‘Sigurd roasted the heart, and when he thought it was cooked, he touched it with his finger to find out if it was still raw. The boiling juice from the heart ran on to his finger, scalding it, and he stuck his finger into his mouth. When the heart’s blood ran on to his tongue, he suddenly understood the speech of birds. He heard nuthatches speaking as they sat in the trees. One of them said:
“There sits Sigurd
spattered with blood, as
Fafnir’s heart
he roasts, on the fire.
Wise would seem
the breaker of rings,
if he would eat
the gleaming heart.”
‘Another said:
“There lies Regin,
making his plans,
intending to betray the boy
who trusts him.
Moved by anger,
he gathers evil thoughts;
the forger of trouble wants
vengeance for his brother.”
‘Then Sigurd went up to Regin and killed him. Afterwards, he mounted his horse Grani and rode until he came to Fafnir’s lair. There Sigurd gathered up the gold and put it into sacks. These he placed on Grani’s back, and then climbed up himself and rode on his way.
‘Now the story has been told why gold is called the lair or the home of Fafnir, the metal of Gnita-Heath, or Grani’s burden.
The Valkyrie Brynhild and the Gjukungs
‘Sigurd rode until he came to a house up on a mountain. Inside a woman was sleeping; she wore a helmet and a mail coat. He drew his sword and cut the mail coat from her. She then awakened and said that her name was Hild but that she was called Brynhild and was a valkyrie.
‘Sigurd rode away until he came to a king named Gjuki and his wife named Grimhild. Their children were Gunnar, Hogni, Gudrun and Gudny. Gothorm was Gjuki’s stepson. After staying there for a long time, Sigurd married Gjuki’s daughter, Gudrun. With Gunnar and Hogni, Sigurd swore oaths of brotherhood.
‘Next Sigurd and the sons of Gjuki travelled together to ask Atli [Attila the Hun], the son of Budli, to give his sister Brynhild as a wife to Gunnar. She was living on the mountain called Hindafell, and around her hall burned a wavering flame. She had taken an oath to marry only that man who dared ride through the wavering flame. Sigurd and the Gjukungs, also called the Niflungs,3 rode up the mountain with Gunnar intending to ride through the wavering flame. Gunnar’s horse, named Goti, would not jump into the fire. Then Sigurd and Gunnar exchanged their shapes and their names because Grani refused to be ridden by any man other than Sigurd. Springing on to Grani’s back, Sigurd rode through the wavering flame.
‘That evening Sigurd wed Brynhild. But when they got into the bed, he drew the sword Gram from its sheath and placed it between them. In the morning, after he got up and had dressed, he gave to Brynhild, as the linen fee,4 the gold ring that Loki had taken from Andvari. In return, he took from her another ring as a remembrance. Sigurd then jumped on to his horse and rode to his companions. He and Gunnar then returned to their own shapes. Together with Brynhild, they returned to Gjuki. Sigurd had two children with Gudrun, Sigmund and Svanhild.
Brynhild and Gudrun Quarrel
‘It happened once that Brynhild and Gudrun went down to the water to wash their hair. When they reached the river, Brynhild waded out from the shore. She said that she did not want water on her head which had already rinsed through Gudrun’s hair, because hers was the more courageous husband. Then Gudrun followed her out into the river, saying that it was her privilege to wash her hair higher up in the river, because she was married to a man braver than Gunnar or anyone else in the world, and it was he who had killed Fafnir and Regin and taken both their inheritances.
‘Brynhild replied: “Greater was the feat when Gunnar rode through the wavering flame while Sigurd would not dare.”
‘Then Gudrun laughed and said, “Do you think it was Gunnar who rode through the wavering flame? This I know: the one who came into your bed was the one who gave me this gold ring. Further, the gold ring you have on your hand, which you received as the morning gift, is called Andvaranaut [Andvari’s Gift], and I do not believe that Gunnar was the one who won it at Gnita-Heath.”
‘Brynhild then grew silent and returned home.
