The Edda

II
The Heroic Mythology of the North
By
Winifred Faraday, M.A.
Published by a!id Nutt, at the "ign of the Phoeni#, $ong Acre, $ondon
%&'(
fro) Po*ular "tudies in Mythology, +o)ance, and Fol,lore, No. %-
Author.s Note
The *resent study for)s a se/uel to No. %( 01The Edda2 i!ine Mythology
of the North13, to 4hich the reader is referred for introductory )atter
and for the general Bibliogra*hy. Additional bibliogra*hical references
are gi!en, as the need occurs, in the notes to the *resent nu)ber.
Manchester,
5uly %&'(.
The Edda2 II. The Heroic Mythology of the North
"ige)und the Waelsing and Fitela, Aetla, Eor)anric the 6oth and 6ifica
of Burgundy, 7ngendtheo4 and Theodric, Heorrenda and the Heodenings,
and Weland the ")ith2 all these heroes of 6er)anic legend 4ere ,no4n
to the 4riters of our earliest English literature. But in )ost cases
the only e!idence of this ,no4ledge is a 4ord, a na)e, here and there,
4ith no hint of the story attached. For circu)stances directed the
*oetical gifts of the "a#ons in England to4ards legends of the saints
and Biblical *ara*hrase, a4ay fro) the nati!e heroes of the race8
4hile later e!ents co)*leted the e#clusion of 6er)anic legend fro) our
literature, by substituting French and 9eltic ro)ance. Ne!ertheless,
these fe4 brief references in 1Beo4ulf1 and in the s)all grou* of
heathen English relics gi!e us the right to a *eculiar interest in the
hero:*oe)s of the Edda. In studying these heroic *oe)s, therefore,
4e are confronted by *roble)s entirely different in character fro)
those 4hich ha!e to be considered in conne#ion 4ith the )ythical
te#ts. Those are in the )ain the *roduct of one, the Northern,
branch of the 6er)anic race, as 4e ha!e seen 0No. %( of this series3,
and the chief /uestion to be deter)ined is 4hether they re*resent,
ho4e!er altered in for), a )ythology co))on to all the 6er)ans, and
as such necessarily early8 or 4hether they are in substance, as 4ell
as in for), a s*ecific creation of the "candina!ians, and therefore
late and secondary. The heroic *oe)s of the Edda, on the contrary,
4ith the e#ce*tion of the Helgi cycle, ha!e !ery close analogues in
the literatures of the other great branches of the 6er)anic race,
and these 4e are able to co)*are 4ith the Northern !ersions.
The Edda contains *oe)s belonging to the follo4ing heroic cycles2
01a13 1Weland the ")ith1.::Anglo:"a#on literature has se!eral
references to this cycle, 4hich )ust ha!e been a !ery *o*ular one8
and there is also a late 9ontinental 6er)an !ersion *reser!ed in
an Icelandic translation. But the *oe) in the Edda is the oldest
connected for) of the story.
01b13 1"igurd and the Nibelungs1.::Again the oldest reference is in
Anglo:"a#on. There are t4o 4ell:,no4n 9ontinental 6er)an !ersions
in the 1Nibelungen $ied1 and the late Icelandic 1Thidre,s "aga1,
but the Edda, on the 4hole, has *reser!ed an earlier for) of the
legend. With it is loosely connected
01c13 1The Er)anric 9ycle1.::The oldest references to this are in $atin
and Anglo:"a#on. The 9ontinental 6er)an !ersion in the 1Thidre,s "aga1
is late, and, li,e that in the Edda, conta)inated 4ith the "igurd
story, 4ith 4hich it had originally nothing to do.
01d13 1Helgi1.::This cycle, at least in its *resent for), is *eculiar
to the "candina!ian North.
All the abo!e:na)ed *oe)s are contained in 9ode# +egius of the Elder
Edda. Fro) other sources 4e )ay add other *oe)s 4hich are Eddic, not
",aldic, in style, in 4hich other heroic cycles are re*resented. The
great )a;ority of the *oe)s deal 4ith the fa!ourite story of the
<olsungs, 4hich threatens to s4a)* all the rest8 for one hero after
another, Burgundian, Hun, 6oth, 4as absorbed into it. The *oe)s in this
*art of the M". differ far )ore 4idely in date and style than do the
)ythological ones8 )any of the <olsung:lays are co)*arati!ely late, and
lac, the fine si)*licity 4hich characterises the older *o*ular *oetry.
1<oelund1.::The lay of <oelund, the 4onderful s)ith, the Weland of
the 7ld English *oe)s and the only 6er)anic hero 4ho sur!i!ed for
any considerable ti)e in English *o*ular tradition, stands alone in
its cycle, and is the first heroic *oe) in the M". It is in a !ery
frag)entary state, so)e of the deficiencies being su**lied by short
*ieces of *rose. There are t4o )oti!es in the story2 the "4an:)aids,
and the <engeance of the 9a*ti!e ")ith. Three brothers, "lagfinn,
Egil and <oelund, sons of the Finnish =ing, 4hile out hunting built
the)sel!es a house by the la,e in Wolfsdale. There, early one
)orning, they sa4 three <al,yries s*inning, their s4ancoats lying
beside the). The brothers too, the) ho)e8 but after se!en years the
s4an:)aidens, 4earied of their life, fle4 a4ay to battle, and did
not return.
>"e!en years they stayed there, but in the eighth longing sei?ed
the), and in the ninth need *arted the).> Egil and "lagfinn 4ent to
see, their 4i!es, but <oelund stayed 4here he 4as and 4or,ed at his
forge. There Nithud, =ing of "4eden, too, hi) ca*ti!e2
>Men 4ent by night in studded )ailcoats8 their shields shone by
the 4aning )oon. They dis)ounted fro) the saddle at the hall:gable,
and 4ent in along the hall. They sa4 rings strung on bast 4hich the
hero o4ned, se!en hundred in all8 they too, the) off and *ut, the) on
again, all but one. The ,een:eyed archer <oelund ca)e in fro) hunting,
fro) a far road.... He sat on a bear:s,in and counted his rings, and
the *rince of the el!es )issed one8 he thought Hlod!e.s daughter,
the fairy:)aid, had co)e bac,. He sat so long that he fell aslee*,
and a4o,e *o4erless2 hea!y bonds 4ere on his hands, and fetters
clas*ed on his feet.>
They too, hi) a4ay and i)*risoned hi), ha):strung, on an island to
forge treasures for his ca*tors. Then <oelund *lanned !engeance2
>.I see on Nithud.s girdle the s4ord 4hich I ,ne4 ,eenest and best,
and 4hich I forged 4ith all )y s,ill. The glittering blade is ta,en
fro) )e for e!er8 I shall not see it borne to <oelund.s s)ithy. No4
Boed!ild 4ears )y bride.s red ring8 I e#*ect no atone)ent.. He sat
and sle*t not, but struc, 4ith his ha))er.>
Nithud.s children ca)e to see hi) in his s)ithy2 the t4o boys he sle4,
and )ade drin,ing:cu*s for Nithud fro) their s,ulls8 and the daughter
Boed!ild he beguiled, and ha!ing )ade hi)self 4ings he rose into the
air and left her 4ee*ing for her lo!er and Nithud )ourning his sons.
