SOURCE: “The Essence” and “The Significance” in The Nibelungenlied Today: Its Substance, Essence, and Significance, The University of North Carolina Press, 1962, pp. 59-92.
In the following excerpt, Mueller explains that the Nibelungenlied's main theme is man himself, particularly how he responds to a dilemma. Mueller also explores the poet's concerns and his relation to his work and contends that the poem, without promoting specific religious values, nevertheless affirms man's need for faith.
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