‘From then on she urged Gunnar and Hogni to kill Sigurd. But because they had sworn oaths to Sigurd, they urged their brother Gothorm to kill Sigurd, which he did by thrusting a sword through Sigurd while he slept. When Sigurd felt the wound, he threw his sword Gram at Gothorm, slicing the man in half at the middle. Sigurd died there together with his three-year-old son Sigmund, whom they also killed. Brynhild then thrust a sword into herself, and she was burned with Sigurd. As for Gunnar and Hogni, they took Fafnir’s wealth and the ring Andvari’s Gift and ruled over the lands.
The Rhinegold, King Atli’s Greed and Queen Gudrun’s Vengeance
‘Brynhild’s brother King Atli, the son of Budli, then married Gudrun, Sigurd’s former wife, and together they had children. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come for a visit, and they accepted the invitation. Before setting out from home they hid the gold, Fafnir’s inheritance, in the Rhine. That gold has never been found.
‘King Atli was waiting for them with his men, and he fought with Gunnar and Hogni, seizing them in the end. King Atli had Hogni’s heart cut out while he was alive, and that was his death. Atli had Gunnar thrown into the snake pit, but Gunnar secretly was given a harp. Because his hands were bound he played it with his toes; all the snakes fell asleep, except for one adder. This one glided towards him and struck just below his breastbone so that she buried her head into his flesh, grabbing hold of his liver until he died.
‘Gunnar and Hogni are called Niflungs and Gjukungs, and for this reason the gold is called the treasure or the inheritance of the Niflungs.
‘Shortly after that Gudrun killed her two sons, and she had goblets made from their skulls, using gold and silver. Then a funeral feast was held for the Niflungs at which Gudrun had King Atli served mead in these cups, mixed with the blood of the boys. She also had their hearts roasted and given to the king to eat. She then confronted Atli and, with foul words, told him what she had done. There was no lack of strong mead at the feast and most people fell asleep where they were sitting. Later in the night, Gudrun, accompanied by Hogni’s son, approached the king as he slept and struck him his death blow. Then they spread fire in the hall, and the people inside burned to death.
Gudrun’s Third Marriage
‘After that Gudrun went down to the shore and jumped into the sea, wanting to drown herself. But she was carried across the fjord and came to the land ruled by King Jonak. When he saw her, he took her as his own and married her. They had three sons:5 Sorli, Hamdir and Erp. Their hair was black as a raven’s, as was the hair of Gunnar and Hogni and of the other Niflungs.
‘Svanhild, the daughter of Sigurd in his youth, was raised there and became the most beautiful of women. King Jormunrek the Powerful,6 learning of her beauty, sent his son Randver to ask for her hand on his behalf. After Randver’s arrival at Jonak’s, Svanhild was entrusted to his keeping, as he was the one who was to take her to Jormunrek. Then Bikki7 [the king’s adviser] spoke. He suggested that it would be better if Randver took Svanhild for himself, because the two were young, whereas Jormunrek was an old man. The idea appealed to the young people, but the next thing Bikki did was to tell the king what had happened.
King Jormunrek’s Tragedy
‘King Jormunrek had his son seized and led to the gallows. Randver grabbed hold of his hawk and plucked out its feathers, asking that it be sent to his father. Then Randver was hanged. When King Jormunrek saw the hawk, he realized that, like it, now featherless and unable to fly, his kingdom also was disabled as he was old and had no son.
‘Later King Jormunrek was returning from a hunt with his retainers. Riding from the forest, he saw Queen Svanhild sitting outside, washing her hair. He and his men rode her down, trampling her to death under the fe
et of their horses.
‘When Gudrun learned about this, she incited her sons to seek vengeance for Svanhild. As they prepared their trip, she gave them mail coats and helmets so strong that iron would not pierce them. Her advice to her sons was that when they reached King Jormunrek they should attack him at night while he slept. Sorli and Hamdir should cut off his arms and legs, and Erp the head. As they travelled, the brothers asked Erp what assistance they could expect from him, should they actually get to King Jormunrek. He answered that he would help them just as the hand helps the foot. They said that the foot was not supported at all by the hand.
‘Their mother had taunted the sons as they set out, and that made them so angry with her that they wanted to do whatever would hurt her the most. So they killed Erp, because she loved him the most. A little while later, as Sorli was walking, one of his legs slipped under him, and he supported himself with his hand. Then he said: “The hand now has helped the foot. It would have been better if Erp had lived!”