In the 7ld English *oe)s allusion is )ade only to the second *art
of the story8 there is no reference to the legend of the enchanted
brides, 4hich is indeed distinct in origin, being identical 4ith
the co))on tale of the fairy 4ife 4ho is obliged to return to ani)al
sha*e through so)e breach of agree)ent by her )ortal husband. This
incident of the co)*act 01i.e.1, to hide the s4an:coat, to refrain
fro) as,ing the 4ife.s na)e, or 4hate!er it )ay ha!e been3 has been
lost in the <oelund tale. The 9ontinental !ersion is told in the late
Icelandic 1Thidre,s "aga1, 4here it is brought into conne#ion 4ith
the <olsung story8 in this the story of the second brother, Egil the
archer, is also gi!en, and its anti/uity is su**orted by the *ictures
on the Anglo:"a#on car!ed 4hale:bone bo# ,no4n as the Fran,s 9as,et,
dated by Professor Na*ier at about @'' A.. The ad!entures of the
third brother, "lagfinn, ha!e not sur!i!ed. The Anglo:"a#on gi!es
<oelund and Boed!ild a son, Widia or Wudga, the Wittich 4ho a**ears as
a follo4er of ietrich.s in the 9ontinental 6er)an sources.
1The <olsungs1.::No story better illustrates the gro4th of heroic
legend than the <olsung cycle. It is co)*osite, four or fi!e )ythical
)oti!es co)bining to for) the nucleus8 and as it too, *ossession
)ore and )ore strongly of the i)agination of the early 6er)ans, and
still )ore of the "candina!ians, other heroic cycles 4ere brought
into de*endence on it. None of the Eddic *oe)s on the sub;ect are
/uite e/ual in *oetic !alue to the Helgi lays8 )any are frag)entary,
se!eral late, and only one atte)*ts a re!ie4 of the 4hole story. The
outline is as follo4s2 "igurd the <olsung, son of "ig)und and brother
of "inf;oetli, slays the dragon 4ho guards the Nibelungs. hoard on
the 6littering Heath, and thus inherits the curse 4hich acco)*anies
the treasure8 he finds and 4a,ens Brynhild the <al,yrie, lying in
an enchanted slee* guarded by a ring of fire, lo!es her and *lights
troth 4ith her8 6ri)hild, 4ife of the Burgundian 6iu,i, by enchant)ent
causes hi) to forget the <al,yrie, to lo!e her o4n daughter 6udrun,
and, since he alone can cross the fire, to 4in Brynhild for her son
6unnar. After the )arriage, Brynhild disco!ers the tric,, and incites
her husband and his brothers to ,ill "igurd.
The series begins 4ith a *rose *iece on the eath of "inf;oetli,
4hich says that after "inf;oetli, son of "ig)und, <olsung.s son 04hich
should be <alsi.s son, <olsung being a tribal, not a *ersonal, na)e3,
had been *oisoned by his ste*)other Borghild, "ig)und )arried H;oerdis,
Eyli)i.s daughter, had a son "igurd, and fell in battle against the
race of Hunding. "ig)und, as in all other Norse sources, is said to be
,ing in Fran,land, 4hich, li,e the Niderlant of the 1Nibelungen $ied1,
)eans the lo4 lands on the +hine. The scene of the story is al4ays
near that ri!er2 "igurd 4as slain by the +hine, and the treasure of
the +hine is /uoted as *ro!erbial in the <oelund lay.
16ri*iss*a1 0the Pro*hecy of 6ri*i3, 4hich follo4s, is a**ro*riately
*laced first of the <olsung *oe)s, since it gi!es a su))ary of the
4hole story. "igurd rides to see his )other.s brother, 6ri*i, the
4isest of )en, to as, about his destiny, and the soothsayer *ro*hesies
his ad!entures and early death. This *oe) )a,es clear so)e original
features of the legend 4hich are obscured else4here, es*ecially in the
6udrun set8 6ri)hild.s treachery, and "igurd.s unintentional breach
of faith to Brynhild. In the s*eeches of both 6ri*i and "igurd, the
*oet sho4s clearly that Brynhild had the first right to "igurd.s faith,
4hile the seer re*eatedly *rotests his innocence in brea,ing it2 >Thou
shalt ne!er be bla)ed though thou didst betray the royal )aid.... No
better )an shall co)e on earth beneath the sun than thou, "igurd.> 7n
the other hand, the *oet gi!es no indication that Brynhild and the
slee*ing <al,yrie are the sa)e, 4hich is a sign of confusion. $i,e
all *oe)s in this for), 16ri*iss*a1 is a late co)*osition e)bodying
earlier tradition.
The other *oe)s are )ostly e*isodical, though arranged so as to for)
a continued narrati!e. 16ri*iss*a1 is follo4ed by a co)*ilation fro)
t4o or )ore *oe)s in different )etres, generally di!ided into three
*arts in the editions2 1+egins)al1 gi!es the early history of the
treasure and the dragon, and "igurd.s battle 4ith Hunding.s sons8
1Fafnis)al1, the slaying of the dragon and the ad!ice of the tal,ing
birds8 1"igrdrifu)al1, the a4a,ening of the <al,yrie. Then follo4s
a frag)ent on the death of "igurd. All the rest, e#ce*t the *oe)
generally called the 1Third1, or 1"hort, "igurd $ay1 04hich tells of
the )arriage 4ith 6udrun and "igurd.s 4ooing of Brynhild for 6unnar3
continue the story after "igurd.s death, ta,ing u* the death of
Brynhild, 6udrun.s )ourning, and the fates of the other heroes 4ho
beca)e connected 4ith the legend of the treasure.
