Right–Wing Extremist Appropriation of the Nibelungenlied Using the Example of Compact Magazine

This study analyzes the instrumentalization of the Nibelungenlied in a right–wing extremist context, exemplified by the Compact magazine. German–speaking right–wing extremism, which often refers to the ideological foundations of National Socialism, avoids direct references to the Third Reich, not least because of the consequences under criminal law. Instead, parts of history, such as early Germanic times or the Nibelungenlied, are selectively interpreted for their own ideology. Compact magazine, an influential media outlet in the right–wing scene, serves as a case study. The magazine’s Internet pages, on which further references to the Nibelungenlied can be found, are also taken into account (https://www.compact–online.de). The analysis shows that although the epic is not explicitly interpreted in a right–wing extremist manner in the magazine itself, it serves as a hook for nationalist interpretations of history and for articulating right–wing extremist positions in the reader comments. References to National Socialism are also made and biologistic terminology is used that echoes National Socialist concepts. A look at other right–wing extremist interpretations of the Nibelungenlied puts the adaptation in Compact magazine into context. It shows that elsewhere in right–wing extremism, the reception of the epic is similarly superficial and selective, focused solely on völkisch–social Darwinist ideology. In summary, it can be said that the Nibelungenlied is perceived less as a literary work than as a means of constructing a national identity and agitating against contemporary society.