‘It was night when they reached King Jormunrek’s sleeping quarters. He awoke as they struck off his hands and legs, and he called out to his men, commanding them to rise.
‘Then Hamdir said: “The head would now have been off, if Erp had lived!”
‘The king’s men rose and attacked the brothers, but they could not harm them with weapons. Finally Jormunrek called to his men, telling them to stone them. They did so and Sorli and Hamdir both fell. Now the house of Gjuki and all his descendants were dead.
‘From his youth, Sigurd was survived by a daughter named Aslaug.8 She had been born at the home of Heimir in Hlymdales, and from her great families are descended.
‘It is said that Sigmund, the son of Volsung, was so tough that he could drink poison and not be harmed. Also that his son Sinfjotli, as well as Sigurd,9 had skin so hard that poison caused them no harm even if it came on to their bare flesh.’
8
Frodi’s Mill and His Peace
‘Why is gold called Frodi’s flour?’
‘There is a tale about this: Skjold was a son of Odin, the one from whom the Skjoldungs are descended. He had a court and ruled over lands that are now called Denmark but were known at that time as Gotland. Skjold had a son named Fridleif, who ruled over lands after him. Fridleif’s son was named Frodi, and he took the kingdom after his father in the period when Emperor Augustus was pacifying the whole world; this was when Christ was born. Because Frodi was the most powerful king in the northern countries, his name became connected with the peace which reigned throughout all the lands speaking the Danish tongue.1 The Norwegians called it Frodi’s peace. No man harmed another, even if he came upon the killer of his father or of his brother, whether they were free or bondsmen. There were neither thieves nor robbers and for a long time a gold ring lay untouched on Jalangr’s Heath.2
‘King Frodi went on a visit to Sweden as guest of the king named Fjolnir. He bought there two slavewomen. They were called Fenja and Menja and were huge and strong. At that time there were in Denmark two millstones so large that no one was strong enough to get them turning. The nature of these stones was that they ground out whatever the miller commanded to be ground. The mill was called Grotti, and Hang Jaw was the name of the one who gave the mill to King Frodi.
‘King Frodi had the slavewomen taken to the mill and commanded them to grind gold, peace and prosperity for Frodi. He gave them no more time to rest or to sleep than a cuckoo takes to remain silent or a person to sing a verse. It is said that then they chanted the lay called Grotti’s Song. And before they had finished their singing, they ground out an army to oppose Frodi. That very same night the sea king named Mysing arrived there and killed Frodi, taking much plunder. With that, Frodi’s peace ended.
‘Mysing took Grotti and also Fenja and Menja away with him and told them to grind salt. Towards the middle of the night, they asked Mysing if he was not growing tired of salt. He told them to keep on grinding, but they continued for only a short time before the ship sank. From that time on there has been a whirlpool in the ocean where the sea flows down into the eye of the millstone. It was then that the sea became salty.’
9
Kraki’s Seed and King Hrolf Kraki of Denmark
‘Why is gold called Kraki’s seed?’
‘There was a king in Denmark named Hrolf Kraki. He was the most renowned of the old kings, chiefly because of his generosity, valour and humility. A mark of his humility, and one that is often repeated in stories, is that a little poor boy named Vogg came into King Hrolf’s hall. At the time, the king was young and slender in build.
‘Vogg went before Hrolf and stared up at him. Then the king said: “What do you want to say, boy, since you are staring at me?”
‘Vogg replied: “When I was at home I heard it said that King Hrolf at Hleidra was the greatest man in the northern lands, but now there sits before me on the throne a thin pole1 [kraki] of a man; and you call him your king!”
‘In reply the king said, “You, boy, have given me a name. I shall be called Hrolf Kraki, and it is the custom that a gift shall accompany the name giving. I can see, however, that at this naming you have no gift for me which I would find acceptable. So the one who has will give to the other.” And he took a gold ring from his arm and gave it to the boy.
‘Then Vogg said, “May your giving be blessed above all kings, and I swear an oath to be the death of the man who kills you.”
