"Hunaland", then because history relates that the Burgundians
were slain by the Huns, the similarity of the names led to the
introduction of Attila and the identification of the Nibelungs
with the Burgundians. The fact, too, that the Franks rapidly
took possession of the district depopulated by the crushing
defeat of the Burgundians likewise aided the confusion, and thus
the Franks became the natural heirs of the legend concerning the
death of Gunther, and so we read of the fall of the Nibelungs, a
name that is wholly Frankish in character. This identification
led also to Attila's being considered the avenger of Siegfried's
death. Poetic justice, however, demands that the slaughter of
the Burgundians at the hands of Attila be also avenged. The
rumor, that Attila's death was not natural, but that he had been
murdered by his wife Ildico ("Hildiko"), gave the necessary
features to round out the story. As Kriemhild was the sister of
the Burgundian kings, it was but natural to explain her killing
of Attila, as described in the Norse versions, by her desire to
avenge her brothers.

In our "Nibelungenlied", however, it is no longer Attila, but
Kriemhild, who is the central figure of the tragedy. Etzel, as
he is called here, has sunk to the insignificant role of a stage
king, a perfectly passive observer of the fight raging around
him. This change was brought about perhaps by the introduction
of Dietrich of Berne, the most imposing figure of all Germanic
heroic lore. The necessity of providing him with a role
corresponding to his importance, coupled with a growing
repugnance on the part of the proud Franks to acknowledge defeat
at the hands of the Huns, caused the person of Attila to dwindle
in importance. Gradually, too, the role played by Kriemhild was