Orlando Furioso’ where he is cursed to fall in love with a lady who doesn’t love him back and where a lot of his Berserker-ness (both comical and not) comes from.

And of course. Tales of chivalry, chivalry stories, chivalric romances, how could it be about anything but love?!

[dweemeister]

Woman in the Moon (1929, Germany)

By the end of the 1920s, humanity could envision a world where spaceflight might be possible. Several decades before that, the science fiction books of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and others thrilled viewers with promise of adventure and the unknown. Also capturing that interest in space would be Georges Méliès’ film, A Trip to the Moon (1902, France) – even if you have never heard of this film, you may be familiar with its most iconic frame. A Trip to the Moon is one of the first science fiction films ever made and, for the 1900s decade, among the most innovative of its time. Though other filmmakers around the world dabbled in science fiction, the genre never truly took off until mid-century.

One of the few filmmakers bringing a sense of spectacle to sci-fi silent films was German director Fritz Lang, best known today for Metropolis (1927) and M (1931). Because of its release in between Metropolis and M, Woman in the Moon tends to be underseen and undermentioned. But, like Metropolis and A Trip to the Moon, it is a silent film exemplar of science fiction. It is a remarkable piece of entertainment in its second half, even as it wastes too much of its runtime on a tiresome subplots that involve gangsters and romance. When Lang brings his showmanship during the crew’s trip to the Moon, the results are unlike any other filmmaker working in cinema at that time.

Businessman Helius (Willy Fritsch) meets with his friend, Professor Mannfeldt (Klaus Pohl), to discuss developments over Helius’ plans to journey to the Moon. The mission was inspired by the Professor’s hypothesis that the Moon, “is rich in gold” – something that has attracted the mockery of his fellow academics. In the shadows, an unidentified gang sends a man calling himself “Walter Turner” (Fritz Rasp) to spy on Mannfeldt and Helius. More trouble comes to Helius when he learns his assistants Windegger (Gustav von Wangenheim) and Friede (Gerda Maurus) announce their engagement. Helius, who has never confessed his love for Friede, finds himself in an awkward romantic bind in the events leading up to launch. On launch day, Helius, his assistants, and Professor Manfeldt board the Friede. But their crew complement includes two others: Walter Turner (who threatens his way onboard) and a stowaway child, Gustav (Gustl Gstettenbaur).

Thea von Harbou, Lang’s wife from 1922-1933, wrote the screenplay, adapting her book The Rocket to the Moon. Just a quick glance through her filmography recalls a number of great Lang-von Harbou collaborations: Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), the Die Nibelungen saga (1924), and Metropolis. She truly is one of the great screenwriters of early cinema, but Woman in the Moon is an underwhelming display of her talents. Von Harbou mires with its Earth-bound scenes, and Woman in the Moon reaps no benefits from its spy subplot. There is a straight science-fiction story buried somewhere in this overlong 169-minute film, but von Harbou overstuffs her screenplay with the potential sabotage of the rocket to the Moon. Never does the viewer feel that Lang’s astronauts are in danger of being blasted to smithereens in outer space or that “Walter Turner” will ever succeed in whatever murderous plots he has hatched. Isolated from whatever themes Woman in the Moon wishes to present, the love triangle that slowly overtakes the rest of the film always feels vestigial to this overcooked story. Compare this overwrought, yet underwritten romantic drama to Metropolis, where the relationship between Gustav Fröhlich’s Freder and Brigitte Helm’s Maria outlines perfectly the tension of their society’s industrial hierarchies and the geography that separates the classes.

Woman in the Moon truly defies gravity only after its launch and touchdown on the lunar surface. The cinematography team led by Curt Courant (1934’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1938’s La Bête Humaine) capture the terror of early spaceflight better than some of the more expensive American sci-fi productions would in the 1950s and ‘60s. The speculative lunar sets – which look more like Méliès’ vision for A Trip to the Moon than anything recognizable from the Moon – tower over the movie’s intrepid astronauts as they explore this lifeless (unlike Méliès’ vision) celestial body.