In addition to the *oe)s in the Elder Edda, an account of the story
is gi!en by "norri in 1",alds,a*ar)al1, but it is founded al)ost
entirely on the sur!i!ing lays. 1<oelsunga "aga1 is also a *ara*hrase,
but )ore !aluable, since *arts of it are founded on lost *oe)s, and
it therefore, to so)e e#tent, re*resents inde*endent tradition. It
4as, unfortunately fro) a literary *oint of !ie4, co)*iled after the
great saga:ti)e 4as o!er, in the decadent fourteenth century, 4hen
)aterial of all ,inds, classical, biblical, ro)antic, )ythological,
4as hastily cast into saga:for). It is not, li,e the 1Nibelungen
$ied1, a 4or, of art, but it has 4hat in this case is *erha*s of
greater i)*ortance, the one great !irtue of fidelity. The co)*iler
did not, li,e the author of the 6er)an )aster*iece, boldly recast
his )aterial in the s*irit of his o4n ti)e8 he clung closely to his
originals, only trying 4ith hesitating hand to co*y the fa!ourite
literary for) of the Icelander. As a saga, therefore, 1<oelsunga1
is far behind not only such great 4or,s as 1N;ala1, but also )any of
the s)aller sagas. It lac,s for), and is )arred by inconsistencies8
it is often careless in gra))ar and diction8 it is full of traces
of the decadent ro)antic age. "igurd, in the true s*irit of ro)ance,
is endo4ed 4ith )agic 4ea*ons and su*ernatural *o4ers, 4hich are no
i)*ro!e)ent on the heroic tradition, >9ourage is better than a good
s4ord.> At e!ery turn, 7din is at hand to hel* hi), 4hich tends to
efface the older and truer *icture of the hero 4ith all the fates
against hi)8 such heroes, found again and again in the historic
sagas, )ore truly re*resent the heathen heroic age and that belief
in the selfishness and ca*rice of the 6ods on 4hich the 4hole idea
of sacrifice rests. There is also the ine!itable deterioration in the
character of Brynhild, 4ithout the co)*ensating ele!ation in that of
her ri!al by 4hich the 1Nibelungen $ied1 *laces 9hrie)hild on a height
as lofty and una**roachable as that occu*ied by the Norse <al,yrie8
the Brynhild of 1<oelsunga "aga1 is so)ething of a !irago, the 6udrun
is ;ealous and shre4ish. But for actual )aterial, the co)*iler is
absolutely to be trusted8 and 1<oelsunga "aga1 is therefore, in s*ite
of artistic faults, a *riceless treasure:house for the real features
of the legend.
There are t4o )ain ele)ents in the <olsung story2 the slaying of the
dragon, and the a4a,ening and desertion of Brynhild. The latter is
brought into close conne#ion 4ith the for)er, 4hich beco)es the real
centre of the action. In the Anglo:"a#on reference, the frag)ent in
1Beo4ulf1, the second e*isode does not a**ear.
In this, the oldest !ersion of the story, 4hich, e#ce*t for a !ague
reference to early feats by "ig)und and "inf;oetli, consists solely
of the dragon ad!enture, the hero is not "igurd, but "ige)und the
Waelsing. All that it tells is that "ige)und, Fitela 0"inf;oetli3
not being 4ith hi), ,illed the dragon, the guardian of the hoard, and
loaded a shi* 4ith the treasure. The fe4 *receding lines only )ention
the 4ar 4hich "ig)und and "inf;oetli 4aged on their foes. They are there
uncle and ne*he4, and there is no suggestion of the closer relationshi*
assigned to the) by 1<oelsunga "aga1, 4hich tells their story in full.
"ig)und, one of the ten sons of <olsung 04ho is hi)self of
)iraculous birth3 and the Wish)aiden Hlod, is one of the chosen
heroes of 7din. His t4in:sister "igny is )arried against her 4ill to
"iggeir, an hereditary ene)y, and at the 4edding:feast 7din enters
and thrusts a s4ord u* to the hilt into the tree gro4ing in the
)iddle of the hall. All try to dra4 it, but only the chosen "ig)und
succeeds. "iggeir, on returning to his o4n ho)e 4ith his un4illing
bride, in!ites her father and brothers to a feast. Though sus*ecting
treachery, they co)e, and are ,illed one after another, e#ce*t "ig)und
4ho is secretly sa!ed by his sister and hidden in the 4ood. "he
)editates re!enge, and as her t4o sons gro4 u* to the age of ten,
she tests their courage, and finding it 4anting )a,es "ig)und ,ill
both2 the e#*ected hero )ust be a <olsung through both *arents. "he
therefore !isits "ig)und in disguise, and her third son, "inf;oetli,
is the child of the <olsung *air. At ten years old, she sends hi) to
li!e in the 4ood 4ith "ig)und, 4ho only ,no4s hi) as "igny.s son. For
years they li!e as 4er:4ol!es in the 4ood, till the ti)e co)es for
!engeance. They set fire to "iggeir.s hall8 and "igny, after re!ealing
"inf;oetli.s real *arentage, goes bac, into the fire and dies there,
her !engeance achie!ed2
>I ,illed )y children, because I thought the) too 4ea, to a!enge our
father8 "inf;oetli has a 4arrior.s )ight because he is both son.s son
and daughter.s son to =ing <olsung. I ha!e laboured to this end,
that =ing "iggeir should )eet his death8 I ha!e so toiled for the
achie!ing of re!enge that I a) no4 on no condition fit for life. As
I li!ed by force 4ith =ing "iggeir, of free 4ill shall I die 4ith hi).>
Though no *oe) sur!i!es on this sub;ect, the story is certainly
*ri)iti!e8 its sa!age character !ouches for its anti/uity. 1<oelsunga1
then re*roduces the substance of the *rose 1eath of "inf;oetli1
)entioned abo!e, the ob;ect of 4hich, as a *art of the cycle, see)s
to be to re)o!e "inf;oetli and lea!e the field clear for "igurd. It
*reser!es a touch 4hich )ay be original in "inf;oetli.s burial, 4hich
rese)bles that of "cyld in 1Beo4ulf12 his father lays hi) in a boat
steered by an old )an, 4hich i))ediately disa**ears.
"ig)und and "inf;oetli are al4ays close co)rades, >need:co)*anions>
as the Anglo:"a#on calls the). They are indi!isible and for) one
story. "igurd, on the other hand, is only born after his father
"ig)und.s death. 1<oelsunga1 says that "ig)und fell in battle against
Hunding, through the interference of 7din, 4ho, ;ustifying $o,i.s taunt
that he >,ne4 not ho4 to gi!e the !ictory fairly,> shattered 4ith his
s*ear the s4ord he had gi!en to the <olsung. For this again 4e ha!e
to de*end entirely on the *rose, e#ce*t for one line in 1Hyndlul;od12
>The Father of Hosts gi!es gold to his follo4ers8... he ga!e "ig)und
a s4ord.> And fro) the *oe)s too, "igurd.s fatherless childhood is
only to be inferred fro) an isolated reference, 4here gi!ing hi)self
a false na)e he says to Fafni2 >I ca)e a )otherless child8 I ha!e no
father li,e the sons of )en.> "ig)und, dying, left the frag)ents of
the s4ord to be gi!en to his unborn son, and "igurd.s fosterfather
+egin forged the) ane4 for the future dragon:slayer. But "igurd.s
first deed 4as to a!enge on Hunding.s race the death of his father
and his )other.s father. 1<oelsunga1 tells this story first of Helgi
and "inf;oetli, then of "igurd, to 4ho) the *oe)s also attribute the
deed. It is follo4ed by the dragon:slaying.
