Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 25th, 2009 No Comments »
“Hail to the gods! Ye goddesses, hail, And all the generous earth! Give to us wisdom and goodly speech, And healing hands, life-long.
“Long did I sleep, my slumber was long, And long are the griefs of life; Othin decreed that I could not break The heavy spells of sleep.”
Her name was Sigrdrifa, and she was a Valkyrie. She said that two kings fought in battle; one was called Hjalmgunnar, an old man but a mighty warrior, and Othin had promised him the victory, and The other was Agnar, brother of Autha, None he found who fain would shield him.
Sigrdrifa, slew Hjalmgunnar in the battle, and Othin pricked her with the sleep-thorn in punishment for this, and said that she should never thereafter win victory in battle, but that she should be wedded. “And I said to him that I had made a vow in my turn, that I would never marry a man who knew the meaning of fear.” Sigurth answered and asked her to teach him wisdom, if she knew of what took place in all the world.
~ Sigdrifumol - Stanzas 3 and 4
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Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 18th, 2009 No Comments »
Sigurth concealed his name because it was believed in olden times that the word of a dying man might have great power if he cursed his foe by his name. He said: “The Noble Hart my name, and I go A motherless man abroad; Father I had not, as others have, And lonely ever I live.”
Fafnir spake: “If father thou hadst not, as others have, By what wonder wast thou born? (Though thy name on the day of my death thou hidest, Thou knowest now thou dost lie.)”
Sigurth spake: “My race, methinks, is unknown to thee, And so am I myself; Sigurth my name, and Sigmund’s son, Who smote thee thus with the sword.”
Fafnir spake: “Who drove thee on? why wert thou driven My life to make me lose? A father brave | had the bright-eyed youth, For bold in boyhood thou art.”
Sigurth spake: “My heart did drive me, my hand fulfilled, And my shining sword so sharp; Few are keen when old age comes, Who timid in boyhood be.”
~ Fafnismol, Stanzas 2 through 6
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Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 12th, 2009 No Comments »
Hreithmar spake:
“Gifts ye gave, but ye gave not kindly,
Gave not with hearts that were whole;
Your lives ere this | should ye all have lost,
If sooner this fate I had seen.”
Loki spake:
“Worse is this | that methinks I see,
For a maid shall kinsmen clash;
Heroes unborn | thereby shall be,
I deem, to hatred doomed”
Hreithmar spake:
“The gold so red | shall I rule, methinks,
So long as I shall live;
Nought of fear | for thy threats I feel,
So get ye hence to your homes.”
~ Reginsmol, Stanzas 7 through 9
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Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 4th, 2009 No Comments »
Sigmund, the son of Volsung, was a king in the land of the Franks; Sinfjotli was his eldest son, the second was Helgi, and the third Hamund. Bordhild, Sigmund’s wife, had a brother who was named Gunnar , Sinfjotli, her stepson, and Gunnar both wooed the same woman, wherefore Sinfjotli slew him. And when he came home, Borghild bade him depart, but Sigmund offered her atonement-money, and this she had to accept. At the funeral feast Borghild brought in ale; she took poison, a great horn full, and brought it to Sinfjotli. But when he looked into the horn, he saw that it was poison, and said to Sigmund: “Muddy is the drink, Father!” Sigmund took the horn and drank therefrom. It is said that Sigmund was so hardy that poison might not harm him, either outside or in, but all his sons could withstand poison only without on their skin. Borghild bore another horn to Sinfjotli and bade him drink, and all happened as before. And yet a third time she brought him a horn, and spoke therewith scornful words of him if he should not drink from it. He spoke as before with Sigmund. The latter said: “Let it trickle through your beard, Son!” Sinfjotli drank, and straight-way was dead. Sigmund bore him a long way in his arms, and came to a narrow and long fjord, and there was a little boat and a man in it. He offered to take Sigmund across the fjord. But when Sigmund had borne the corpse out into the boat, then the craft was full. Then man told Sigmund to go round the inner end of the fjord. Then the man pushed the boat off, and disappeared.
King Sigmund dwelt long in Denmark in Borghild’s kingdom after he had married her. Thereafter Sigmund went south into the land of the Franks, to the kingdom which he had there. There he married Hjordis, the daughter of King Eylimi; their son was Sigurth. King Sigmund fell in a battle with the sons of Hunding, and Hjordis then married Alf the son of King Hjalprek. There Sigurth grew up in his boyhood. Sigmund and all his sons were far above all other men in might and stature and courage and every kind of ability. Sigurth, however, was the foremost of all, and all men call him in the old tales the noblest of mankind and the mightiest leader.
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