The screenplay, camerawork, production design, and special effects seen in The Woman in the Moon come from the most widely accepted scientific theories of the late 1920s concerning astrophysics and the nature of the Moon. Where some aspects might feel dated (that includes the appearance and breathable atmosphere of the lunar surface and the submersion of the rocket into water before launch), others are prescient. The explanation of how the rocket’s flightpath is so prophetic that it seems as if Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang sat in on an Apollo mission briefing by NASA. Woman in the Moon also contains the first countdown to launch seen in a sci-fi film (yes, the launch countdown is an invention of Woman in the Moon), as well as a multistage rocket that jettisons parts of the rocket as it exits Earth’s atmosphere. Prior to launch, the rocket’s assembly in a separate structure before transportation out to the launchpad – where it will blast off to space. For a film released in an era that did not make much use of seat belts and Velcro, the utter violence and human disorientation of a rocket launch requires the astronauts to strap themselves into their bunks and hold onto surface restraints.

The frantic editing and startling cinematography of these scenes, coupled with the film’s undercurrent of distrust and ulterior motives, are a Lang staple during the most technically accomplished scenes of his filmography. It is there in the worker montages of Metropolis, the elaborate assassination scene of Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, and the horrific battle sequence of Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild’s Revenge. Those Lang hallmarks find their way late in Woman in the Moon, well past the point where they might have been effective in alleviating the film of its structural issues. Though Woman in the Moon might not be as influential as any of those aforementioned movies, Lang’s propulsive sense of action is apparent in the film’s second half. Like a silent era John Frankenheimer, Lang is in full control of the film’s tension – knowing when and when not to apply these techniques to heighten the viewer’s adrenaline.

Not nearly as a widely-discussed for Woman in the Moon is its final moments. The film’s concluding dilemma is startling. It precipitates into a situational solution that does not grant a narrative resolution. Are Lang and von Harbou attempting to comment on the lengths of selfishness, of the tension intrinsic between science and human avarice that can endanger others? Or is it more cynical of scientific discovery and technological progression than it might appear? Woman in the Moon wastes too much time on its romantic triangle before even approaching questions as nuanced as these.

However one interprets this, Woman in the Moon – more popular with general audiences than film critics and those noting that Universum Film AG (UFA) executive Alfred Hugenberg was beginning to align himself with the Nazi Party – arrived in German theaters at a time of political upheaval. Among the politically inclined, Woman in the Moon proved divisive: leftists derided its alleged Nazi subtext and the Nazis approved of this depiction of a technologically advanced, forward-thinking Germany. Shortly following Hitler’s ascendancy to German Chancellor in 1933, the Nazis banned A Woman in the Moon and seized the film’s rocket models due to how accurate its depiction of rocketry was. At this time, the Nazis, with a team led by Wernher von Braun, were deep into researching the V-2 rocket – the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile.

Detractors of Woman in the Moon dismissed Lang and the film as curios of Germany’s cinematic past. With synchronized sound films all the rage since 1927, Woman in the Moon proved to be Lang’s final silent film. Today, the movie is Lang’s final epic, before he transitioned into a career leaning heavily on film noir. The scenes of greatest interest to silent film and sci-fi fans arrives deep in the film, after too many stultifying conversations and lovelorn looks from the main characters. In its greatest spurts, Woman in the Moon’s scientific speculation heralds a future beset by self-interest, yet heaven-bound.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[madokamagicasecrets]

The girls transformation sequences in Rebellion! (Sorry if this has been asked before)

Alright, I took a long time to figure this one out and I’m sure I haven’t caught everything but I think this should give a lot of information out about this sequence. 

Mami’s most interesting characteristic is breaking out of her own silhouette. I have seen mention of it looking like a grief seed, but I think that misses the mark. At first she resembles a soul gem, but then distorts into the shape of a soul gem exploding (as we have seen from Sayaka’s transformation), then her contorted body is torn apart and the actual Mami breaks out of her. Immediately before we can also see a screen that shows her name in runes, with her muskets crossed above it and 2 twin silhouettes of her body shaped like a soul gem. I personally think there’s an overarching message here, specifically hinting at the existence of a witch being born.  Currently what I find the most cryptic is the flowers that are a theme during her sequence. If I could just determine what kinds of flowers they were maybe I could grasp at some symbolism? 

