The Saga of the Volsungs

by Jackson Crawford

  Hunding’s sons wanted to avenge their father, and they called out an army to oppose Helgi. They had a hard battle, and Helgi went through the troops of those brothers and sought out the sons of King Hunding and killed these: Álf, Eyjólf, Hervarð, and Hagbarð, and he claimed a great victory.

  And when Helgi left the battlefield, he found several noble-looking women near a forest, and one of them was by far the most magnificent. They rode with excellent saddles and tack. Helgi asked the name of the foremost of them, and she told him her name was Sigrún, and that she was the daughter of King Hogni.

  Helgi said, "Come home with us, and be welcome."

  Sigrún said, "We have other work to do besides drinking with you."

  Helgi said, "What is that, princess?"

  She said, "King Hogni has promised me to Hoðbrodd, the son of King Granmar, but I have answered that I would no sooner marry Hoðbrodd than a nestling crow. But it will happen, unless you forbid him and come against him with an army and take me away, because there is no king I would rather share a home with than you."

  "Be cheerful, princess," said Helgi, "I would rather put my boldness to the test than see you married to him, and we will see which one of us men is killed, and I pledge my life to this."

  After this Helgi sent men with gifts to gather soldiers and assemble his army at Rauðabjargir. And there Helgi waited until a great army came to him from Heðinsey, and then a great number of troops came to him from Norvasund with large, beautiful ships. King Helgi called to his captain, who was named Leif, and asked him if he had counted their troops. Leif said, "My lord, it is impossible to count all the ships that have come out of Norvasund. But there are 14,400 men on them, and another half as many elsewhere."

  Then King Helgi said they should go into the fjord that was named Varinsfjorð, and they did. A great storm came up and the waves surged so high that the sound of them hitting the decks was like the sound of boulders crashing together. Helgi told his men not to fear and not to {16} reef the sails, but to set them all even higher than before. They were very nearly in danger of drowning before their ships could come to land. Then the princess Sigrún, daughter of Hogni, came riding on the land above and directed them to a good harbor called Gnípalund.

  The men on land saw all this. And Granmar, who was the brother of King Hoðbrodd and governed the region there at Svarinshaug, came riding on the land above. He called to them and asked who led this great army.

  Sinfjotli stood up with a helmet on his head that was as reflective as glass, and a coat of chainmail that shone like snow, and a spear in his hand with a noble flag on it, and a gold-bordered shield held before him.

  Sinfjotli knew how to talk to kings. "Tell them," he said, "after you’ve fed your pigs and dogs and found your wife, that the Volsungs are here, and in this army you’ll find King Helgi, if Hoðbrodd wants to encounter him. And it is Helgi’s delight to fight boldly while you stay by the fire kissing serving-women."

  Granmar said, "You don’t know how to speak honorably or recall old stories, when you mock noble-born men with lies. It would be truer to say that you’ve lived a long time off wolves’ food out in the wilds, and that you’ve killed your own brothers, and it’s strange that you dare to travel with an army of good men when you’ve often sucked a cold corpse for its blood."

  Sinfjotli said, "You must not remember clearly when you were the witch-woman on Varinsey and said that you wanted a husband—and chose me to be that husband. And then later you were a Valkyrie in Ásgarð, and the men there almost all came to blows for your sake. I fathered nine wolves with you in Láganes; I was the father to each of them."

  Granmar said, "You know how to tell plenty of lies. I don’t think you could be anyone’s father, considering that you were castrated by the daughters of the giant at Thrasnes. And you’re the stepson of King Siggeir, and you dwelled in the forest with wolves and later all kinds of bad fortune came to you. You killed your own brothers, and made yourself a bad reputation."

  Sinfjotli said, "Do you remember when you were the mare of the stallion Grani, and I rode you at the race in Brávellir? Later you were the goatherd of the giant Gaulnir."

  Granmar said, "I would rather feed your corpse to the ravens than talk with you any longer."

