The purpose of a myth is to promote an ideology and set standards for society. In this way, according to Bidney, myth is the source of morality and religion (Myth, Symbolism, and Truth 22). This would explain the various connections between Christianity and Germanic and Norse mythology. For example, the story of creation runs parallel: the universe begins dark and empty, a single entity is responsible for the first creation, and smaller beings complete the design of the world(s). Furthermore, one could argue the similarity between the apple of Norse life and the biblical forbidden fruit, which is typically translated as an apple, in the Garden of Eden. The Germanic epic Das Nibelungenlied, based on leaders and historical events of the 5th and 6th centuries, also depicts parallels with Christian elements. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Perhaps these comparisons exist because all the myths were written as a result of Christianization, and the Nibelungenlied in particular was not written until the 13th century. Due to the strong Christian sentiment of the 18th century, when the text was rediscovered, there was an internal conflict with the pagan lifestyle depicted and, as such, the focus of appreciation for the text was centered on the magical elements of the epic ( Krause 195). . This focus remained until the early 20th century, when Fritz Lang produced his two-part silent film Die Nibelungen. In the film Lang avoided mentioning the Germanic and Norse gods and instead preserved magical elements such as the dragon, the invisibility cloak and the heroes' superpowers; invincibility and strength. From the context of the Nibelungenlied and Die Nibelungen not only is a basic message of Christianity conveyed, but a deviation from the Nordic-Germanic gods and towards magic is also evident. The Nibelungenlied is a heroic epic in Middle High German. The epic deals with the dragon slayer Siegfried and the Burgundian people, the final murder of Siegfried, and his wife Kriemhild's revenge on his death. The poem was written by an anonymous poet with references to Germanic mythology and Christian elements interspersed. The Nibelungenlied also contains historical events and people, such as the Hunnic king Attila, but only the poem is a creation of history. For this reason, after its rediscovery in the 18th century, the Nibelungenlied aroused a feeling of national identity, although some traits of Germanic heroism were abused and combined with racism (Krause, “In Romanticism”). Whether the unnamed poet deliberately integrated Christian elements remains a question for mythologists, but some aspects between the epic and the Bible are too similar to be overlooked. Siegfried, the hero of the story, serves as an “intermediary” between the human world and the magical world, since Jesus was the mediator between humanity and God. The blood of the dragon, in which Siegfried bathes, gives him invincibility and immortalizes him to some extent, with the exception of the Achilles spot on his back. At this point Kriemhild naively sews a cross, an important Christian symbol, onto the back of Siegfried's tunic. Some may consider it sacrilege to directly compare Siegfried to Jesus, however there are clear parallels regarding the theme of sacrifice and the meaning of blood. Fritz Lang's film Die Nibelungen shows the deviation from the religious aspects within Germanic mythology towards purely magical elements. Such magical attributes in Die Nibelungen include the dragon, Brunhild's strength, the invisibility cloak, Siegfried's invincibility, and even Kriemhild's precognitive dream. In his essay, Gunning writes that “Die Nibelungen [by Fritz Lang] tells of the disenchantment of the magical world, the. 2010.