Kyoko’s dance is confusion unless you do some studying. Thanks to a collaborative effort between myself and some friends on a Madoka Magica discord, it was determined that the many-armed dance was reminiscent of a goddess from Hindu mythology, called Durga. Durga is a many-armed goddess of war, whose mythology generally surrounds combating evils and...get this...demons. Seeing a theme here? That isn’t to say there isn’t also a theme here about who Kyoko is as a person. The flames in the background could represent not only burning her past and abandoning her wish, but also the literal fire that burned down her home and church. That seems to be solidified by her literally tearing that imagery apart with her distorted and twisted face seen for a few seconds, perhaps representing her initial trauma? The lines over her figure could mean a few things, but my personal best guess is the represent a connection to faith, something that holds strong even after her father’s murder-suicide.

Sayaka starts by breakdancing, perhaps a reference to Kyoko’s affinity for dance machines and electronic music in contrast to Kyosuke’s love for classical. She then charges into herself as a magical girl, representing her impulsive choice to charge into being a magical girl without much consideration. There doesn’t seem to be much Rebellion foreshadowing here, but I have a reason in my mind as to why that will become clear as I get through these. It’s also worth noting that Sayaka’s transformation has a similar card showing her name in runes, surrounded by a ring of musical notes. I wonder if the notes correspond to an actual song? 

Homura’s sequence is probably the most solidly able to be understood, and also the one that’s the most dark. She starts by stumbling on her interpretive dance, which makes sense given her Moemura persona, but then witch’s runes appear, but they’re different than the one’s we’ve seen before. In order, they read “To mistress, we are bored” (possibly a message from her familiars?) “I kill myself” (eloquently put, also this set of runs is surrounded by Clara doll heads), and “They glorify death” (perhaps her opinion on other magical girls?). She is then shown jumping through film frames, probably a metaphor for timeline hopping. A blurred vision of some kind of world shows briefly before she erupts out of it surrounded by dark tendrils. In my mind this is her self-awareness that she’s toxic and she’s trying to escape her own vicious cycles, but it could also be her subconscious telling her she’s in a dream and trying to wake up. Specifically I find it interesting that her final dance movement is a bow, with her face to the floor, considering her absolute worship of Madokami later in the film. 

Madoka’s is the brightest of all the transformations but it’s also rich with imagery. She starts with a grid of 9 Madokas, perhaps representing her omniprescence. Silhouettes of her also travel across film, but this time there’s a line that crosses over the frames, indicating she once again exists everywhere...but also every time. She does not hop across timelines like Homura. She’s already everywhere. We then see her eye peering through her fingers directly at the screen, which I think is a representation of her being able to see everything. However, at a deeper level, it could be her peering into Homura’s labyrinth, which would fit nicely into the continued symbol of the window in the film, which supposedly represents Homura’s window to escape, specifically via Madoka’s hands and good will (even including her hands extending out of them near the end). The most interesting factor, though, is the ending. She poses in front of a rainbow ring, something we see in Homulilly’s labyrinth in the film. However, it could also be a general nod to the brocken spectre, a type of light and shadow that’s heavily associated with Walpurgisnacht, Madokami, Kriemhild Gretchen and by extension, Homulilly.

A few notes on the continuity between these sequences: First, each girl’s sequence is overlayed with a remix of a theme that represents them from the show. Most use their standard themes, but Homura and Madoka are different. Homura’s is used during sad moments, and Madoka’s is her goddess theme. I think that this is not only a nod toward Homura’s knowledge of Madoka being a goddess, but also her sadness knowing she is, given her whole struggle in the movie is the idea that Madoka no longer needs protecting, which nullifies her wish and reason for living. She has been abandoned, which is further reflected in the opening of the movie, where everyone is happily dancing around a small Homura shrouded in shadow, almost in a mocking fashion. This is how Homura views the world and her former allies, now. You may recall I pointed out that only a few magical girls had hints toward Homura being a witch in them, namely Kyoko with her nods toward demon hunting, Mami’s display of a witch being born, Madoka peering into the dream and Homura’s breaking out of a dream. These are the only girls who were not part of Madoka’s plan, and were only told about the plan after her agents, Sayaka and Nagisa arrived. Madoka is an odd case but keep in mind the Madoka that Homura recreated from memory is different from the actual Madokami initiating this escape plan. It may not make sense initially for the girls not associated with Madokami’s scheme to be foreshadowing Homura’s fate, but remember that These girls are now part of Homura’s dream. As Homura goes through the path of Rebellion, she detects small hints that the world is fake, as if her subconscious actually knows and is trying to alert her. In that view, it actually makes sense that pawns in her dream would hint at such things. 

