Dr. Albrecht Classen
All major human cultures developed along rivers, and rivers have provided a major impetus to human life. Whether we think of the Nile, the Rhine, the Mississippi, or the Congo, people have always responded to rivers and identified it as a source of life. Much has been written about this topic, but here I want to examine one medieval and one modern text both intimately associated with the River. In the Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied, both the Rhine and the Danube matter critically, determining life and death. The question there rests on the question what the crossing of the river means for people. In Werner Bergengruen’s short story, “Der Strom” (from ca. 1950), the issue is brought up again with the river serving as a kind of agent determining human existence. Only when the individual respects the river and acknowledges its agency, does life develop further. We could also refer to ancient examples, such as the Greek Iliad, or medieval cases, such as Dante’s Divina Commedia. The two examples presented here, however, serve exceedingly well to confirm that the river and people have always served as intimately related entities.
