Siegfried in the Scandanavian Sagas

This excerpt is taken from the Project Gutenberg e-text of the Nibelungenlied,

published as "The Nibelungenlied", translated by Daniel B. Shumway

(Houghton- Mifflin Co., New York, 1909). This edition is in the PUBLIC

DOMAIN in the United States. The electronic edition was edited, proofed, and

prepared by Douglas B. Killings (DeTroyes@EnterAct.COM)

ACHTUNG!! Please see the restrictions on the use of this text.

The story of Siegfried, his tragic death, and the dire vengeance

visited upon his slayers, which lies at the basis of our poem,

antedates the latter by many centuries, and was known to all

nations whose languages prove by their resemblance to the German

tongue their original identity with the German people. Not only

along the banks of the Rhine and the Danube and upon the upland

plains of Southern Germany, but also along the rocky fjords of

Norway, among the Angles and Saxons in their new home across the

channel, even in the distant Shetland Islands and on the snow-

covered wastes of Iceland, this story was told around the fires

at night and sung to the harp in the banqueting halls of kings

and nobles, each people and each generation telling it in its own

fashion and adding new elements of its own invention. This great

geographical distribution of the legend, and the variety of forms

in which it appears, make it difficult to know where we must seek

its origin. The northern version is in many respects older and

simpler in form than the German, but still it is probable that

Norway was not the home of the saga, but that it took its rise in

Germany along the banks of the Rhine among the ancient tribe of

the Franks, as is shown by the many geographical names that are

reminiscent of the characters of the story, such as a Siegfried

"spring" in the Odenwald, a Hagen "well" at Lorsch, a Brunhild

"bed" near Frankfort, and the well-known "Drachenfels", or

Dragon's Rock, on the Rhine. It is to Norway, however, that we

must go for our knowledge of the story, for, singularly enough,

with the exception of the "Nibelungenlied" and the popular

ballad, German literature has preserved almost no trace of the

legend, and such as exist are too late and too corrupt to be of

much use in determining the original features of the story.

Just when the legend emigrated to Skandinavia we do not know, but

certainly at an early date, perhaps during the opening years of

the sixth century. It may have been introduced by German

traders, by slaves captured by the Northmen on their frequent

marauding expeditions, or, as Mogk believes, may have been taken

by the Heruli on their return to Norway after their defeat by the

Langobardi. By whatever channel, however, the story reached the

North, it became part and parcel of Skandinavian folklore, only

certain names still pointing to the original home of the legend.

In the ninth century, when Harald Harfagr changed the ancient

free constitution of the land, many Norwegians emigrated to

Iceland, taking with them these acquired legends, which were

better preserved in this remote island because of the peaceful

introduction of Christianity, than on the Continent, where the

Church was more antagonistic to the customs and legends of the

heathen period.

The Skandinavian version of the Siegfried legend has been handed

down to us in five different forms. The first of these is the

poetic or older "Edda", also called Saemund's "Edda", as it was

assigned to the celebrated Icelandic scholar Saemundr Sigfusson.

The "Codex Regius", in which it is preserved, dates from the

middle of the thirteenth century, but is probably a copy of an

older manuscript. The songs it contains were written at various

times, the oldest probably in the first half of the ninth

century, the latest not much before the date of the earliest

manuscript. Most of them, however, belong to the Viking period,

when Christianity was already beginning to influence the

Norwegians, that is, between the years 800 and 1000. They are

partly heroic, partly mythological in character, and are written

in alliterative strophes interspersed with prose, and have the

form of dialogues. Though the legends on which these songs are

based were brought from Norway, most of them were probably

composed in Iceland. Among these songs, now, we find a number

which deal with the adventures of Siegfried and his tragic end.

The second source of the Siegfried story is the so-called

"Volsungasaga", a prose paraphrase of the "Edda" songs. The MS.

dates from the beginning of the thirteenth century, but the

account was probably written a century earlier. The adventures

of Siegfried and his ancestors are here related in great detail

and his ancestry traced back to Wodan. Although a secondary

source, as it is based on the "Edda", the "Volsungasaga" is

nevertheless of great importance, since it supplies a portion of

the "Codex Regius" which has been lost, and thus furnishes us

with the contents of the missing songs.