Phew, that’s all I’ve got! I’m almost positive there’s more to this, so if anyone can add anything please do! 

[takaraphoenix]

Fairy Tale Recap: The Song of the Nibelungs

I know, I said I was totally done with the Fairy Tale Recaps, but you never know what you might stumble over.

I would also technically not count this as a fairy tale - because I define fairy tale as a) unrelated to any existing mythological canon and b) too short to fill an actual book.

Now, the main reason why I’m making this exception and want to talk about this story is that I, myself, had a lot of misconceptions about the story. I’ve never actually heard the full story prior to today and always just vaguely pieced something together in my head based by the popular information floating around.

Let me also at this point mention something to gain my Marvel-fan followers’ attention: The Song of the Nibelungs is the story of Brunhilde, aka Valkyrie. Because the Norse gods, very much like the Greek gods, have a duality to themselves; they are also the Germanic gods, with some name-changes (Odin = Wodan, Thor = Donar, etc).

Somehow, I always assumed Siegfried and Brunhilde were a) the main characters and b) the main pairing. Neither of those assumptions is actually true and that’s why I want to make a recap of the story.

Now, Brunhilde is a true warrior queen, much like the Norse Valkyrie queen Brynhildr. She is also powerful, magical and strong. She does not bow down to any man and whoever wants her hand in marriage has to beat her in three different sportsy competitions. If you lose, you die.

Siegfried knows her. They’re accquaintances from the battlefield, you can say. But nothing more than that. Siegfried is not interested in her; he has set his eyes on Kriemhilde - the most beautiful maiden in all the lands.

That’s actually how our story opens; with a description of just how beautiful and wildly wanted Kriemhilde is. Because Kriemhilde is our actual protagonist.

Now Siegfried, he’s super in love with her, but doesn’t quite know how to court her. Sure, he conquered Norway and gained its vast magical treasures (Norway is here called Nibelungs. Yep. That’s what our story’s about), and sure he slayed Fafnir the dragon and bathed in his blood to become invincible Achilles-style, and sure he beat a dwarf and stole his magical artifacts, but... talking to a woman? Now that’s asking too much.

So Siegfried makes a plan. He goes and aids Kriemhilde’s three older brothers in a battle, gaining their favor and trust. They invite him along to their castle, where Siegfried... does not actually get to meet Kriemhilde just yet, because she is kept away from the knights. He lives there for a whole damn year and in that time, Kriemhilde falls in love with him too. Because while she is not allowed contact to the knights, she still watches them from her window and she admires Siegfried. Slowly, they actually do get to meet and interact and fall properly in love.

And when the year is up and Siegfried is ready to part, the three older brothers still somehow think they owe him one for helping them out. Like hosting him for an entire year wasn’t enough. And he asks for Kriemhilde’s hand. Which is asking too much. Instead, Siegfried makes a bargain with one of Kriemhilde’s brothers - Gunther. If Siegfried can help Gunther get the girl of his dreams, then Siegfriend and Kriemhilde can get married.

Now, three guesses who Gunther’s dream-girl is? Right. It’s fierce warrior queen Brunhilde.

Gunther however... Gunther is a weakling and Siegfried instantly knows that the guy would never stand a chance in a competition against Brunhilde. So Siegfried agrees to help Gunther cheat his way through the competitions.

As previously established though, Brunhilde and Siegfried know each other. She knows he is a formidable fighter, so to not raise suspicions, Siegfried claims he’s there as Gunther’s right-hand-man/servant.

During the competitions, Siegfried uses his cap of invisibility to best Brunhilde and make it look like it’s Gunther who did it. With all three competitions won, a double-wedding is arranged - Gunter and Brunhilde, Siegfried and Kriemhilde.

