Author Draws Parallels Between Historic German Leader Arminius and Mythical Dragon Slayer Siegfried in Adventurous New Book
In 'Siegfried,' John Eklund tells the fascinating story of two heroes - one who is credited with liberating his people from the Roman Empire, and another who is prominently featured in Norse and Germanic legends - and concludes that they may have been the same person.
CHICAGO, June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- John Eklund has published a colorfully illustrated and adventurous middle-grade fiction book that identifies parallels between the epic, historically documented story of German leader Arminius and a mythological folktale about a dragon-slaying hero of legend named Siegfried.
In "Siegfried: The Liberator of Germania," Eklund delves into the thousands of years old story of a great hero who liberated his people from the clutches of the Roman Empire, defeating the Romans in the most decisive battle in world history and forever changing the course of Western civilization. Although his Latin name, Arminius, was recorded by prominent Roman historians, little is mentioned of him in the later discovered sagas of his own Norse people.
Yet, the Norse and Germanic legends from Iceland to Austria all tell of a mythical dragon slayer named Siegfried who was noble and brave and who shared many similarities with the true-to-life warrior Arminius. Eklund's book explores the possibility that the greatest hero in Norse literature was purely mythological and that the one true historical hero, who saved his people and generations of their descendants from slavery, was completely forgotten. "Siegfried" logically concludes that the dragon slayer of myth is a transformation of the historical Arminius.
"I wrote 'Siegfried' because of my interest in Norse mythology and because of Arminius' truly fascinating background," Eklund said. "I did not fully appreciate his historical significance until I stumbled upon the details while researching a trip to Germany. The story of Arminius – Siegfried, in my book – is truly epic."
A classic story perfect for lovers of adventure fiction and mythology enthusiasts alike, Eklund's book celebrates Nordic and Germanic folklore and their contributions to the underpinnings of literary masterpieces like the Lord of the Rings series and iconic pop culture characters such as Thor.
"Siegfried: The Liberator of Germania"
By John Eklund
ISBN: 978-1-5320-9515-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-5320-9517-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-5320-9516-0 (e)
Available through iUniverse, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon
About the author
John Eklund is a Norse mythology and European history buff, and he is also the author of historical fiction novels "The Third Testament" and "The Last of the Vikings". Eklund first became interested in the similarities between the mythical Siegfried and historical Arminius while researching a trip to Germany. He currently resides in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.
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SOURCE John Eklund
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