The third source is the prose "Edda", sometimes called the

"Snorra Edda", after the famous Icelander Snorri Sturluson

(1178-1241),to whom it was ascribed. The author was acquainted

with both the poetic "Edda" and the "Volsungasaga", and follows

these accounts closely. The younger "Edda" is not really a tale,

but a book of poetics; it relates, however, the Siegfried saga

briefly. It is considered an original source, since it evidently

made use of songs that have not come down to us, especially in

the account of the origin of the treasure, which is here told

more in detail and with considerable differences. The

"Nornagestsaga" or "Nornageststhattr", the story of "Nornagest",

forms the fourth source of the Siegfried story. It is really a

part of the Olaf saga, but contains the story of Sigurd and

Gunnar (the Norse forms of Siegfried and Gunther), which an old

man Nornagest relates to King Olaf Tryggvason, who converted the

Norwegians to Christianity. The story was written about 1250 to

illustrate the transition from heathendom to the Christian faith.

It is based on the "Edda" and the "Volsungasaga", and is

therefore of minor importance as a source.

These four sources represent the early introduction of the

Siegfried legend into Skandinavia. A second introduction took

place about the middle of the thirteenth century, at the time of

the flourishing of the Hanseatic League, when the story was

introduced together with other popular German epics. These poems

are products of the age of chivalry, and are characterized by the

romantic and courtly features of this movement. The one which

concerns us here, as the fifth source of the Siegfried story, is

the so-called "Thidreksaga", which celebrates the adventures of

the famous legendary hero, Dietrich of Berne, the historical

Theodorich of Ravenna. In as far as it contains the adventures

of the Nibelungs, it is also called the "Niflungasaga". The

"Thidreksaga" was written about 1250 by a Norwegian who, as he

himself tells us, heard the story from Germans in the

neighborhood of Bremen and Munster. Since it is thus based on

Saxon traditions, it can be considered an independent source of

the legend, and, in fact, differs from the earlier Norse versions

in many important details. The author was acquainted, however,

with the older versions, and sought to compromise between them,

but mostly followed his German authorities.

The story, as given in the older Norse versions, is in most

respects more original than in the "Nibelungenlied". It relates

the history of the treasure of the Nibelungs, tracing it back to

a giant by the name of "Hreithmar", who received it from the god

"Loki" as a compensation for the killing of the former's son

"Otur", whom Loki had slain in the form of an otter. Loki

obtained the ransom from a dwarf named "Andwari", who in turn had

stolen it from the river gods of the Rhine. Andwari pronounces a

terrible curse upon the treasure and its possessors, and this

curse passes from Loki to the Giant Hreithmar, who is murdered

when asleep by his two sons "Fafnir" and "Regin". The latter,

however, is cheated out of the coveted prize by Fafnir, who

carries it away to the "Gnita" heath, where he guards it in the

form of a dragon.

This treasure, with its accompanying curse, next passes into the

hands of a human being named Sigurd (the Norse form of Siegfried,

as we have seen), a descendant of the race of the Volsungs, who

trace their history back to Wodan and are especially favored by

him. The full story of Siegfried's ancestry is far too long to

relate here, and does not especially concern us, as it has little

or no influence on the later development of the story. It is

sufficient for our purpose to know that Siegfried was the son of

Siegmund, who was slain in battle before the birth of his son.

Sigurd was carefully reared by his mother "Hjordis" and the wise

dwarf Regin, who taught him the knowledge of runes and of many

languages. (2) At the suggestion of Regin, Sigurd asks for and

receives the steed "Grani" from the king, and is then urged by

his tutor to help him obtain the treasure guarded by the latter's

brother Fafnir. Sigurd promises, but first demands a sword.

Two, that arc given him by Regin, prove worthless, and he forges

a new one from the pieces of his father's sword, which his mother

had preserved. With this he easily splits the anvil and cuts in

two a flake of wool, floating down the Rhine. He first avenges

the death of his father, and then sets off with Regin to attack

the dragon Fafnir. At the advice of the former Sigurd digs a

ditch across the dragon's peth and pierces him from below with

his sword, as the latter comes down to drink. In dying the

dragon warns Sigurd against the treasure and its curse, and

against Regin, who, he says, is planning Sigurd's death,

intending to obtain the treasure for himself.