You might think that’s where the happily-ever-after kicks in, but we’re literally not even half way through. This is where the cheating and deceiving kicks it up a notch.

Because Brunhilde is still skeptical as to how this weak little man could best her, so she demands the truth. Gunther, not being a good liar, isn’t able to convince her. He just really wants to have sex. She is not having any of that, so she knocks him out, ties him up and hangs him onto a hook in the wall like he’s a jacket.

He did not find that very funny so he asks Siegfried for help again. This is where Siegfried is getting majorly unlikable for me because he essentially helps Gunther rape Brunhilde.

Siegfried wrestles Brunhilde in bed, until she admits defeat and submits. Only that again, she is left to believe it was Gunther who bested her and earned her respect and submission.

Siegfried sneaks out while the wedding night proceeds, only that he first steals something from Brunhilde to show his own wife, who is left wondering where her husband went on the wedding night.

So Brunhilde is deceived and tricked not just into sex but also into a marriage that is not what she wants. On top of that, she loses her magical powers when she loses her virginity - one of the reasons why she did not want to take a husband to begin with and only wanted one who would be truly her equal and deserving of her.

Even years later, she still doubts how Gunther could have ever bested her and, suspecting Siegfried to be involved somehow, she insists on Siegfried and Kriemhilde coming over for a visit again.

That’s when disaster strikes, because the wives are confronted. Brunhilde riles Kriemhilde up, because she still thinks Siegfried is some kind of servant to Gunther (as he posed during the competition). Kriemhilde however counters by revealing the truth to Brunhilde, showing her the items Siegfried had stolen during the wedding night.

Chaos ensues.

A malicious servant of Kriemhilde’s, who was never happy with being forced to come along with the princess when she moved in with her husband and would have rather preferred to stay in the kingdom and serve his  three kings, sees this as an opportunity to rid himself of Siegfried and get a chance to return home.

He convinces Gunther that Siegfried dishonored both Brunhilde and Gunther’s sister Kriemhilde and that the only solution is killing Siegfried.

Now, I’d like to remind you of the whole “bathed in dragon-blood” thing mentioned earlier. Invincible, aside from one spot on his body that had been covered with a leaf when he took his bath of invincibility. Kriemhilde, being Siegfried’s loving wife, knows where that spot is. And the bastard traitor tricks her, convincing her that as a trusted and loyal servant who would fight at King Siegfried’s side, he needs to know where that spot is so he can protect it. She... marks it on Siegfried’s shirt.

Siegfried is killed, Kriemhilde swears vengeance, Brunhilde returns home to become a warrior queen all on her own again.

Everything quiets down for thirteen years in which Kriemhilde schemes and mourns. She gets hitched to a new guy with an army and she also spends the Nibelungs treasure on hiring loyal men for her act of revenge.

We close with a huge final battle that Kriemhilde’s forces win and she then gets to personally decapitate the murderer of Siegfried. Now that’s what you’d call a happy ending.

[empty-dream]

Just a (late) random babbling

So I’ve been hyping for Sigurd for like, years actually. If that’s not apparent enough. Why?

First, because I love Bryn. It’s vague, but I think I first knew the myth of Brynhild by the time CCC came out, and/or thanks to Brynhildr in the Darkness manga (even though I stopped midway.) And then FGO Bryn appears, followed by Fragments. Either way, I find her tale incredibly interesting.

I’m not a myth, history, or literature expert. Just a very casual fan here. But the concept of a woman so angry over a betrayal that she snapped, arranged an entire conspiracy to get revenge, killed her (ex) beloved and yet chose to kill herself and perish in his pyre intrigues me. I know there are a lot of versions and the details of the damage and victims as well as the end of the story are varied, not to mention kinda really twisted. My point is, it’s wild. After all that hatred and vengeance, she still loved him enough to die with him. I love my tragic love stories but I never actually took seriously the mythical/classical ones until this. Probably because it’s a mixture of ‘if only that one thing didn’t happen’, a woman retaliating against her problem instead of quietly wasting away, and ‘ancient yandere.’

And talking within the scope of Nasuverse, that leads to a question: What kind of man is Sigurd, the man whom this Bryn kills out of hate and love? Apparently there are some materials about him before his actual debut in FGO.

