Overpowering

The story begins with the well-known end of the Nibelungen myth: the slaughter of the Burgundians at King Etzel’s court. In revenge for Kriemhild’s murder of her brother, King Gunther, Hagen strangles Kriemhild’s son, Ortlieb. But suddenly the dead speak up; they have plans of their own. Ortlieb refuses to die and demands that his ancestors forge a different, better future. Perhaps somewhere, somehow things ended up on the wrong track, maybe there’s still a way to reconcile the two camps? The characters return to the beginning, create new alliances, craft fresh intrigues and work against their own histories and biographies. And while the stories aren’t set in stone, they always lead to the same tragedy.

«Überwältigung removes a lot of the pathos that permeates the Nibelungenlied. Instead of fate or higher powers, here social and interpersonal structures lead to fatally flawed decisions.» (Nachtkritik)

«Melle retells the Nibelungen myth from a post-apocalyptic perspective. This is certainly no tragic, monumental horror story but a farce.» (Spiegel Online)