Sigurd the Volsung
Sigurd the Volsung is the central hero of the Volsung cycle, attested across seven chapters of the Volsunga Saga.
Sigurd the Volsung is the central hero of the Volsung cycle, attested across seven chapters of the Volsunga Saga. From birth his nature was recognized as extraordinary: all who saw "the keen eyes in the head of him" said "that few men would be equal to him or like unto him in any wise" (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XIII). His story unfolds through vengeance, dragon-slaying, and ill-fated love.
Sigurd first sought to avenge his father Sigmund, asking kings Hjalprek and Alf for support against the sons of Hunding, declaring he owed them "thanks and reward" for sheltering him (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XVII). His army then "let loose fire and sword, and slew men and burnt their abodes" in Lyngi's lands (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XVII).
After slaying Fafnir, Sigurd rebuked his foster-father Regin for cowardice: "Afar thou faredst when I wrought this deed... while thou wert laid alow in the heather-bush" (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XIX). The birds then guided him toward two destinies: toward "the hall of Giuki" where his bride awaited, and toward Hindfell where Brynhild slept in armor surrounded by flame (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XIX). Riding to Hindfell, Sigurd saw "a great light, as of fire burning, and flaming up even unto the heavens," and within a shield-hung castle found a sleeping figure in full armor (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XX). The byrny was "set on her as closely as though it had grown to her flesh," and Sigurd rent it with his sword (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XX). Days later he declared he knew Brynhild "for the best of the world's women" (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XXIV).
Arriving at King Giuki's hall laden with treasure on Grani, Sigurd was received with awe: "Sure it may be deemed that here is come one of the Gods, for his array is all done with gold, and his horse is far mightier than other horses" (Volsunga Saga, Chapter XXVI). He swore oaths with the brothers Gunnar and Hogni, taking troth from them (Volsunga Saga, The Short Lay of Sigurd).
The Volsunga Saga presents Sigurd's story in a steady arc from birth through dragon-slaying to entanglement with the Giukings, with all twelve citations deriving from a single source. The narrative builds through escalating deeds: the vengeance campaign against Hunding's sons is told in martial terms of fire and sword, while the dragon-slaying pivots to prophecy and romance as the birds redirect Sigurd's path.
The encounter with Brynhild on Hindfell stands as the most vivid episode, described with accumulating physical detail -- the fire visible from afar, the shield-hung castle, the byrny grown to flesh. Sigurd's swift declaration of devotion contrasts with the oath-swearing that follows at Giuki's hall, where political alliance supersedes personal passion. The saga marks this shift without commentary, letting the structural irony speak for itself.
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Völsunga Saga, Norse Tradition