Second, from said materials, I get the gist of what he could possibly be like. Bryn describes him having some icy feature. And coupled with how he speaks, most probably he’d be a stiff, serious, no-nonsense man. And he’d definitely have glasses. So yeah, strict student council president. Or that cold rich businessman. You know, the kind of emotionally-constipated love interest in shoujo manga that the heroine falls hard for, but when shit hits the fan, he will swoop in to save the day and the girl.

His stiffness aside, for me it’s obvious from what’s written that he really does love Bryn. But he seems like the type that wants to make everyone happy, because that’s his job, yet in the end fails to recognize someone’s personal happiness. In short, he is another Nasu deconstruction of selfless hero. Honestly, the tragedy would never have happened if the moment he regained his memories, he acted selfishly just once, took Bryn and ran away leaving everyone and everything else crumbled in conflicts. But he didn’t. And he paid it with his life, and Bryn’s sanity plus her own life.

I remember long before his appearance, some people called him a jerk. For what he did, to some extent I admit he deserves that. But I think tragic jerk characters can be valued as either “an ass, but with painful reasons” or “painful reasons, but still an ass.” Bottom line is, I wanted to know which one Sigurd would fall into.

Aaaand which bring us to him.

IIDA TENYA GO BACK TO UA

My guess are mostly right, though I never imagined Type Moon will make him a massive glasses nerd. And moreover he responds to Brynhild’s murderous love in such a way that is both heroic and adorable? He calls Bryn’s name when he’s defeated. I mean, I can’t.

I still want to know tho, if he regrets his decision. Or if he thinks his choice was necessary and worth the tragedies in the end. Or if he doesn’t want to dwell on it and just focus on the present. On a side note, after Götterdämmerung, he has a line saying he acknowledged he was tricked by some people including Gudrun/Kriemhild so he won’t be deceived ever again. That way, maybe he is leaning to the last one. Idk, maybe interludes and material book will provide more info about that.

Tl;dr: I love Bryn and her tale, and I had a vague idea how Sigurd would be like. I also had a lot of guesses regarding his actual personality and motive surrounding his relationship with Bryn. Some answered, some not, some unexpectedly happened. Overall, I’m very happy with how he turns out in FGO.

[nordiixa-blog]

✕    So I hit three thousand posts this afternoon, and I want to thank all my followers and writing partners for being there for me through this adventure with Brynhildr. Some of you know that I also write an Altera, but Brynhildr is my precious angel, and I understand she can be a little hard to interact with at times because... well, she’s Brynhildr. Just some special personal messages for people that I consider myself a little closer with, or perhaps I just speak to more ooc underneath the cut. In no particular order at all.  ♥

@voyvodas​.

✕  Count. I’ve had so much fun plotting out everything between Vlad and Brynhildr, I can’t even explain it. I can’t say that I expected... all this... with Vlad at all. Frankly, I didn’t know Vlad was even a Fate character until I wrote with you, but I figured --- hey, I like Vlad the Impaler from real history, so why not? And here we are now, with these tragic kind-of-manic touched-in-the-head oddballs who are just so interesting together being adorable at each other. Who knew that Vlad III was secretly her perfect man? I love writing romance, so the slow build up was really really great, and even I didn’t know if it was actually going to happen while we were writing, and that was so exciting. It feels so natural, and it’s so easy to write her with him. There’s tons to explore and I look forward to all the stuff they’re bound to get into sooner or later. And Brynhildr and ApoVlad are pretty entertaining, too, by the way. Excellent dynamic. 10/10, would murder him.

@drakulya​.

Sor, how dare you make Vlad so dang cute. How do you do it? How do you write him to be such a goofball cute-patoot one moment and then in the next... well, your threads with ^^^ Count up there can be pretty intense. I love that he is Brynhildr’s best friend, okay. I love that. She needs him. If my blog wasn’t multi-verse, he’d be her bestie in every verse, okay. He tells it to her straight when she needs it, and he lets her be silly at him when she wants to be silly (and Brynhildr is not often silly, but she’s silliest with Vlad). Remember, FGO Vlad is the fun Vlad to her. I love love love writing with you. You da best. 

