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The Nibelungenlied was Germany's first heroic epic put into writing. Thomas Carlyle considered it "a precious national possession, recovered after six centuries of neglect, [which] takes undisputed place among the sacred books of German literature." Due to a lack of interest in copying the manuscripts, the work was forgotten, only faintly remembered as an influence in other German writing. Today, a total of 36 manuscripts have been unearthed. Many of these are only poem fragments, but three manuscripts have been viewed as the most complete and authentic versions to exist: these manuscripts are referred to as "A," "B," and "C."