A* to this *oint, the story of "igurd consists roughly of the sa)e
features 4hich )ar, that of "ig)und and "inf;oetli. Both are *robably,
li,e Helgi, !ersions of a race:hero )yth. In each case there is
the usual irregular birth, in different for)s, both fa)iliar8 a
third ty*e, the )iraculous or su*ernatural birth, is attributed by
1<oelsunga1 to "ig)und.s father <olsung. Each story again includes
a deed of !engeance, and a dragon and treasure. The s4ord 4hich the
hero alone could dra4, and the 4er:4olf, a**ear only in the "ig)und
and "inf;oetli !ersion. A)ong those 6er)anic races 4hich brought the
legend to full *erfection, "igurd.s !ersion soon beca)e the sole one,
and "ig)und and "inf;oetli *ractically dro* out.
The ragon legend of the Edda is )uch fuller and )ore elaborate than
that of any other )ythology. As a rule tradition is satisfied 4ith
the e#istence of the )onster >old and *roud of his treasure,> but
here 4e are told its full *re!ious history, certain features of 4hich
0such as the sha*e:shifting3 are signs of anti/uity, 4hether it 4as
originally connected 4ith the <olsungs or not.
As usual, 1<oelsunga1 gi!es the fullest account, in the for) of a
story told by +egin to his foster:son "igurd, to incite hi) to slay
the dragon. +egin 4as one of three brothers, the sons of Hreid)ar8
one of the three, 7tr, 4hile in the 4ater in otter.s sha*e, 4as seen by
three of the Aesir, 7din, $o,i and Hoeni, and ,illed by $o,i. Hreid)ar
de)anded as 4ergild enough gold to fill the otter.s s,in, and $o,i
obtained it by catching the d4arf And!ari, 4ho li!ed in a 4aterfall
in the for) of a fish, and allo4ing hi) to ranso) his head by gi!ing
u* his 4ealth. 7ne ring the d4arf tried to ,ee* bac,, but in !ain8
and thereu*on he laid a curse u*on it2 that the ring 4ith the rest
of the gold should be the death of 4hoe!er should get *ossession of
it. In gi!ing the gold to Hreid)ar, 7din also tried to ,ee* bac, the
ring, but had to gi!e it u* to co!er the last hair. Then Fafni, one of
the t4o re)aining sons, ,illed his father, first !icti) of the curse,
for the sa,e of the gold. He carried it a4ay and lay guarding it in
the sha*e of a sna,e. But +egin the s)ith did not gi!e u* his ho*es of
*ossessing the hoard2 he ado*ted as his foster:son "igurd the <olsung,
thus getting into his *o4er the hero fated to slay the dragon.
The curse thus beco)es the centre of the action, and the lin, bet4een
the t4o *arts of the story, since it directly accounts for "igurd.s
unconscious treachery and his se*aration fro) Brynhild, and absol!es
the hero fro) bla)e by )a,ing hi) a !icti) of fate. It destroys in turn
Hreid)ar, the ragon, his brother +egin, the dragon:slayer hi)self,
Brynhild 0to 4ho) he ga!e the ring3, and the 6iu,ings, 4ho clai)ed
inheritance after "igurd.s death. $ater 4riters carried its effects
still further.
This narrati!e is also told in the *ieces of *rose inters*ersed through
1+egins)al1. The !erse consists only of scra*s of dialogue. The first
of these co)*rises /uestion and ans4er bet4een $o,i and the d4arf
And!ari in the for) of the old riddle:*oe)s, and see)s to result
fro) the confusion of t4o ideas2 the /uestion:and:ans4er 4ager, and
the ca*ti!e.s ranso) by treasure. Then follo4s the curse, in less
general ter)s than in the *rose2 >My gold shall be the death of t4o
brothers, and cause strife a)ong eight ,ings8 no one shall re;oice in
the *ossession of )y treasure.> Ne#t co)es a short dialogue bet4een
$o,i and Hreid)ar, in 4hich the for)er 4arns his host of the ris, he
runs in ta,ing the hoard. In the ne#t frag)ent Hreid)ar calls on his
daughters to a!enge hi)8 $yngheid re*lies that they cannot do so on
their o4n brother, and her father bids her bear a daughter 4hose son
)ay a!enge hi). This has gi!en rise to a suggestion that H;oerdis,
"igurd.s )other, 4as daughter to $yngheid, but if that is intended,
it )ay only be due to the Norse *assion for genealogy. The ne#t
frag)ent brings +egin and "igurd together, and the s)ith ta,es the
young <olsung for his foster:son. A s*eech of "igurd.s follo4s, in
4hich he refuses to see, the treasure till he has a!enged his father
on Hunding.s sons. The rest of the *oe) is concerned 4ith the battle
4ith Hunding.s race, and "igurd.s )eeting 4ith 7din by the 4ay.
