Alswid
Figure in the Volsunga Saga who identified Brynhild to Sigurd at Hlymdale, attested in 1 source.
Alswid is a figure attested in the Volsunga Saga who serves as an intermediary in Bekkhild and Heimir's household at Hlymdale. When Sigurd encountered a woman embroidering, it was Alswid who identified her as Brynhild, Budli's daughter, calling her "the greatest of great women" (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XXIV. Sigurd sees Brynhild at Hlymdale). He further warned Sigurd that Brynhild had never permitted any man to sit beside her or given drink to anyone (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XXIV. Sigurd sees Brynhild at Hlymdale).
Alswid's two attestations both occur in the same chapter and serve a single narrative function: building Brynhild's reputation before Sigurd meets her directly. His identification of the embroidering woman and his warning about her unapproachable nature together create the dramatic tension of the encounter. Alswid himself has no further role in the saga; he exists to voice what the narrative needs the audience to know about Brynhild at this moment -- her identity, her lineage, and her formidable character.
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Völsunga Saga, Norse Tradition
On trail: Genealogies