When Regin sees the dragon safely dead, he creeps from his place

of concealment, drinks of the blood, and, cutting out the heart,

begs Sigurd to roast it for him. While doing so, Sigurd burns

his fingers, and, putting them in his mouth, understands at once

the language of the birds and hears them say that Sigurd himself

should eat the heart and then he would be wiser than all other

men. They also betray Regin's evil designs, and counsel the lad

to kill his tutor. This Sigurd then does, cutting off Regin's

head, drinking the blood of both brothers, and eating Fafnir's

heart. (3) On the further advice of the birds Sigurd first

fetches the treasure from the cave, and then journeys to the

mountain "Hindarfjall", where he rescues the sleeping Valkyrie,

"Sigrdrifu" ("Brynhild", "Brunhild"), who, stung by the sleep

thorn of Wodan, and clad in full armor, lies asleep within a

castle that is surrounded by a wall of flame. With the help of

his steed Grani, Sigurd succeeds in penetrating through the fire

to the castle. The sleeping maiden awakes when he cuts the armor

from her with his sword, for it was as tight as if grown fast to

the flesh. She hails her deliverer with great joy, for she had

vowed never to marry a man who knew fear. At Sigurd's request

she teaches him many wise precepts, and finally pledges her troth

to him. He then departs, after promising to be faithful to her

and to remember her teachings.

On his journeyings Sigurd soon arrives at the court of "Giuki"

(the Norse form of the German "Gibicho", "Gibich"), a king whose

court lay on the lower Rhine. Giuki has three sons, "Gunnar",

"Hogni", and "Guthorm", and a daughter "Gudrun", endowed with

great beauty. The queen bears the name of Grimhild, and is

versed in magic, but possessed of an evil heart. (4) Sigurd is

received with great honor, for his coming had been announced to

Gudrun in dreams, which had in part been interpreted to her by

Brynhild. The mother, knowing of Sigurd's relations to the

latter, gives him a potion which produces forgetfulness, so that

he no longer remembers his betrothed, and accepts the hand of

Gudrun, which the king offers him at the queen's request. The

marriage is celebrated with great pomp, and Sigurd remains

permanently attached to Giuki's court, performing with the others

many deeds of valor.

Meanwhile Grimhild urges her son Gunnar to sue for the hand of

Brynhild. Taking with him Sigurd and a few others, Gunnar visits

first Brynhild's father "Budli", and then her brother-in-law

"Heimir", from both of whom he learns that she is free to choose

whom she will, but that she will marry no one who has not ridden

through the wall of flame. With this answer they proceed to

Brynhild's castle, where Gunnar is unable to pierce the flames,

even when seated on Sigurd's steed. Finally Sigurd and Gunnar

change forms, and Sigurd, disguised as Gunnar, rides through the

wall of fire, announces himself to Brynhild as Gunnar, the son of

Giuki, and reminds her of her promise to marry the one who

penetrated the fire. Brynhild consents with great reluctance,

for she is busy carrying on a war with a neighboring king.

Sigurd then passes three nights at her side, placing, however,

his sword Gram between them, as a bar of separation. At parting

he draws from her finger the ring, with which he had originally

pledged his troth to her, and replaces it with another, taken

from Fafnir's hoard. Soon after this the marriage of Gunnar and

Brynhild is celebrated with great splendor, and all return to

Giuki's court, where they live happily for some time.

One day, however, when the ladies go down to the river to take a

bath, Brynhild will not bathe further down stream than Gudrun,

that is, in the water which flows from Gudrun to her, (5) giving

as the reason, that her father was mightier and her husband

braver, since he had ridden through the fire, while Sigurd had

been a menial. Stung at this, Gudrun retorts that not Gunnar but

Sigurd had penetrated the flames and had taken from her the

fateful ring "Andvaranaut", which she then shows to her rival in

proof of her assertion. Brynhild turns deathly pale, but answers

not a word. After a second conversation on the subject had

increased the hatred of the queens, Brynhild plans vengeance.

Pretending to be ill, she takes to her bed, and when Gunnar

inquires what ails her, she asks him if he remembers the

circumstances of the wooing and that not he but Sigurd had

penetrated the flames. She attempts to take Gunnar's life, as

she had pledged her troth to Sigurd, and is thereupon placed in

chains by Hogni. Seven days she sleeps, and no one dares to wake

her. Finally Sigurd succeeds in making her talk, and she tells

him how cruelly she has been deceived, that the better man had

been destined for her, but that she had received the poorer one.

This Sigurd denies, for Giuki's son had killed the king of the

Danes and also Budli's brother, a great warrior. Moreover,

although he, Sigurd, had ridden through the flames, he had not

become her husband. He begs her therefore not to harbor a grudge

against Gunnar.