The fight 4ith Fafni is not described in !erse, !ery little of this
*oetry being in narrati!e for)8 but 1Fafnis)al1 gi!es a dialogue
bet4een the 4ounded dragon and his slayer. Fafni 4arns the <olsung
against the hoard2 >The ringing gold and the glo4ing treasure, the
rings shall be thy death.> "igurd disregards the 4arning 4ith the )a#i)
>E!ery )an )ust die so)e ti)e,> and as,s /uestions of the dragon in the
)anner of 1<afthrudnis)al1. Fafni, after re*eating his 4arning, s*ea,s
of his brother.s intended treachery2 >+egin betrayed )e, he 4ill betray
thee8 he 4ill be the death of both of us,> and dies. +egin returning
bids "igurd roast Fafni.s heart, 4hile he slee*s. A *rose:*iece tells
that "igurd burnt his fingers by touching the heart, *ut the) in
his )outh, and understood the s*eech of birds. The ad!ice gi!en hi)
by the birds is ta,en fro) t4o different *oe)s, and *artly re*eats
itself8 the substance is a 4arning to "igurd against the treachery
*lotted by +egin, and a counsel to *re!ent it by ,illing hi), and so
beco)e sole o4ner of the hoard. "igurd ta,es ad!antage of the 4arning2
>Fate shall not be so strong that +egin shall gi!e )y death:sentence2
both brothers shall go /uic,ly hence to Hel.> +egin.s en;oy)ent of
the hoard is therefore short. The second half of the story begins
4hen one of the birds, after a reference to 6udrun, guides "igurd to
the slee*ing <al,yrie2
>Bind u* the red rings, "igurd8 it is not ,ingly to fear. I ,no4 a
)aid, fairest of all, dec,ed 4ith gold, if thou couldst get her. 6reen
roads lead to 6iu,i.s, fate guides the 4anderer for4ard. There a
)ighty ,ing has a daughter8 "igurd 4ill buy her 4ith a do4ry. There
is a hall high on Hindarfell8 all 4ithout it is s4e*t 4ith fire.... I
,no4 a battle:)aid 4ho slee*s on the fell, and the fla)e *lays o!er
her8 7din touched the )aid 4ith a thorn, because she laid lo4 others
than those he 4ished to fall. Thou shalt see, boy, the hel)ed )aid 4ho
rode <ings,orni fro) the fight8 "igrdrifa.s slee* cannot be bro,en,
son of heroes, by the Norns. decrees.>
"igrdrifa 0dis*enser of !ictory3 is, of course, Brynhild8 the na)e )ay
ha!e been originally an e*ithet of the <al,yrie, and it 4as *robably
such *assages as this that )isled the author of 16ri*iss*a1 into
differentiating the <al,yrie and Brynhild. The last lines ha!e been
differently inter*reted as a 4arning to "igurd not to see, Brynhild and
an atte)*t to incite hi) to do so by e)*hasising the difficulty of the
deed8 they )ay )erely )ean that her slee* cannot be bro,en e#ce*t by
one, na)ely, the one 4ho ,no4s no fear. Brynhild.s su*ernatural origin
is clearly sho4n here, and also in the *rose in 1"igrdrifu)al. <oelsunga
"aga1, though it *ara*hrases in full the *assages relating to the )agic
slee*, re)o!es )uch of the )ystery surrounding her by *ro!iding her
4ith a genealogy and fa)ily connections8 4hile the 1Nibelungen $ied1
goes further still in the sa)e direction by lea!ing out the )agic
slee*. The change is a natural result of 9hristian ideas, to 4hich
7din.s Wish)aidens 4ould beco)e inco)*rehensible.
Thus far the story is that of the release of the enchanted *rincess,
*o*ularly )ost fa)iliar in the nursery tale of the "lee*ing
Beauty. After her bro,en /uestions to her deli!erer, >What cut )y
)ailB Ho4 ha!e I bro,en fro) slee*B Who has flung fro) )e the dar,
s*ellsB> and his ans4er, >"ig)und.s son and "igurd.s s4ord,> she
bursts into the fa)ous >6reeting to the World>2
>$ong ha!e I sle*t, long 4as I sun, in slee*, long are )en.s
)isfortunes. It 4as 7din.s doing that I could not brea, the runes of
slee*. Hail, dayC hail, sons of dayC hail, nightC $oo, on us t4o 4ith
gracious eyes, and gi!e !ictory to us 4ho sit here. Hail, AesirC hail,
Asyn;orC hail, Earth, )other of allC gi!e elo/uence and 4isdo) to us
the 4onderful *air, and hands of healing 4hile 4e li!e.>
"he then beco)es "igurd.s guardian and *rotectress and the source of
his 4isdo), as she s*ea,s the runes and counsels 4hich are to hel* hi)
in all difficulties8 and fro) this *oint corres*onds to the )aiden 4ho
is the hero.s benefactress, but 4ho) he deserts through sorcery2 the
>Master)aid> of the fairy:tales, the Medeia of 6ree, )yth. 6udrun is
al4ays an innocent instru)ent in dra4ing "igurd a4ay fro) his real
bride, the actual agent being her 4itch:)other 6ri)hild. This *art
of the story is su))arised in 16ri*iss*a1, e#ce*t that the 4riter
see)s una4are that the Wish)aiden 4ho teaches "igurd >e!ery )ystery
that )en 4ould ,no4> and the *rincess he betrays are the sa)e2
>A ,ing.s daughter bright in )ail slee*s on the fell8 thou shalt he4
4ith thy shar* s4ord, and cut the )ail 4ith Fafni.s slayer.... "he
4ill teach thee e!ery )ystery that )en 4ould ,no4, and to s*ea, in
e!ery )an.s tongue.... Thou shalt !isit Hei)i.s d4elling and be the
great ,ing.s ;oyous guest.... There is a )aid fair to see at Hei)i.s8
)en call her Brynhild, Budli.s daughter, but the great ,ing Hei)i
fosters the *roud )aid.... Hei)i.s fair foster:daughter 4ill rob
thee of all ;oy8 thou shalt slee* no slee*, and ;udge no cause,
and care for no )an unless thou see the )aiden. ... De shall s4ear
all binding oaths but ,ee* fe4 4hen thou hast been one night 6iu,i.s
guest, thou shalt not re)e)ber Hei)i.s bra!e foster:daughter.... Thou
shalt suffer treachery fro) another and *ay the *rice of 6ri)hild.s
*lots. The bright:haired lady 4ill offer thee her daughter.>
1<oelsunga1 gi!es additional details2 Brynhild ,no4s her deli!erer
to be "igurd "ig)undsson and the slayer of Fafni, and they s4ear
oaths to each other. The descri*tion of their second )eeting, 4hen
he finds her a)ong her )aidens, and she *ro*hesies that he 4ill )arry
6iu,i.s daughter, and also the )eeting bet4een her and 6udrun before
the latter.s )arriage, re*resent a later de!elo*)ent of the story,
inconsistent 4ith the older conce*tion of the "hield:)aiden. "igurd
gi!es Brynhild the ring And!aranaut, 4hich belonged to the hoard,
as a *ledge, and ta,es it fro) her again later 4hen he 4oos her in
6unnar.s for). It is the sight of the ring after4ards on 6udrun.s
hand 4hich re!eals to her the dece*tion8 but the e*isode has also
a dee*er significance, since it brings her into connection 4ith the
central action by *assing the curse on to her. According to "norri.s
*ara*hrase, "igurd gi!es the ring to Brynhild 4hen he goes to her in
6unnar.s for).
