Open Legends
The Nibelungen Hoard
Sunk ~5th century (by the saga) · The Rhine near Worms, Germany
UnsolvedThe prize. The gold of the Nibelungs, Germany's founding treasure-myth
Where. The Rhine near Worms, Germany
Status. Unsolved
Where. The Rhine near Worms, Germany
Status. Unsolved
The account
Before the dragon, before the opera, there was a hoard and a river. The Nibelungenlied names a stretch of the Rhine, and the Rhine has shifted its bed a dozen times since, which means somewhere under a Hessian field may lie the treasure that founded German legend. Farmers there still plow a little slower, just in case.
Leads, where the trail points now
- Where the trail goes cold: The saga is precise in its way: Hagen sank the hoard in the Rhine 'at Lochheim' to keep it from Kriemhild, meaning to return. Nobody in the poem lives to. That is where any serious search begins.
- What you are chasing is The gold of the Nibelungs, Germany's founding treasure-myth. Work the documented record of The Nibelungen Hoard back to primary sources and separate what is attested from folklore before you commit time or money.
- Confirm who owns and governs The Rhine near Worms, Germany and get written permission before any search; treat protected or archaeological ground as off limits.
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