The spindle and the sword: gender, sex, and heroism in the 'Nibelungenlied' and 'Kudrun.'

Germanic Review, The, June, 1995 by Pafenberg, Stephanie B.

In medieval German heroic poetry, the sword symbolizes men's work and the spindle women's. Spinning, weaving and sewing are the only productive activities allowed women in the most conservative medieval literature, the first two because of their association with humility and loyalty. Both the 'Nibelungenlied' and 'Kudrun' were written during the 13th century when the courtly order was replacing heroic culture. The two show a certain nostalgia for heroic culture which had all but disappeared by the time these two poems were composed. In the 'Nibelungenlied,' women are intruding into male spheres of action, 'Kudrun' completes the transition to courtly culture by solving her problems through diplomacy rather than the sword.

Ein menlich man, der sich erlichen heldet, ein wiplich...

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