Power·Life·Death

Das Nibelungenlied, called Germany Iliad, is a great Germanic epic But many people who aren't Germany don't know Das Nibelungenlied at all even majored in Literature. This thesis analyzes the images of two heroines and one hero in the epic from the approaches of Death Phenomenology, Feminism and Discourse Power and wants to find out how they live and how they response the challenges to their relative's or their own death.Brunhild, who was very powerful when she was the queen of Iceland, is made to be a 'good 'woman in accordance with man's expectant horizons in the fight of man and woman and disappears suddenly at the second part of the epic. TheMan-dominated Discourse-the only sound at that time must bear a portion ofblame for Brunhild was portrayed on the basis of man's presumption and subconscious wish, but what's more sorrowful is that it is also her own voluntary choice. Brunhild chooses her silent life and death all by herself.Kriemhild, on the completely contrary, transmutes from a 'good' woman into an 'evil' woman in accordance with man's expectant horizons. She chooses resistance and revenge to response the challenge for the death of her husband, Siegfried, who was murdered by Kriemhild's brother, Gunther and his vassal Hagen. But she was killed even before she experienced hedonia of revenge. Revenge couldn't solve problems created in power fight.Hagen is an honest vassal of Burgunder bravely and wisely, however, death fear arouses his heroism motive-stirring up wars to make himself have the immortality of fame after he got divine revelation that he must be dead in Hun. Hagen destroyed everything around him to be dead with him.No matter how rich and how powerful he is, everybody is nothing and is completely fair when death knocks his door.