The Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas on Sigmund

Contents > Chapter Xxvi: The Sigurd Saga

• attestation: Sigmund alone pulled the sword from the Branstock; all others had tried and failed; Siggeir coveted the sword and offered to buy it but Sigmund refused, declaring it was meant for him.

  "from floor to rafter went up a shattering shout, For aloft in the hand of Sigmund the naked blade shone out... Siggeir's heart was filled with envy, and he coveted possession of the weapon. He offered to purchase it from his young brother-in-law, but Sigmund refused to part with it at any price, declaring that it was clear that the weapon had been intended for him to wear."

• attestation: Siggeir secretly resolved to destroy the Volsungs and seize the sword; he invited Volsung and his sons to his court, and though Signy warned her father of the danger, Volsung refused to withdraw his word.

  "This refusal so offended Siggeir that he secretly resolved to exterminate the proud Volsungs, and to secure the divine sword at the same time... Signy, suspecting evil, secretly sought her father while her husband slept, and implored him to retract his promise and stay at home, he would not consent to withdraw his plighted word"

• attestation: A beast came nightly and devoured one of the chained Volsung brothers until only Sigmund remained; Signy had honey smeared on his face, the beast thrust its tongue in his mouth, and Sigmund bit off the tongue and freed himself.

  "she prevailed on one of her servants to carry some honey into the forest and smear it over her brother's face and mouth. When the wild beast came that night, attracted by the smell of the honey, it licked Sigmund's face, and even thrust its tongue into his mouth. Clinching his teeth upon it, Sigmund, weak and wounded as he was, held on to the animal, and in its frantic struggles his bonds gave way, and he succeeded in slaying the prowling beast"

• attestation: Sigmund tested Sinfiotli by having him bake bread; the boy kneaded an adder into the loaf and was immune to its venom, proving his Volsung lineage.

  "Sigmund speedily prepared his usual test... Sinfiotli take meal from a certain sack, and knead it and bake some bread... he artlessly confessed that he had been obliged to knead into the loaf a great adder which was hidden in the meal. Pleased to see that the boy, for whom he felt a strange affection, had successfully stood the test which had daunted his brothers"

• attestation: Sigmund and Sinfiotli, having donned wolf skins found in a forest hut, had to wait nine nights before the skins dropped off; then they burned them to break the transformation spell.

  "In dire fear lest they might work each other further mischief, Sigmund and Sinfiotli now crept home and patiently waited until the time of their release should come. To their great relief the skins dropped off on the ninth night, and they hastily flung them into the fire, where they were entirely consumed, and the spell was broken for ever."

• attestation: Sigmund and Sinfiotli hid in Siggeir's cellar to take revenge; when Signy's young children discovered them and were about to expose them, Signy told Sigmund to kill them but he refused; Sinfiotli slew them.

  "they entered unseen, concealing themselves in the cellar, behind the huge vats of beer. Here they were discovered by Signy's two youngest children... Signy took both children, and dragging them into the cellar bade her brother slay the little traitors. This Sigmund utterly refused to do, but Sinfiotli struck off their heads"

• attestation: After avenging the Volsungs, Sigmund returned to Hunaland, became king, and married Borghild who bore him sons Hamond and Helgi; the Norns visited Helgi at birth and promised him a glorious end in Valhalla.

  "Sigmund, feeling that nothing now detained him in the land of the Goths, set sail with Sinfiotli and returned to Hunaland, where he was warmly welcomed to the seat of power... Sigmund married Borghild, a beautiful princess, who bore him two sons, Hamond and Helgi. The latter was visited by the Norns as he lay in his cradle, and they promised him sumptuous entertainment in Valhalla when his earthly career should be ended."

• attestation: Helgi was fostered by Hagal; at fifteen he boldly entered King Hunding's hall alone and left a mocking message, sparking a feud.

  "Helgi was fostered by Hagal, and under his care the young prince became so fearless that at the age of fifteen he ventured alone into the hall of Hunding, with whose race his family was at feud. Passing through the hall unmolested and unrecognised, he left an insolent message, which so angered Hunding that he immediately set out in pursuit of the bold young prince"

• attestation: Borghild poisoned Sinfiotli at a feast because he had slain her brother; when he fell, Sigmund carried his body to the shore where a one-eyed ferryman appeared and took the corpse across the water.

  "having slain in a quarrel the brother of Borghild, she determined to poison him. Twice Sinfiotli detected the attempt and told his father that there was poison in his cup... Sinfiotli forthwith drained the cup, and fell lifeless to the ground, for the poison was of the most deadly kind."

• attestation: During Sigmund's final battle, Odin appeared as a one-eyed man and shattered the Volsung's Branstock sword with a twi-bill; Sigmund fell mortally wounded.

  "through the hedge of the war-shafts, a mighty man there came, One-eyed and seeming ancient, but his visage shone like flame... Then clashed the meeting edges with Sigmund's latest stroke, And in shivering shards fell earthward that fear of worldly folk."

Contents > Chapter Xxix: Greek And Northern Mythologies

• comparison: The sword that only Sigmund or Sigurd can wield parallels the sword Aegeus hid under a rock that only Theseus could retrieve when he came of age.

  "The marvellous sword which becomes the property of Sigmund and of Sigurd as soon as they prove themselves worthy to wield it... remind us of the weapon which Ægeus concealed beneath the rock, and which Theseus secured as soon as he had become a man"