‘The king laughed as he replied, “It takes little to please Vogg.”2
King Hrolf and King Adils of Sweden
‘Another story that illustrates King Hrolf’s valour has to do with a king named Adils, who ruled over Uppsala3 and who was married to Yrsa,4 Hrolf Kraki’s mother. Adils was at war with the king called Ali, who ruled Norway. They arranged to meet in battle on the ice of the lake named Vaeni, and King Adils sent a request to his stepson Hrolf Kraki to come to his assistance. He promised to pay Hrolf’s whole army while it was away from home, and King Hrolf was to choose for himself three of Sweden’s treasures. As King Hrolf was unable to undertake the trip because of his conflict with the Saxons, he sent to Adils his twelve berserkers. Bodvar Bjarki was among them, and so also was Hjalti the Courageous, Hvitserk the Bold, Vott, Veseti and the brothers Svipdag and Beigud. In that battle King Ali fell, along with a large part of his army. Then King Adils took the helmet called Battle Pig from Ali’s dead body and the horse Raven.
‘Then Hrolf Kraki’s berserkers asked that each of them should be paid three pounds of gold for their services. Furthermore, they asked to take back to Hrolf Kraki the treasures that they would choose for him: the helmet Hildigolt [Battle Boar] and the mail shirt Finnsleif [Finn’s Legacy], which weapons could not pierce, and the gold ring called Sviagris5 [the Swedes’ Pig], which had been in the possession of Adils’ ancient ancestors. But the king refused to give up any of these treasures, and he would not even pay them their wages.
‘Little pleased with their lot, the berserkers left. They reported the outcome to Hrolf Kraki, who immediately set out for Uppsala. After first guiding his ships up the river Fyri,6 Hrolf rode to Uppsala accompanied by his twelve berserkers, all of them without safe conduct. Hrolf’s mother Yrsa welcomed him. She showed him to his lodgings, though not to the king’s hall. Large fires were lit for them, and they were supplied with ale. Next, King Adils’ men entered. They heaped logs on to the fires, making them burn so hot that the clothes were burned off King Hrolf and his men.
‘Adils’ men asked: “Is it true that Hrolf Kraki and his berserkers flee neither fire nor iron?”
‘Then Hrolf Kraki and all his men jumped to their feet, and Hrolf answered: “Let’s further increase the fires in Adils’ house”, and, grabbing his shield, he threw it into the blaze. As the shield burned, he jumped over the flames and said, “He does not flee fire who leaps over it.” Now, each of his men, one after the other, did the same thing. And as they did so, they took hold of those who had been feeding the fire and threw them into the blaze.
>
‘Yrsa now arrived and gave Hrolf Kraki an animal’s horn filled with gold, including the ring Sviagris. She advised them to ride back to their army, and they leapt on to their horses and rode down to the Fyri Plains. It was then that they saw King Adils riding after them. His army was with him, dressed for war and intending to kill. With his right hand, King Hrolf Kraki reached into the horn and, taking hold of the gold, he sowed it like seed all along the road. When the Swedes saw him doing that, they leapt from their saddles, each trying to grab as much gold as he could. King Adils commanded his men to continue riding, and he himself galloped as hard as he could. His horse, named Slungnir, was the fastest of mounts.
‘When Hrolf Kraki saw King Adils coming up fast behind him, he took the ring Sviagris and threw it in front of Adils, inviting him to take it as a gift. King Adils rode up to where the ring lay and reached for it with his spear, letting the ring slide on to the blade all the way to the socket. Hrolf Kraki now looked back and, seeing Adils bent over, he said: “I made the most powerful of the Swedes grovel like a pig.” Then they parted.
‘From this story, gold is called the seed of Kraki or the seed of the Fyri Plains.’
10
The Never-ending Battle
Battle is called the weather or the storm of the Hjadnings, and weapons are known as the fires or the wands of the Hjadnings. There is a story behind these names.
A king named Hogni had a daughter called Hild [Battle]. While King Hogni was away at a kings’ assembly, King Hedin Hjarrandason abducted Hild, taking her as a prize of war. When Hogni heard that his kingdom had been raided and his daughter had been taken captive, he set out with his men to search for Hedin. He learned that Hedin had sailed north, following the coastline. But when King Hogni arrived in Norway, he heard that Hedin had sailed west over the sea.1 Hogni then sailed after him all the way to the Orkney Isles. When he reached the place called Haey [Hoy or High Island], Hedin was there, waiting with his men.
The Prose Edda Page 13