[Princess Tutu] The Connections between the Swan Prince and the Dragon-Slayer Hero

　　The real name of the Prince is "Siegfried" in Princess Tutu. He not only shares the same name with the one in Swan Lake but the one in The Ring of the Nibelung. In the anime, Siegfried's Funneral March of The Ring of the Nibelung and the relating music Siegfried-Idyll are used as the themes for the Prince several times. I do some research and find out some relating interesting connections between Prince Siegfried and the hero Siegfried.

　　I attempt to briefly introduce the going-to-mentioned works and the actions of the characters and to compare them with the ones in Princess Tutu. Perhaps the introduction and comparison would be not perfect and deep enough to discuss the main ideas and settings of those works. My motive is to provide possible resources to discuss the possible model of Prince Siegfried of Princess Tutu.

=Going-to-Mentioned Works=

• The Song of the Nibelungs (Nibelungenlied, around late 12th century), epic poem, written in Middle High German, by unknown author(s).
• Prose Edda (early 13th century), written in Icelandic, by Snorri Sturluson. Source of Norse mythology.
• Völsunga Saga (late 13th century), written in Icelandic, by unknown author(s). Source of Norse mythology.
• Siegfried-Idyll (1870), symphonic poem for chamber orchestra, composed by Richard Wagner.
• Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods (Götterdämmerung) from The Ring of the Nibelung (Der Ring des Nibelungen, 1876), German-language epic operas, composed by Richard Wagner.
• Swan Lake (Лебеди́ное о́зеро, 1877), composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, libretto written by unknown author(s). 

 

(The charts were made and submitted to the 20th anniversary Autumn events (Sept. 25th) held by Princess Tutu staff on September 17 2022. And I decided to post them on Tumblr and my blogger)

I. Sharing the Same Name: Siegfried

• The ballet Swan Lake: Prince Siegfried
• The opera Siegfried from The Ring of the Nibelung: the hero Siegfried
• The epic poem The Song of the Nibelungs: the dragon-slayer hero Prince Siegfried from Xanten
• (Xanten is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
• Prose Edda's "Skáldskaparmál" chapter 41: the dragon-slayer hero Sigurd
• Völsunga Saga: the dragon-slayer brave warrior Sigurd
• TV anime Princess Tutu: Swan Prince Siegfried

　　It seems that Sigurd and Siegfried are the same name. They both have the first element "sigr" from Old Norse which means "victory." However, the meanings of the second elements are different. The former is from Proto-Germanic "-ward", meaning protection"; the later if from "-frið", meaning peace. So Sigurd is composed of victory and protection, Siegfried composed of victory and peace.


II. Same Month and Same Date but Different Years

The Ring of the Nibelung: August 16, 1876. Premiered in Bayreuth Festspielhaus, north of Bayreuth, Germany.
TV anime Princess Tutu: August 16, 2002. Premiered in Japan. Background setting: built on Nördlingen, Germany.

Siegfried Idyll: first performed on December 25, 1870.
Princess Tutu DVD1: sold on December 25, 2002.


III. Characters / Plot

A. Brynhildr/Brünhild/Brünnhilde: the Brave Warrior, the Cheated Woman

　　The valkyrie from Norse Mythology is mentioned in chapter 36 of the book "Gylfaginning" from Prose Edda. Legend says that sometimes ravens accompany with valkyries. And valkyries also have the image of swans or horses. The valkyrie Brynhildr appears in chapter 41 of the book "Skáldskaparmál" from Prose Edda. She is asleep, chained on a rock on a mountain, and awaken by Sigurd after he slayed a dragon. Sigurd helps Gunnar scam Brynhildr out of her love.

　　In The Song of the Nibelungs, Brünhild is Iceland's Queen and a fierce warrior. After Siegfried slayed the dragon, he learns the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from birds. He indicates his proposal but the princess's brother King Gunther has a deal: help him to marry Brünhild. Siegfried and Gunther scam Brynhildr out of her love.

　　In Völsunga Saga, Brynhild is a valkyrie. She falls asleep in a mountain. She is surrounded by shield-walls and awaken by Sigurd after he slays a dragon. Sigurd is drugged and forgets his love vow with Brynhild. He even helps Gunnar marry Brynhildr by tricks.

　　In The Ring of the Nibelung, Brünnhildes is a valkyrie. She falls asleep on a rock in a mountain. She is surrounded by magic fire and awaken by Sigfried after he slayed a dragon. Siegfried is drugged and forgets his love vow with Brynhild. He even helps Gunther marry Brynhildr by tricks.

　　In short, Siegurd of Prose Edda, Siegfried of The Song of the Nibelungs, Sigurd of Völsunga Saga, and Siegfried of The Ring of the Nibelung are dragon-slayers, murdered at last. Besides, he and Brynhildr are destined to be seperated.