For the rest of the story 4e )ust de*end chiefly on 16ri*iss*a1 and
1<oelsunga1. The latter tells that 6ri)hild, the )other of the 6iu,ings,
ga!e "igurd a )agic drin, by 4hich he forgot Brynhild and fell in lo!e
4ith 6iu,i.s daughter. 6udrun.s brothers s4ore oaths of friendshi*
4ith hi), and he agreed to ride through the 4a!erlo4e, or ring of
fire, disguised and 4in Brynhild for the eldest brother 6unnar. After
the t4o bridals, he re)e)bered his first *assing through the fla)e,
and his lo!e for Brynhild returned. The "hield:)aiden too re)e)bered,
but thin,ing that 6unnar had fairly 4on her, acce*ted her fate until
6udrun in s*ite and ;ealousy re!ealed the tric, that had been *layed
on her. 7f the treachery of the 6iu,ings Brynhild ta,es little heed8
but death alone can *ay for "igurd.s unconscious betrayal. "he tells
6unnar that "igurd has bro,en faith 4ith hi), and the 6iu,ings 4ith
so)e reluctance )urder their sister.s husband. Brynhild s*rings on to
the funeral *yre, and dies 4ith "igurd. 1<oelsunga1 )a,es the )urder
ta,e *lace in "igurd.s cha)ber, and one *oe), the 1"hort "igurd $ay1,
agrees. The frag)ent 4hich follo4s 1"igrdrifu)al1, on the other hand,
*laces the scene in the o*en air2
>"igurd 4as slain south of the +hine8 a ra!en on a tree called aloud2
.7n you 4ill Atli redden the s4ord8 your bro,en oaths shall destroy
you.. 6udrun 6iu,i.s daughter stood 4ithout, and these 4ere the first
4ords she s*o,e2 .Where is no4 "igurd, the lord of )en, that )y ,ins)en
ride firstB. Hoegni alone )ade ans4er2 .We ha!e he4n "igurd asunder
4ith the s4ord8 the grey horse still stoo*s o!er his dead lord..>
This agrees 4ith the 17ld 6udrun $ay1 and 4ith the 9ontinental 6er)an
!ersion, as a *rose e*ilogue *oints out.
7f the 6iu,ing brothers, 6unnar a**ears only in a conte)*tible light2
he gains his bride by treachery, and ,ee*s his oath to "igurd by a
/uibble. Hoegni, 4ho has little but his na)e in co))on 4ith Hagen !on
Tron;e of the 1Nibelungen $ied1, ad!ises 6unnar against brea,ing his
oath, but it is he 4ho taunts 6udrun after4ards. The later *oe)s of
the cycle try to )a,e heroes out of both8 the sa)e discre*ancy e#ists
bet4een the first and second hal!es of the 1Nibelungen $ied1. Their
half:brother, 6utthor), *lays no *art in the story e#ce*t as the
actual )urderer of "igurd.
The chief effect of the influences of 9hristianity and +o)ance on
the legend is a loss of sy)*athy 4ith the heroic ty*e of Brynhild,
and an atte)*t to gi!e )ore dignity to the figure of 6udrun. The
"hield:)aiden of di!ine origin and unearthly 4isdo), 4ith her
unrelenting !engeance on her belo!ed, and her conte)*t for her
slighter ri!al 0>Fitter 4ould it be for 6udrun to die 4ith "igurd,
if she had a soul li,e )ine>3, is a figure out of har)ony 4ith the ne4
religion, and beyond the co)*rehension of a ti)e coloured by ro)ance8
4hile both the senti)ent and the )orality of the age 4ould be on the
side of 6udrun as the for)ally 4edded 4ife. "o the *oe) ,no4n as the
1"hort "igurd $ay1, 4hich has )any )ar,s of lateness, such as the
elaborate descri*tion of the funeral *yre and the e#aggeration of
the signs of )ourning, says nothing of "igurd.s lo!e for Brynhild,
nor do his last 4ords to 6udrun gi!e any hint of it. The 1Nibelungen
$ied1 su**resses "igurd.s lo!e to Brynhild, and the )agic drin,, and
altogether lo4ers Brynhild, but ele!ates 6udrun 0under her )other.s
na)e38 her slo4 but terrible !engeance, and absolute forgetfulness
of the ties of blood in *ursuit of it, are e/ual to anything in the
original !ersion. The later heroic *oe)s of the Edda )a,e a less
successful atte)*t to create sy)*athy for 6udrun8 so)e, such as the
so:called 1First 6udrun $ay1, 4hich is entirely ro)antic in character,
try to )a,e her *athetic by the abundance of tears she sheds8 others,
to )a,e her heroic, though the result is only a s*urious sa!agery.
The re)aining *oe)s of the cycle, all late in style and tone, deal
4ith the fates of 6udrun and her brothers, and o4e their e#istence
to a narrator.s un4illingness to let a fa!ourite story end. The
curse )a,es continuation easy, since the 6iu,ings inherit it 4ith the
hoard. 6udrun 4as )arried at the 4ish of her ,ins)en to Atli the Hun,
said to be Brynhild.s brother. He in!ited 6unnar and Hoegni to his
court and ,illed the) for the sa,e of the treasure, in !engeance for
4hich 6udrun ,illed her o4n t4o sons and Atli8 this latter incident
being *ossibly an i)itation of "igny. If 4e )ay belie!e that 6udrun,
li,e 9hrie)hild in the 1Nibelungen $ied1, )arried Atli in order to
gain !engeance for "igurd, 4e )ight su**ose that there 4as confusion
here2 that she herself incited the )urder of her brothers, and ,illed
Atli 4hen he had ser!ed his *ur*ose. This 4ould strengthen the *art
of 6udrun, 4ho as the tale stands is rather a futile character. But
in all *robability the e*isode is due to a confusion of "igny.s story
4ith that of the 6er)an 9hrie)hild and Et?el.
7ne *oint has still to be considered2 the *lace of the Nibelungs in the
story. In the Edda, the Hniflungs are al4ays the 6iu,ings, 6unnar and
Hoegni, and "norri gi!es it as the na)e of an heroic fa)ily. The title
of the first 1a!entiure1 of the 1Nibelungen $ied1 also a**arently uses
the 4ord of the Burgundians. Det the treasure is al4ays the Nibelungs.
hoard, 4hich clearly )eans that they 4ere the original o4ners8 and 4hen
Hagen !on Tron;e tells the story later in the *oe), he s*ea,s of the
Nibelungs correctly as the d4arfs fro) 4ho) "iegfried 4on it. 7n this
*oint, therefore, the 6er)an *reser!es the older tradition2 the Norse
And!ari, the ri!er:d4arf, is the 6er)an Alberich the Nibelung. In
the 1Nibelungen $ied1 the 4inning of the treasure for)s no *art of
the action2 it is )erely narrated by Hagen. This accounts for the
shortening of the e*isode and the o)ission of the inter)ediate ste*s2
the robbing of the d4arf, the curse, and the dragon:slaying.