Brynhild remains unconvinced, and plans Sigurd's death, and

threatens Gunnar with the loss of dominion and life, if he will

not kill Sigurd. After some hesitation, Gunnar consents, and,

calling Hogni, informs him that he must kill Sigurd, in order to

obtain the treasure of the Rhinegold. Hogni warns him against

breaking his oath to Sigurd, when it occurs to Gunnar, that his

brother Gutthorm had sworn no oath and might do the deed. Both

now proceed to excite the latter's greed, and give him wolf's and

snake meat to eat to make him savage. Twice Gutthorm makes the

attempt, as Sigurd lies in bed, but is deterred by the latter's

penetrating glance. The third time he finds Sigurd asleep, and

pierces him with his sword. Sigurd, awakening at the pain, hurls

his own sword after his murderer, fairly cutting him in two. He

then dies, protesting his innocence and designating Brynhild as

the instigator of his murder. Brynhild at first laughs aloud at

Gudrun's frantic grief, but later her joy turns into sorrow, and

she determines to share Sigurd's death. In vain they try to

dissuade her; donning her gold corselet, she pierces herself with

a sword and begs to be burned on Sigurd's funeral pyre. In dying

she prophesies the future, telling of Gudrun's marriage to "Atli"

and of the death of the many men which will be caused thereby.

After Brynhild's death Gudrun in her sorrow flees to the court of

King "Half" of Denmark, where she remains seven years. Finally

Grimhild learns of the place of her daughter's concealment, and

tries to bring about a reconciliation with Gunnar and Hogni.

They offer her much treasure, if she will marry Atli. At first

she refuses and thinks only of revenge, but finally she consents

and the marriage is celebrated in Atli's land. After a time

Atli, who is envious of Gunnar's riches, for the latter had taken

possession of Sigurd's hoard, invites him to his court. A man

named "Vingi", who was sent with the invitation, changes the

runes of warning, which Gudrun had given him, so that they, too,

read as an invitation. The brothers determine to accept the

invitation, and, though warned by many dreams, they set out for

Atli's court, which they reach in due time. Vingi now breaks

forth into exultations, that he has lured them into a snare, and

is slain by Hogni with a battle axe.

As they ride to the king's hall, Atli and his sons arm themselves

for battle, and demand Sigurd's treasure, which belongs by right

to Gudrun. Gunnar refuses to surrender it, and the fight begins,

after some exchange of taunting words. Gudrun tries at first to

reconcile the combatants, but, failing, arms herself and fights

on the side of her brothers. The battle rages furiously with

great loss on both sides, until nearly all of the Nibelungs are

killed, when Gunnar and Hogni are forced to yield to the power of

numbers and are captured and bound. Gunnar is asked, if he will

purchase his life with the treasure. He replies that he first

wishes to see Hogni's bleeding heart. At first the heart of a

slave is cut out and brought to him, but Gunnar recognizes it at

once as that of a coward. Then they cut out Hogni's heart, who

laughs at the pain. This Gunnar sees is the right one, and is

jubilant, for now Atli shall never obtain the treasure, as Gunnar

alone knows where it is hid. In a rage Atli orders Gunnar to be

thrown to the snakes. Though his hands are bound, Gunnar plays

so sweetly with his toes on the harp, which Gudrun has sent him,

that all the snakes are lulled to sleep, with the exception of an

adder, which stings him to the heart, so that he dies.

Atli now walks triumphantly over the dead bodies, and remarks to

Gudrun that she alone is to blame for what has happened. She

refuses his offers of peace and reconciliation, and towards

evening kills her two sons "Erp" and "Eitil", and serves them at

the banquet, which the king gives for his retainers. When Atli

asks for his sons, he is told that he had drunk their blood mixed

with wine and had eaten their hearts. That night when Atli is

asleep, Gudrun takes Hogni's son "Hniflung", who desires to

avenge his father, and together they enter Atli's room and thrust

a sword through his breast. Atli awakes from the pain, only to

be told by Gudrun that she is his murderess. When he reproaches

her with thus killing her husband, she answers that she cared

only for Sigurd. Atli now asks for a fitting burial, and on

receiving the promise of this, expires. Gudrun carries out her

promise, and burns the castle with Atli and all his dead

retainers. Other Edda songs relate the further adventures of

Gudrun, but they do not concern us here, as the "Nibelungenlied"

stops with the death of the Nibelungs.