  {17} Then King Helgi said, "It would be better, and wiser, for you two to fight than to talk like this, saying things that are shameful to hear. Granmar’s sons are not my friends, Sinfjotli, but they are tough men."

  Granmar then rode away, and met with King Hoðbrodd at Sefafjoll. Their horses were named Sveipuð and Sveggjuð. They met by the cliff and Granmar told him his story. King Hoðbrodd was in his armor and had a helmet on his head. He asked who these men were, and why they were so angry.

  Granmar said, "The Volsungs have come here, and they have 14,400 men on land and 8,400 on the island called Sok. But they have their largest force at the place called Grindr, and I think that Helgi wants a fight."

  King Hoðbrodd said, "Let’s send a message throughout the whole kingdom and fight them. Let no one who wants to fight sit at home! Let’s send word to the sons of Hring, and to King Hogni and old Álf. They are great warriors."

  The armies met at a place called Frekastein, and there was a hard battle there. Helgi pushed forward through the troops and there was a great loss of men. Then they saw a huge group of shieldmaidens, and to look upon them was like gazing into a flame. Princess Sigrún was there. King Helgi matched off with King Hoðbrodd, and Helgi killed him there beneath the banners.

  Then Sigrún said, "Have my thanks for this valiant deed. His lands are now yours. This is a very joyful day for me, and you will receive great fame and praise for having killed such a great king."

  King Helgi took that realm as his own and lived there a long time. He married Sigrún and became a great and famous king, but he does not feature further in this saga.

  Chapter 10. The Death of Sinfjotli

  [compare Frá dauða Sinfjotla (Fra dautha Sinfjotla) in the Poetic Edda]

  The Volsungs went home now, and they had greatly increased their fame.

  {18} Sinfjotli went out raiding anew. He saw a beautiful woman and wanted very much to have her. He asked for the hand of this woman, and so did the brother of Borghild, who was Sigmund’s wife. The two men fought a battle over the woman, and Sinfjotli killed the other man, and then he went back to raiding everywhere and had many battles and always took the victory. He became the greatest and most famous of men, and he came home during the fall with many ships and a great deal of loot.

  Sinfjotli told his father Sigmund the news, and Sigmund told his wife. She told Sinfjotli to leave their kingdom and said that she never wanted to see him again. But Sigmund said he would not drive Sinfjotli away, and he offered to pay Borghild with gold and great treasures, even though he had never before compensated anyone for a killing, because he said there was no prestige in arguing with women. She had no way to press the matter further, and said, "You ought to decide, my lord, as is proper."

  With the permission of King Sigmund, Borghild hosted a funeral feast for her brother. She prepared the feast with all the best delicacies, and invited many great men.

  Borghild served the drinks. She came before Sinfjotli with a great drinking horn and said, "Drink now, stepson."

  He took the horn, looked in it, and said, "The drink is cloudy!"

  Sigmund said, "Let me have it then." And he drained it.

  The queen said, "Why should other men drink your beer for you, Sinfjotli?" And she came with a second drinking horn and said, "Drink now," and also said many other belittling things.

  He took the drinking horn and said, "This drink is tainted in some way."

  Sigmund said, "Give it to me then."

  Borghild came a third time with a drinking horn and told Sinfjotli to drink it, if he had the courage of a Volsung.

  Sinfjotli took the drinking horn and said, "There is some poison in the drink."

  Sigmund said, "Wet your mustache, so
n!" King Sigmund was extremely drunk, which is why he spoke this way. Sinfjotli drank it, and he fell dead immediately.

  Sigmund stood up, and his sorrow nearly killed him. He took Sinfjotli’s body in his arms and carried him to the forest. Finally he {19} came to a fjord where he saw a man on a small boat. The man offered to ferry him over the fjord, and Sigmund accepted. The boat was too small to hold all three of them, and so the ferryman took Sinfjotli’s body first, and Sigmund walked along the shore. But in the next moment, the boat and the ferryman disappeared.

  After this, Sigmund went home. He banished his queen, and a little later she died. King Sigmund still ruled his realm and was thought to be the greatest champion and king in his time.