　　The heroine is the White Swan Odette (Swan Queen / Swan Princess) in the ballet Swan Lake. She and the Prince Siegfried promised to see each other in a ball. But the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart destroyed their chance. He brought his daughter Odile to the ball and they disguise themselves as a bodyguard and the Swan Princess. They cheated the Prince's out of his love vow. The image of Odile is the Black Swan. The Prince and the White Swan defeat Von Rothbart in some ballet versions. Then they break the curse on her and get married. However, in some tragic versions, the Prince and the White Swan would commit suicide for frustrated love at the end. They are fated to be separated before death. Nowadays, the White Swan and the Black Swan are performed by the same ballerina.

　　Princess Tutu is a tragic princess in the German-language story The Prince and the Raven (Prinz und Rabe) in the anime. She is destined unable to fall in love with the Prince. Her image is a white swan. When most people see her, they think they see a white swan. Only the ones she saves and main characters relating to the story can see her human form.

left: episode 15; right: episode 24

　　Duck transforms into Princess Tutu. The author of The Prince and the Raven takes advantage of her to return the heart shards of the Prince and break the seal on the Monster Raven. She is a key to cause tragedy. The story in the beginning of episode 13 hints that the image of the raven princess Kraehe is a black swan. Nearly the end of the anime, Kraehe (Rue) isn't the daughter of the Monster Raven. She is used to cheat the Prince out of his heart.
(Horribly, Rue is not only the Black Swan Kraehe but might be the White Swan if you check her music themes.)

left: episode 2; right: episode 13

　　Don't forget that the fights in ballet form in the anime: taking back the heart shards, scrambles for the Prince, and defeat the evil. One of the most famous scenes is that the dance fight between the White Swan and the Black Swan. It might be that both Princess Tutu and Princess Kraehe have the image of valkyrie. They and valkyries have the same image of swan; they often have dance fight in the anime.

episode 13

　　Another tragic woman is the King's sister. She is somehow a victim in the marriage in any versions of Norse myths. She and Brynhildr have fights over Siegried. In The Song of the Nibelungs, Kriemhild even marries faraway and takes revenge on her brothers for her husband Siegfried's death.

　　She's the King Gunther's sister Gutrune in The Ring of the Nibelung. She is used by her brother, somehow similar to the conditions of Kraehe (rue):

Princess Tutu	The Ring of the Nibelung
the White Swan Princess Tutu	the valkyrie Brünnhilde
the Prince's heart is tainted and the Prince forgets his love to Princess tutu and love to people	Siegfried is drugged and forgets his engagement to Brünnhilde
Princess Kraehe taints the Prince's heart shard "love"	Gutrune makes Siegfried drink love potion
the initiator of evil: the Monster Raven	the initiator of evil: Hagen (the son of the dwarf Alberich who is the first possessor of the magic ring also the one advises Gunther to deceive Siegfried and Brünnhilde for his own conspiracy)
The conspiracy of the Monster Raven: eats the Prince's heart and gains eternal life	The conspiracy of Hagen: recaptures his father's ring and gains the power to rule the world

　　Regarding what happens afterward... Brynhildr and the king's sister starts to have arguments due to the token sent by Sigurd/Sigfried. Their fights similar to the two princesses' in Princess Tutu (ie. love proof), just like the Black Swan snatches the Prince's vow in the ballet Swan Lake.


B. Sigurd/Siegfried: the Tragic Hero in Myths

　　Sigfried's myths is most detailed in Völsunga Saga in Norse mythology. The opera The Ring of the Nibelung bases on The Song of the Nibelungs, Völsunga Saga and other Norse myths. I try to focus on the connections between Prince Sigfried in Princess Tutu and the one in Norse myths. Therefore, I'm not going to discuss the discuss the history and the development of those versions (including the differences between the relationships) and the divergence of plots.

　　As far as I know, Sigurd/Siegfried have common places in those versions:

• He is a dragon slayer.
• Once his tongue or mouth touches the dragon's blood, he learns bird languages.
• For certain goal, he helps the king cheat Brynhildr out of love.
• He cannot marry Brynhildr and live together.
• He is murdered at last.

　　There are also similar settings for the Prince Siegfried in Princess Tutu:

• He is a raven slayer (seals the Monster Raven→annihilates the Monster Raven).
• He understands bird languages (episode 22).
• His heart is taunted by the blood of the Monster Raven.
• He is destined to be parted from Princess Tutu.

left: episode 22; right: episode 25

　　Besides, his name Mytho is named by the young Fakir, originating from Mythos, meaning "man in legend." In fact, it is Director Junichi Sato that found "Mythos" on a German dictionary (reference: interview in PALETTA SPRING 2002 Vol.3). German originates from Proto-Germanic; and Norse mythology is part of Germanic mythology. His name might give a hint that the Prince has some connections to characters in Germanic mythology.