@voyvodas​ / @drakulya​

Now, both of you at once. No, you can’t escape me. I appreciate our little tri-pod so much. I feel so comfortable talking to you both out of character, and that doesn’t often come easy for me. You are both amazing writers, incredible artists, and good friends with equally excellent senses of humor. Ya’ll make me laugh. I love you both.

@oncexfutureking​.

First of all, I love writing with you so much on all my muses. Brynhildr and Altera. Brynhildr and Arthur had a very obvious direction for us to take them because of canon and the way my Brynhildr still felt towards him, but... Arthur and Altera...??? I didn’t??? mean to?? ship it??? but??? you did this to me??? TITAN Altera, nonetheless, not even normal Altera. And it’s not just about shipping; we’ve put together some really awesome stuff among all our respective muses and I just love writing with you so much. I love gushing at you about our muses and just... Ugh. There’s so much to explore; it never gets boring. Let’s just keep doing this thing, because I smile like a goof every time I get a reply from you. Doesn’t even matter which muse to which muse.

@rialoir + @magnificentgoldenking + @noircisaint. + @fatefulrider. + @meirleachuasal + @encasedlnamber + @screaminglancelot​ + THE TAIN CREW.

Look, ya’ll. I can’t tag everyone here who’s involved in the Tain event, but I have been having some fun talking to you guys everyday. Of course, all of you are special to me for individual reasons, like maybe our muses are currently breaking my itty bitty heart (shame on you, Cent), or maybe our muses have been breaking my heart for a while (shame on you, Mags), but for the most part --- you’re all just awesome!!! And everyone gets along, and the chat is always a good time and I feel very comfortable just popping on there to have a quick conversation with you folks. You’re all so wonderful and talented! All of you!

@motherfuckingsonofsurya​.

Karna is too good, too pure. You’ve taught me to appreciate Karna. You’re so knowledgeable about his myth and you put so much effort into him. I have to say, my excitement over him and Altera (I don’t even know what to call it???) has matched my excitement over him and Brynhildr. Maybe even eclipsed it. Karna and Altera just have that special something... and, you know, Altera’s at that stage in a woman’s life where all she can think about is world domination and destruction, so with Karna standing in her way, he elicits a lot more reaction from her than someone else might. You’re a great writer, and I always look forward to seeing replies to you. Beowulf, too! Beowulf is super entertaining! Let’s have Brynhildr try to kill him again. They’re fun.

@drachenheld​ / @grxni​ / @sollupe​ / @vernaschen​ / @loketratan​ / @jagarc​ / @thxnderisms​ / @sierxes​ / @forsakengold​. / @spxritusnetwork​ / @septuamusae.

The Norse crew! A special kind of mayhem occurs when there’s more than three of us on the dash at the same time. Ragnarok.  It’s so much fun for Brynhildr to interact with people from her own homelands and myths, and I’ll even count Siegfried in that since she’s raiding his country in a thread right now. I love history and mythology. It’s why I got into Fate in the first place, and I’ve been having so much fun exploring Brynhildr’s relationships with former lovers, friends, enemies, rivals, and such from her own time. Special thank yous to Sigurd and Siegfried for letting Brynhildr be Brynhildr at them. I know it can be rough when a muse just up-and-up decides that they love your muse, so... thanks for putting up with me.  ♥

@brynhildrofromantia​.

We haven’t talked out of character for long, but we get along so dang well!!! I love seeing another Brynhildr on the dash, and I LOVE that someone else cherishes and supports this precious fallen Valkyrie the way she DESERVES to be cherished and supported. You’re an amazing writer, whether it’s Brynhildr, Kriemhild (best bad bitch), or Gawain. I will be frank --- I don’t often read your Brynhildr posts because I don’t want your interpretation to influence mine, but sometimes I get curious and peep at your posts and LISTEN --- I love your Brynhildr. She’s the right kind of tragic and subtly threatening and adorable, okay. Your writing is absolutely beautiful to read, it’s awesome. Everything flows so well, and you’re a great artist, too. I’m so glad that you came back to the fandom. We need more Brynhildrs.

