References to the animal world too—­Chriemhild’s dreams of the falcons seized by two eagles, and the two wild boars which attacked Siegfried, the game hunted in the forests by the heroes who run like panthers—­all show it to be of no importance.

Even such phrases as rosy-red, snow-white, etc., are rare—­’Her lovely face became all rosy-red with pleasure’; but there is a certain tenderness in the comparisons of Chriemhild: 

’Then came the lovely maiden, even as morning red from sombre clouds outbreaking,’ and, ’just as the moon in brightness excels the brightest stars, and suddenly outshining, athwart the clouds appears,’ so she excelled all other women.

It has been said that one can hear the sighing of the north wind and the roar of the North Sea in Gudrun, but this is scarcely more than a pretty phrase.  The ‘dark tempestuous’ sea, ‘wild unfathomable’ waves, the shore ‘wet from the blood of the slain,’ are indeed mentioned, but that is all.

Wat of Sturmland says to the young warriors:  ’The air is still and the moon shines clear ... when the red star yonder in the south dips his head in the brine, I shall blow on my great horn that all the hosts shall hear’; but it is hope of morning, not delight in the starry sky, that he is expressing.

Indications of place too are of the briefest, just ’It was a broad neck of land, called the Wuelpensand,’ or, ’In a few hours they saw the shores where they would land, a little harbour lay in sight enfolded by low hills clothed with dark fir trees.’

The first trace of sympathy with Nature occurs in the account of the effect of Horand’s song.

Like Orpheus, he charms the little birds and other creatures:  ’He sang with such a splendid voice, that the little birds ceased their song.’

’And as he began to sing again, all the birds in the copse round ceased their sweet songs.’

’The very cattle left their green pastures to hearken, the little gold beetles stopped running among the grass, the fishes ceased to shoot about in the brooks.  He sang long hours, and it seemed but a brief moment.  The very church bells sounded sweet no longer; the folk left the choir songs of the priests and ran to hear him.  All who heard his voice were heart-sick after the singer, so grand and sweet was the strain.’

Indications of time are rarely found more short and concise than here: 

  When night ended and day began. 
  On the 12th day they quitted the country. 
  In Maytime.  On a cool morning.

This is a little richer: 

    It was the time when leaves spring up delightfully and birds of
    all sorts sing their best in the woods.

Much more definite and distinct is: