Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Chris Curnow, Joe Cooper, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: Then Mimer saw the bear, (see page 4)] TOLD TO THE CHILDREN SERIES EDITED BY LOUEY CHISHOLM STORIES OF SIEGFRIED TOLD TO THE CHILDREN BY MARY MACGREGOR WITH PICTURES BY GRANVILLE FELL LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. * * * * * TO DENIS * * * * * Dear Denis,--Here is a story that I found in an old German poem called the Nibelungenlied. The poem is full of strange adventure, adventure of both tiny dwarf and stalwart mortal. Some of these adventures will fill this little book, and already I can see you sitting in the nursery as you read them. The door is opened but you do not look up. 'Denis! Denis!' You are called, but you do not hear, for you are not really in the nursery any longer. You have wandered away to Nibelheim, the home of the strange little people of whom you are reading, and you have ears only for the harsh voices of the tiny Nibelungs, eyes only for their odd, wrinkled faces. Siegfried is the merry hero of the Nibelungenlied. I wonder will you think him as brave as French Roland or as chivalrous as your English favourite, Guy of Warwick? Yet even should you think the German hero brave and chivalrous as these, I can hardly believe you will read and re-read this little book as often as you read and re-read the volumes which told you about your French and English heroes.--Yours affectionately, MARY MACGREGOR. * * * * * CONTENTS Chap. Page I. Mimer the Blacksmith, 1 II. Siegfried wins the Treasure, 11 III. Siegfried comes home, 18 IV. Kriemhild's Dream, 23 V. Siegfried journeys to Worms, 27 VI. Siegfried's Welcome to Worms, 32 VII. Siegfried's Sojourn at Worms, 42 VIII. Siegfried sees Kriemhild, 59 IX. Siegfried goes to Isenland, 64 X. Siegfried subdues Brunhild, 71 XI. Siegfried goes to the Cave, 80 XII. The Wedding Feast, 87 XIII. Siegfried goes home with Kriemhild, 93 XIV. Siegfried and Kriemhild go to Worms, 99 XV. Siegfried is slain, 106 * * * * * LIST OF PICTURES Then Mimer saw the bear, _Frontispiece_ Facing page