E E E E E
1Er)anric.::1The t4o *oe)s of 16udrun.s $a)ent1 and 1Ha)this)al1,
in the Edda attached to the <olsung cycle, belong correctly to
that of the 6othic hero Er)anric. According to these *oe)s, 6udrun,
6iu,i.s daughter, )arried a third ti)e, and had three sons, "oerli,
Ha)thi and Er*. "he )arried "!anhild, her o4n and "igurd.s daughter,
to 5oer)unre,, ,ing of the 6oths8 but "!anhild 4as slandered, and her
husband had her trodden to death by horses. hoofs. The descri*tion
of "!anhild is a good e#a)*le of the style of the ro)antic *oe)s2
>The bond)aids sat round "!anhild, dearest of )y children8 "!anhild
4as li,e a glorious sunbea) in )y hall. I do4ered her 4ith gold
and goodly fabrics 4hen I )arried her into 6othland. That 4as the
hardest of )y griefs, 4hen they trod "!anhild.s fair hair into the
dust beneath the horses. hoofs.>
6udrun sent her three sons to a!enge their sister8 t4o of the)
sle4 Er* by the 4ay, and 4ere ,illed the)sel!es in their attac, on
5oer)unre, for 4ant of his hel*. "o died, as "norri says, all 4ho 4ere
of 6iu,ing descent8 and only Aslaug, daughter of "igurd and Brynhild,
sur!i!ed. 1Hei)s,ringla1, a thirteenth century history of the royal
races of "candina!ia, traces the descent of the Norse ,ings fro) her.
This Er)anric story, 4hich belongs to legendary history rather than
)yth, is in reality /uite inde*endent of the <olsung or Nibelung
cycle. The connection is loose and inartistic, the legend being
*robably lin,ed to 6udrun.s na)e because she had beco)e a fa!ourite
character and Icelandic narrators 4ere un4illing to let her die. The
historic Er)anric 4as con/uered by the Huns in -@F8 the si#th century
historian 5ornandes is the earliest authority for the tradition that he
4as )urdered by "arus and A))ius in re!enge for their sister.s death
by 4ild horses. "a#o also tells the story, 4ith greater si)ilarity
of na)es. It see)s hardly necessary to assu)e, 4ith )any scholars,
the e#istence of t4o heroes of the na)e Er)anric, an historic and
a )ythical one. A si)*ler e#*lanation is that a legendary story
beca)e connected 4ith the na)e of a real *ersonage. The slaying of
Er* introduces a co))on fol,:tale incident, fa)iliar in stories li,e
the 16olden Bird1, told by both Asb;oernsen and 6ri)).
E E E E E
1Helgi.1::The Helgi:lays, three in nu)ber, are the best of the
heroic *oe)s. No)inally they tell t4o stories, Helgi H;oer!ardsson
being sand4iched bet4een the t4o *oe)s of Helgi Hundingsbane8 but
essentially the stories are the sa)e.
In 1Helyi H;oer!ardsson1, Helgi, son of H;oer!ard and "igrlinn, 4as du)b
and na)eless until a certain day 4hen, 4hile sitting on a ho4e, he
sa4 a troo* of nine <al,yries. The fairest, "!a!a, Eyli)i.s daughter,
na)ed hi), and bidding hi) a!enge his grandfather on Hrod)ar 0a for)er
4ooer of "igrlinn.s, and her father.s slayer3, sent hi) to find a
)agic s4ord. Helgi sle4 Hrod)ar and )arried "!a!a, ha!ing esca*ed
fro) the sea:giantess Hri)gerd through the *rotection of his <al,yrie
bride and the 4it of a faithful ser!ant. His brother Hedin, through
the s*ells of a troll:4ife, s4ore to 4ed Helgi.s bride. +e*enting, he
told his brother, 4ho, dying in a fight 4ith Hrod)ar.s son, charged
"!a!a to )arry Hedin. A note by the collector adds >Helgi and "!a!a
are said to ha!e been born again.>
In 1Helgi Hundingsbane I1., Helgi is the son of "ig)und and
Borghild. He fought and sle4 Hunding, and after4ards )et in battle
Hunding.s sons at $ogafell, 4here the <al,yrie "igrun, Hoegni.s
daughter, *rotected hi), and challenged hi) to fight Hoedbrodd to 4ho)
her father had *lighted her. "he *rotected his shi*s in the stor) 4hich
o!ertoo, the) as they sailed to )eet Hoedbrodd, and 4atched o!er hi) in
the battle, in 4hich he sle4 his ri!al and 4as greeted as !ictor by
"igrun2 >Hail, hero of Dng!i.s race ... thou shalt ha!e both the red
rings and the )ighty )aid2 thine are Hoegni.s daughter and Hringstad,
the !ictory and the land.>
1Helgi Hundingsbane II1., besides gi!ing additional details of the
hero.s early life, co)*letes the story. In the battle 4ith Hoedbrodd,
Helgi ,illed all "igrun.s ,ins)en e#ce*t one brother, ag, 4ho sle4
hi) later in !engeance. But Helgi returned fro) the gra!e, a4a,ened by
"igrun.s 4ee*ing, and she 4ent into the ho4e 4ith hi). The collector
again adds a note2 >Helgi and "igrun are said to ha!e been born again2
he 4as then called Helgi Hadding;as,ati, and she =ara Halfdan.s
daughter, as it is told in the =ara:l;od, and she 4as a <al,yrie.>
This third Helgi legend does not sur!i!e in !erse, the 1=ara:l;od1
ha!ing *erished. It is told in *rose in the late saga of Hro)und
6ri*sson, according to 4hich =ara 4as a <al,yrie and s4an:)aid2 4hile
she 4as ho!ering o!er Helgi, he ,illed her accidentally in s4inging
his s4ord.
There can be little doubt that these three are )erely !ariants of the
sa)e story8 the foundation is the sa)e, though incidents and na)es
differ. The three Helgis are one hero, and the three !ersions of his
legend *robably co)e fro) different localities. The collector could
not but feel their identity, and the si)ilarity 4as too funda)ental
to be o!erloo,ed8 he therefore accounted for it by the old idea of
re:birth, and thus lin,ed the three together. In each Helgi has an
hereditary foe 0Hrod)ar, Hunding, or Hadding38 in each his bride is a
<al,yrie, 4ho *rotects hi) and gi!es hi) !ictory8 each ends in tragedy,
though differently.