　　The Prince gets back his heart shard "love" without knowing it contaminated by the Monster Raven's blood. He is ravenized, controlled and forgets his feelings to Princess Tutu. He deceived girls' heart for he Monster Raven and hangs around with Princess Kraehe (Rue).

episode 15

　　Sigurd/Siegfried in the myths tastes the dragon's blood and then pursues love or takes unknown challenges after hearing what birds say. Some versions say that he marries the king's sister and helps the king marry Brynhildr trickly. Some says that he is drugged and forgets his love vow to Brynhildr. Then he helps the king marry Brynhildr trickly and he himself gets married with the king's sister.

　　Siegfried doesn't know what fear is in The Ring of the Nibelung. He's fearless, rash and ignorant. After passing the magic fire, he finds the asleep Brünnhilde. He thinks she was a man before he takes off her armor. It's his first time to see woman and he starts to be afraid. But his passion to Brünnhilde replaces fear. He kisses her and awakes her...

　　Interestingly, there's somehow similar conditions in Princess Tutu.

　　After sealing the Monster Raven, the Prince loses his heart shard "fear." He always saves the weak in ignorant and rash actions without considering his own safety. Once he gets back his heart shard "fear" in episode 6, he's afraid of Princess Tutu. In addition, the first heroine he meets after he seals the Monster Raven is not Princess Tutu but the young Rue (Kraehe).

left: episode 10; right: episode 7

　　Both the Prince of Princess Tutu and Siegfried of The Ring of the Nibelung have connections to the "first female he meets" in certain conditions and then have complicated love and hatred relationships with heroines. After sealing the Monster Raven, the young Rue is the first female he meets; Princess Tutu is the first female arouses his fear.

　　As mentioned above, Kraehe (Rue) might be regarded as the King's sister and the valkyrie Brünnhilde. Perhaps, it greatly relates to her as "the first female" and as the victim of the Monster Raven. If that's the case, Princess Tutu (Duck) as the second female met by the Prince could be somehow the king's sister who is used by Drosselmeyer to move the story to tragic ending...

left: episode 23; right: episode 6

　　The Prince almost becomes the second Siegfried of The Ring of the Nibelung, so close to be real tragic hero in Princess Tutu.

　　Additionally, the themes for the Prince are Siegfried-Idyll and Siegfried's Funeral March of Twilight of the Gods (from The Ring of the Nibelung). I will list the occasions they are used in the anime below.


C. The Evil Dragon Fafnir

　　Fafnir is greedy for the treasure and transformed into a dragon. He would rather die than leave his treasure to others. Sigurd/Siegfried kills him at last and takes away the treasure which leads to a series of tragedies. Although there's no treasure in Princess Tutu and The Prince and the Raven, the Monster Raven's blood, as mentioned above, ravenizes the Prince, forces him to induce girls to give him their hearts (Thanks to Princess Tutu's rescue! Otherwise, Gold Crown Town would met its doom earlier...). He even orders the Prince to give him his heart to eat.
(The Monster Raven feeds the young human girl Rue with his blood and that's how Rue get's his magical power. He takes advantage of her desire for love, giving her terrible wrong love values to make her do bad things for him)

episode 19

　　In episode 25, once the Monster Raven knows that the Prince's heart lacks one heart shard, he refuses to eat the incomplete heart because it cannot give him eternal life. Compares with that, once you eat the dragon Fafnir's heart, you learn bird languages and even knows what people think (there's still differences in different versions. We're not going to inspect this part.)

　　To the Monster Raven, eating the Prince's complete heart, he can gain immortality; to Rue (Kraehe), being loved by the Prince means she is loved well; to Fakir, protecting the Prince might compensate his faults in letting his parents die; to Duck, collecting and returning heart shards to the Prince can gain back his smiles (but it turns out to be her happiness time of human girl life); to people influenced by the power of the heart shards, the latter seem make up for the emptiness in former's heart (but they still cannot escapes their own negative emotions like a black hole). People are eager for the Prince's feelings and heart, struggling for his power to fulfill their wishes.

