Nibelung

noun

Ni·​be·​lung ˈnē-bə-ˌlu̇ŋ 

plural Nibelungs also Nibelungen ˈnē-bə-ˌlu̇ŋ-ən 

1

: a member of a race of dwarfs in Germanic legend

2

: any of the followers of Siegfried

3

: any of the Burgundian kings in the medieval German Nibelungenlied

Examples of Nibelung in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The story recounts the Nibelung saga, which follows the dragon slayer Siegfried and the fate of the Burgundian kingdom, albeit from a different perspective – that of Hagen von Tronje, traditionally the antagonist of the tale, seen as a dark figure with dubious motives. —Ed Meza, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024

Aesop, Homer, the Ring of the Nibelung, the Celtic legends, and the three great Matters of Europe: the Matter of France, the body of stories around Charlemagne; the Matter of Rome, regarding the classical world; and the Matter of Britain, the legends surrounding the figure of King Arthur. —Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023

Large-scale martial arts organizations and events have proliferated for years in Germany, chief among them the Battle of the Nibelungs, which attracts hundreds of right-wing extremists from around Europe and the United States. —Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023

Over the years, the Dallas Opera has individually produced the four operas of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, but never as a cycle. —Dallas News, 4 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

German

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined at sense 1