  Chapter 11. The Death of Sigmund, Son of Volsung

  Eylimi was the name of a rich and powerful king. His daughter was named Hjordís, the wisest and most beautiful of women. King Sigmund heard that if this woman was not his match, none would be, and he went to the home of King Eylimi. Eylimi prepared a great feast for Sigmund, with the provision that Sigmund did not come with an army. But messengers went between the kings saying that Sigmund came in friendship and without hostile intent. The feast was to feature all the best food and a large crowd. And everywhere King Sigmund went on his way, markets and other traveling conveniences were provided, until he finally came to the feast, and the two kings shared one hall.

  King Lyngvi, son of Hunding, was also there at that feast, and he also meant to win Eylimi’s daughter for his wife. Eylimi did not think that Lyngvi and Sigmund could both get what they had come for, and he expected hostility from the one who did not.

  King Eylimi said to his daughter, "You are a wise woman, and I have declared that you will choose your own husband. Choose between these two kings, and my decision will support yours."

  She answered, "This is a difficult decision for me, though I will choose the king who is most famous. That is King Sigmund, although he is getting old."

  And so she was married to King Sigmund, and King Lyngvi went away. And each day the guests were served with better food and with more enthusiasm. And after that King Sigmund went home to Hunland {20} and King Eylimi, his father-in-law, went with him and looked after his kingdom.

  But King Lyngvi and his brothers now assembled an army and went to attack King Sigmund, because they had always lost to him in matters big or small, and now this marriage loomed largest. They wanted to test themselves against the heroism of the Volsungs, and they came into Hunland and sent Sigmund a message. They did not wish to ambush him, and they believed that he would not flee.

  King Sigmund agreed to come to the battle. He gathered an army and sent Queen Hjordís to the forest with a serving-woman and a great deal of treasure. She was there while the battle took place.

  The Vikings leapt from their ships with an enormous army. King Sigmund and King Eylimi set up their banners and the trumpets were blown. King Sigmund gave orders to blow the horn that had belonged to his father, and this was the way he urged his men forward. Sigmund had a much smaller army than Eylimi.

  A great battle now began, and though Sigmund was old, he fought hard and he was always at the front of his men. Neither shield nor armor could protect a man from him, and he went again and again into the army of his enemies on that day, and no one could see what the outcome would be of this battle between the two armies. Many spears and arrows were in the air. But Sigmund’s family spirits protected him so that he was not injured, and no one could count how many men fell by his hand. Both of his arms were covered in blood up to the shoulders.

  And when the fighting had continued for a while, a man appeared in the fray who was dressed in a long hat and a blue cloak. He had only one eye, and a spear in his hand. This man charged against Sigmund and hefted up the spear at him. And when Sigmund struck hard with his sword, he hit the spearshaft and his blade broke into two pieces.

  Now the tide of the battle turned, and Sigmund’s luck left him and much of his army was killed. Sigmund stopped even trying to defend himself, and he continued to urge his troops on. Now it went like the saying goes, that no one can compete against superior numbers. Both King Sigmund and King Eylimi, his father-in-law, fell in this battle. They were at the front of his troops, and most of Sigmund’s men fell with him.

  {21} Chapter 12. Concerning Queen Hjordís and King Álf

  King Lyngvi now came to the king’s residence and meant to take Hjordís, but this was not to be, and he found neither the woman nor any treasure there. He went over the land and divided it among his own men, and thought that he had killed all the Volsungs and that he had nothing to fear from them any longer after this.

  Hjordís walked among the fallen bodies the night after the battle and came to where King Sigmund lay. She asked if he had any chance of living.

  He said, "Many live with little hope, but my luck has left me, so I will not let myself be healed. Óðin no longer wishes for me to draw my sword, since he has now broken it. I have fought battles while it pleased him."

  She said, "Nothing would seem lost to me, if you were to be healed and you avenged my father."