　　Interestingly, if you take a close look at the cover of The Prince and the Raven, the Monster Raven's tail like a dragon's tail twines round the Prince's sword.

left: episode 25; right: episode 3

IV. The Soundtrack Relating to "Siegfried"

　　I'm not an expert on music. I would only list the ocassions that the music used in the anime as references:

A. Siegfried-Idyll (1870)

Idyll: a short poem or other piece of writing that describes a peaceful and happy scene
- defined by Oxford Dictionaries
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/idyll?q=Idyll

1. Episode 13 "Swan Lake"
   Plot: When Princess Tutu dances pas de deux solo, she remembers Fakir's encouragement and not gives up awaking the Prince. Siegfried-Idyll is her declaration of winning the Prince back.
2. The first episode in the second season (episode 14)
   Plot: The Prince states that he's going to take back all his heart shards and to defeat the Monster Raven. It's his declaration and goal of beating the Monster Raven.
3. Episode 22 "Crown of Stone"
   Plot: Duck bumps into the half-awaken Prince. The Prince holds her (in duck form), saying that he wants to gain all his heart shards back.
4. Episode 25 "The Dying Swan"
   Plot: The Prince determines to gain the last piece of his heart shards to restore his full power to fight against the Monster Raven and to marry Rue.
5. Episode 25 "The Dying Swan"
   Plot: Duck returns the pendant (the last heart shard) to the Prince with her, Fakir's and the Prince's determination to win against the Monster Raven and to defeat Drosselmeyer.
6. Episode 26 "Finale"
   Plot: The Prince restores his own power and declares war against the Monster Raven.

B. Siegfried's Funneral March (1876)
(from Götterdämmerung, the last part of The Ring of the Nibelung)

1. Episode 10 "Cinderella"
   Plot: After Princess Kraehe disappears, Fakir tries to pierce Princess Tutu with a piece of glass but the Prince holds back him.
2. Episode 10 "Cinderella"
   Plot: Princess Tutu takes the heart shard to the Prince in front of a church (the Prince visits there to see the wedding held by Kraehe). Kraehe shows up and the wedding begins.
3. Episode 11 "La Sylphide"
   Plot: The raven-feathered-made rope twists Princess Tutu's body. Then a raven feather stick the heart shard which is almost in the Prince's chest. And then Kraehe shows up.
4. Episode 15 "Coppelia"
   Plot: Fakir asks Rue what has she done to the Prince. The ravenized Prince stops him. Fakir accidentally slaps the Prince. Besides the Prince's falling incident, Fakir's situation becomes worst.
5. Episode 15 "Coppelia"
   Plot: Kraehe shows up in a library's window, telling Fakir that the heart shard returned by Princess Tutu (Duck) has soaked in the Monster Raven's blood. She teases him whether she should tell Tutu the truth or tell the Prince that Tutu is a girl who cannot dance ballet well.
6. Episode 18 "Wandering Knight"
   Plot: The ravenized Prince combs Kraehe's hair. Kraehe suggests him to use the ghost knight. The Prince mocks Kraehe that she cannot do anything right (implies her failure in gaining a heart inthe last episode 17).
7. Episode 20 "A Forgotten Story"
   Plot: The ravenized Prince accosts Rachel. He touches her on the raw to weaken her will and induce her to give him her heart.

V. Conclusion

　　The soundtrack, the models of the background settings and the character settings imply that the Prince Siegfried (Mytho) is a much complicated character, hard to understand. After he breaks his heart and seal the Monster Raven, he loses his brave image and becomes a heartless puppet. It's hard to find out much similariry of winning over the Prince between the ballet Swan Lake and Princess Tutu. I think that the conflicts between Princess Tutu, Kraehe, Fakir and others might refer to the Norse myths relating to the dragon-slayer hero sigurd/Siegfried (especially the love and hatred parts). You can say that Fafnir's heart and his treasure is also sources of misfortune.

　　If you are interested in those Norse myths mentioned above, I recommend you to read them. It might be a good start to learn Norse mythology. And that's why I start to read Norse myths (but not very fast). In addition, I also suggest to be aware of the publication era of Norse myths. Norse myths were kept from mouth to mouth without word records in the beginning. Those myths might be somehow christianized.

Recommend reading:
THE VIKINGS' CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY
https://norse-mythology.org/the-vikings-conversion-to-christianity/

　　The swan image in Princess Tutu might imply Christianity. For example, firstly, there should be an altar in the church, but a swan statue replaces it. The model of the church is Saint George's Church in Nördlingen. Secondly, Fakir's Lohengrin Sword might originates from the Knight of the Swan Lohengrin, a knight of the Holy Grail, from German Arthurian literature (Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival). Thirdly, the Bookman chops off Drosselmeyer's hands to keep him from writing stories with magic; and they secretly supervises his offsprings. This might imply the Witch-hunt in past. I think that Princess Tutu have some connections to Norse myths and Christianity.


Relating articles:
The Connection Between Odin’s Discovery of the Runes and the Testimony of the Oak
Princess Tutu Is Greatly Inspired by The Nutcracker, and Nutcracker and Mouse King
The Models of Drosselmeyer

Original text: 天鵝王子與屠龍英雄各自引發的愛恨情仇