Hagen

Also known as: Hagen of Troneg / Knight Hagen / Sir Hagen · Family: Burgundians · Role: warrior of Troneg · First appears: Adventure I

In Adventure I, Hagen of Troneg is among the warriors owing allegiance to Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher, and Dankwart is his brother. In Adventure III, Ortwin calls him his uncle. When Siegfried comes to defend Gunther’s land in Adventure IV, he names Hagen among those who will help; Hagen later joins the Burgundians’ journey to Etzel’s land.

The quarrel between the queens in Adventure XIV turns Hagen against Siegfried: he vows that Kriemhild’s husband will rue it, and joins Ortwin and Gernot in counselling Siegfried’s death. In Adventure XV, Kriemhild tells him where Siegfried is vulnerable, and Hagen uses that secret to betray him. The next adventure, he lures Siegfried toward the spring and spears him as he drinks, though Siegfried strikes him down with his shield. Hagen then has Siegfried’s body carried to Kriemhild’s door; she accuses him of the murder, and in Adventure XXIX he admits, “It is just I, Hagen, who slew Siegfried, a hero of his hands.”

In Adventure XIX, Hagen takes Kriemhild’s hoard, sinks it in the Rhine, and swears it will remain hidden while any of them live. He opposes her marriage to Etzel and later joins Gunther’s company on the journey to the Huns. At the Danube, he encounters the water-sprites: Hadburg assures him the journey is safe, while Siegelind (mermaid) foretells the heroes’ deaths, with only the king’s chaplain returning. Hagen kills the ferryman, ferries the Burgundians across, and tries to drown the chaplain, who reaches land safely. At Bechelaren, Rudeger and Gotelind welcome the company; Gotelind gives Hagen a shield at his request. In Adventure XXVIII, Hagen tells Kriemhild that the hoard lies in the Rhine, and Etzel recalls that Hagen had once been his hostage.

At Etzel’s court, Hagen stands watch with Folker, and they guard the guests when armed men approach. As the conflict grows, Hagen prepares the Burgundians for battle; in Adventure XXXIII he kills the child Ortlieb and cuts off Werbel’s hand. He fights Iring and kills Hawart, while Kriemhild offers a reward for his head. In Adventure XXXVII, Rudeger gives him his shield; Hagen later mourns Folker and avenges his death. In the final adventure, Dietrich defeats and binds Hagen, delivering him to Kriemhild. After she shows him Gunther’s severed head, Hagen refuses to reveal where the hoard is hidden, and Kriemhild kills him with Siegfried’s sword.