  King Sigmund said, "That is a task fated for others. But you are pregnant with a boy. Raise him well and carefully, and that boy will become the greatest and most famous of our family. Take good care also of my sword’s fragments. A good sword can be made from them, which will be called Gram, and our son will carry that sword and do many great things with it which will never be forgotten. And his name will be spoken as long as the world lasts. Take heart from that. But now my wounds overcome me, and I go to visit our dead kinsmen."

  Hjordís sat over him until he died and the sun came up. Then she saw where many ships had come to land. She said to her servant, "Let’s exchange clothes, and you take my name and say you are the daughter of King Eylimi."

  They did so. The Vikings saw the great carnage and saw where two women were running for the woods. They understood that great things must have happened here, and they leapt off their ships. The leader of these warriors was Álf, son of King Hjálprek of Denmark. He had sailed along the shoreline with his army and now they came upon this scene of carnage where they saw so many dead.

  The king told his men to look for the women, and they did so. Then he asked the women who they were, and a strange thing happened, as the servant answered for them and told them about the fall of King {22} Sigmund and King Eylimi and many other great men, and who had brought it about. The king asked whether the women knew where King Sigmund’s treasure was hidden.

  The servant answered, "We probably know," and showed them to the treasure. And they found great wealth there, so much that none of the men thought he had seen so much in one place nor more jewels, and they carried it all to the ships of King Álf. Hjordís and her servant went with King Álf when he returned home to his realm and told of the fall of the most famous of kings. The king positioned himself at the stern of the ship, and the two women sat on the foremost bench on the deck. He spoke with them, and he placed great value on what they said.

  King Álf now came home to his kingdom with a great treasure. He was the most accomplished of men. And when they had been home a short time, the Danish queen asked her son King Álf, "Why does the more beautiful woman have fewer rings and worse clothing? It seems to me that the higher woman is the one you have treated lower."

  He answered, "I have suspected that she did not act like a servant, and when we first met she showed that she knew how to greet well-born men. I will test this."

  And now one time when they were drinking, the king sat and talked with the women and said, "How do you know that it is dawn, when the night draws to a close, if you cannot see the sun and stars?"

  She answered, "This is our way of knowing. It was our custom in my youth that we drank a great deal in the hour before dawn, and even after I stopped this, I still wake at the same time, and that is my way of knowing."

  The king smiled at this and said, "That was a bad habit for a king’s daughte
r." Then he found Hjordís and asked her the same question. She answered, "My father gave me a small golden ring with this feature, that it would get cold in the hour before dawn on my finger. That is my way of knowing the dawn."

  King Álf answered, "There was plenty of gold around, if even the servants had some! You women have hidden it from me for a long time, but I would have treated you as if we were both born of one and the same king, if you had told me, and I will give you even better honors, because you will be my wife. I will pay the brideprice once you have given birth to your child."

  {23} She answered, and told him that everything he said was true. She was given great honor there, and was considered the most noble of women.

  Chapter 13. Concerning Sigurð and Regin

  It is now told that Hjordís gave birth to a boy, and the boy was brought to King Hjálprek. Hjálprek was glad when he saw the boy’s fierce eyes, and he said that the boy would be neither like nor equal to any man, and he was sprinkled with water and given the name Sigurð. Everyone says that there was no match for Sigurð anywhere, whether in achievements or in size. And when all the most excellent men and kings are listed in the old sagas, Sigurð is named before all of them for his boldness, his warrior spirit, his energy, and his drive, which he possessed beyond all other men in the northern half of the world.

  Sigurð was raised there with King Hjálprek and greatly loved. He grew up, and every child loved him. Sigurð gave Hjordís to King Álf to be his bride and stipulated the brideprice to be paid for her.

  Regin was the name of Sigurð’s foster-father; he was the son of Hreiðmar. He taught him sports, games, and runes, and how to speak many languages, as was fitting for a king’s son, as well as many other things. One time when they were both together, Regin asked Sigurð if he knew how much wealth his father had owned or who might have kept it. Sigurð answered that the kings Hjálprek and Álf had it.

  Regin asked, "Do you trust them completely?"