Behmel tried to convey the aspect of oral history into the form of a modern novel using a mix of slang, archaisms, poetic and factual language.

The result is a matter of fact tone, sometimes humorous, sometimes drastic in its descriptions of violence for example during the battle at King Etzel's court.

Siegfried, unaware of the plot helps king Gunther to find a wife, Brunhild of Iceland, and defeats the invading Saxons.

A historical nucleus of the saga lies in events of the Germanic Migration Period, in particular the defeat of the Burgundians by Flavius Aëtius with the aid of Hunnic mercenaries near Worms in ca.

Other possible influences are the feud between the 6th century Merovingian queens Brunhilda and Fredegunde, as well as the marriage of Attila with the Burgundian princess Ildikó in AD 453.