[setrija-nibelungenfangirl]

Day 10

Guilty pleasure ship(s)

Top guilty pleasure ship of mine would be Kriemhild x Hagen:

I did cringe as a teenager at Hagen being in love with Kriemhild when reading Wolfgang Hohlbein’s novel ‘Hagen von Tronje’. But I could enjoy an interpretation of these two having a very fucked up hate-obsession-and-erotic-fixation-in-one-thing going on. With these two being united by a mutual passion for revenge, in which they seek to triumph over the other in order to compensate for endured humiliations (Kriemhild feeling humiliated by Hagen for betraying her, killing Siegfried and stealing her gold; Hagen feeling humiliated by Kriemhild because she managed to exert so much influence over him and his kings that he was forced to go to Hungary against his will and because she holds dangerous power over him and his kings as the queen of the huns).

I also could enjoy the idea of Kriemhild having a crush on Hagen when she was younger, because she saw him as the big protector of her brothers. Making his betrayal even worse for her. Hagen being in love with Kriemhild can work for me in an adaptation or fanfic, if his love turns to jealousy and hatred after she marries Siegfried and after she publicly humiliates the honor of his queen, and therefore also of his king – giving him an additional personal motive for murdering the dragon slayer and being so cruel towards Kriemhild.

Messed up bonus points for the scenario of them both being in love with each other, but Hagen hiding his feelings, because he would not be an appropriate partner for a king’s sister as a vassal. Maybe even Kriemhild hiding her feelings as well, because she fears Hagen would die if he became her husband (but both of them hiding their feelings would probably be more of a comedy xD). Rest of the Nibelungenlied unfolds as usual, but their hatred has the weird ‘I’m still attracted to you / still long for you’ aspect.

[setrija-nibelungenfangirl]

Day 4

Favorite female character

Kriemhild is my second favourite character in the Nibelungenlied after Hagen. What fascinates me most about her is her development from the well-protected, ideal image of a noblewoman to the norm-breaking, all-destroying avenger. The Nibelungenlied is basically about her life journey: it begins with her childhood and ends with her death.

She most clearly personifies the intense feelings that dominate the Nibelungenlied with her love and her infinite hatred. She also acts out of triuwe – but a very personal, exclusive loyalty to Siegfried. She is repeatedly lied to, betrayed and disempowered by her brothers and Hagen. As a woman, she is not in a position to take revenge on Hagen on her own and must therefore work as queen of the Huns with the means at her disposal – even if it means walking over countless dead bodies (even her own child, depending on the interpretation) just to get her hands on the one man she hates.

She also isn’t a flawless person before the murder of Siegfried. She displays arrogance when she publicly humiliates Brunhild. After telling Hagen Siegfried's secret, she does not reveal her mistake to Siegfried when he pays no heed to her warning dreams. Things that also make her more interesting to me.

For years, she holds on to her grief instead of letting go and repeatedly decides against joy in her life. She even abandons her son Gunther in Xanten so that she can devote herself entirely to her grief in Worms, and ultimately refuses to accept the happiness that she could have had with Etzel and her son Ortlieb. Personally, I think that it is not only her love for Siegfried that makes her cling to her grief, but that she also wants personal revenge for her own endured humiliations, which she has experienced through the lies and deceit committed against her and the theft of her morning gift.

Just as with Hagen, I find it fascinating how she becomes the mastermind of events in Part 2 (even more so than Hagen) and actively brings about the downfall of everybody behind her husband's back. She is manipulative and provokes the Burgundians and Hagen by deliberately violating courtly etiquette. Finally, she violates all norms when she herself raises Siegfried’s sword to behead her arch-enemy with her own hands.

Her character also offers a lot of room for interpretation, which may be due to the logical fragility of the Nibelungenlied, but only increases my fascination. Is she concerned with revenge for Siegfried or with getting back the Nibelungen hoard – or are the two inextricably linked in her eyes? In her final scene with Hagen, does she actually offer him the chance to return home if he reveals the hiding place of the hoard to her, or does she actually say, that he can only return home if he brings Siegfried back to her (which is impossible)?

She is full of intense love, sorrow and hatred, she is also ruthless, complex, manipulative, proud, loyal and selfish at the same time. And also an asshole. Which all solidifies her as another favourite character for me.