One of the most successful leaders ever to oppose the Roman empire, Arminius (also known as Herman Siegfried) MAY have been the Siegfried of German mythology, specifically of the Nibelungenlied, and the Wagner operas (therefore also the Aragorn of the Lord of the Rings, who was based on the Teutonic hero). I don't know if Viggo knew that he was playing Arminius, but he may have, because Viggo's a smart guy. Arminius destroyed three Roman legions in the Teutoberger Wald in 9 AD, effectively ending Rome's attempt to add Germany to the empire. Since this was Germany's greatest military victory for a thousand years, and the Teutons had an impressive oral tradition, I don't see any reason why Arminius would not morph into the Siegfried of mythology. Had that famous battle gone the other way, German would probably be another Romance language, and the subsequent history of Europe would be unimaginably different.