The t4o !ariants in the Poetic Edda ha!e e!ident )ar,s
of conta)ination 4ith the <olsung cycle, and so)e *oints of
su*erficial rese)blance. Helgi H;oer!ardsson.s )other is "igrlinn,
Helgi Hundings:bane.s father is "ig)und, as in the 1Nibelungen $ied1
"iegfried is the son of "ige)unt and "igelint. Helgi Hundingsbane is
a <olsung and Wolfing 0Dlfing3, and brother to "inf;oetli8 his first
fight, li,e "igurd.s, is against the race of Hunding8 his ri!al,
Hoedbrodd, is a Hniflung8 he first )eets the <al,yrie on $oga:fell
0Fla)e:hill38 he is ,illed by his brother:in:la4, 4ho has s4orn
friendshi*. But there is no *arallel to the essential features of the
<olsung cycle, and such li,enesses bet4een the t4o stories as are not
accidental are due to the influence of the )ore fa!oured legend8 this
is es*ecially true of the na)es. The *rose:*iece 1"inf;oetli.s eath1
also )a,es Helgi half:brother to "inf;oetli8 it is follo4ed in this
by 1<oelsunga "aga1, 4hich de!otes a cha*ter to Helgi, *ara*hrasing
1Helyi Hundingsbane I1. There is, of course, confusion o!er the
Hunding e*isode8 the saga is obliged to reconcile its conflicting
authorities by )a,ing Helgi ,ill Hunding and so)e of his sons, and
"igurd ,ill the rest.
If the theory stated belo4 as to the original Helgi legend be correct,
the feud 4ith Hunding.s race, as told in these *oe)s, )ust be
e#traneous. I con;ecture that it belonged originally to the <olsung
cycle, and to the 4er:4olf "inf;oetli. It )ust not be forgotten that,
though he *asses out of the <olsung story altogether in the later
!ersions, both "candina!ian and 6er)an, he is in the )ain action
in the earliest one 0that in 1Beo4ulf13, 4here e!en "igurd does not
a**ear. The feud )ight easily ha!e been transferred fro) hi) to Helgi
as 4ell as to "igurd, for in!ention is li)ited as regards e*isodes,
and a narrator 4ho 4ishes to elaborate the story of a fa!ourite hero
is often forced to borro4 ad!entures. In the original story, Helgi.s
blood:feud 4as *robably 4ith the ,indred of "igrun or "!a!a.
The origin of the Helgi legend )ust be sought outside of the <olsung
cycle. "o)e 4riters are of o*inion that the na)e should be Holgi,
and there are t4o stories in 4hich a hero Holgi a**ears. With
the legend of Thorgerd Holgabrud, told by "a#o, 4ho identified it
4ith that of Helgi Hundingsbane, it has nothing in co))on8 and the
connection 4hich has been sought 4ith the legend of Holger ans,e is
e/ually difficult to establish. The essence of this latter story is
the hero.s disa**earance into fairyland, and the e#*ectation of his
return so)eti)e in the future2 a )oti!e 4hich has been !ery fruitful
in Irish ro)ance, and in the traditions of Arthur, Trygg!ason, and
Barbarossa, a)ong countless others. But it is absent fro) the Helgi
*oe)s8 and the >old 4i!es. tales> of Helgi.s re:birth ha!e nothing
to do 4ith his legend, but are )erely a boo,)an.s atte)*t to connect
stories 4hich he felt to be the sa)e though different.
The essential feature of the story told in these *oe)s is the )oti!e
fa)iliar in that class of ballads of 4hich the 1ouglas Tragedy1 is a
ty*e2 the hero lo!es the daughter of his ene)y.s house, her ,ins)en
,ill hi), and she dies of grief. This is the story told in both the
lays of 1Helgi Hundingsbane1, co)*lete in one, unfinished in the
other. No single *oe) *reser!es all the incidents of the legend8 so)e
sur!i!e in one !ersion, so)e in another, as usual in ballad literature.
$i,e "inf;oetli and "igurd, Helgi is brought u* in obscurity. He s*ends
his childhood disguised in his ene)y.s household, and on lea!ing it,
sends a )essage to tell his foes 4ho) they ha!e fostered. They *ursue
hi), and he is obliged, li,e 6ude Wallace in the "cottish ballad,
to disguise hi)self in a bond)aid.s dress2
>Piercing are the eyes of Hagal.s bond)aid8 it is no *easant.s ,in 4ho
stands at the )ill2 the stones are s*lit, the bin s*rings in t4o. It
is a hard fate for a 4arrior to grind the barley8 the s4ord:hilt is
better fitted for those hands than the )ill:handle.>
"igrun is *resent at the battle, in 4hich, as in the English and
"cottish ballads, Helgi slays all her ,indred e#ce*t one brother. He
tells her the fortunes of the fight, and she chooses bet4een lo!er
and ,ins)en2
1Helgi1. >6ood luc, is not granted thee, )aid, in all things,
though the Norns are *artly to bla)e. Bragi and Hoegni fell to:day
at Fre,astein, and I 4as their slayer8... )ost of thy ,indred lie
lo4. Thou couldst not hinder the battle2 it 4as thy fate to be a cause
of strife to heroes. Wee* not, "igrun, thou hast been Hild to us8
heroes )ust )eet their fate.>
1"igrun1. >I could 4ish those ali!e 4ho are fallen, and yet rest in
thy ar)s.>
The sur!i!ing brother, ag, s4ears oaths of reconciliation to Helgi,
but re)e)bers the feud. The end co)es, as in the Norse "ig)und tale,
through 7din.s interference2 he lends his s*ear to ag, 4ho stabs Helgi
in a gro!e, and rides ho)e to tell his sister. "igrun is inconsolable,
and curses the )urderer 4ith a rare *o4er and directness2
>May the oaths *ierce thee that thou hast s4orn to Helgi.... May the
shi* sail not that sails under thee, though a fair 4ind lie behind. May
the horse run not that runs under thee, though thou art fleeing fro)
thy foes. May the s4ord bite not that thou dra4est, unless it sing
round thine o4n head. If thou 4ert an outla4 in the 4oods, Helgi.s
death 4ere a!enged.... Ne!er again 4hile I li!e, by night or day,
shall I sit ha**y at "e!afell, if I see not the light *lay on )y hero.s
co)*any, nor the gold:bitted War:bree?e run thither 4ith the 4arrior.>
But Helgi returns fro) the gra!e, unable to rest because of "igrun.s
4ee*ing, and she goes do4n into the ho4e 4ith hi)2
1"igrun1. >Thy hair is co!ered 4ith frost, Helgi8 thou art drenched
4ith deadly de4, thy hands are cold and 4et. Ho4 shall I get thee hel*,
)y heroB>
1Helgi1. >Thou alone hast caused it, "igrun fro) "e!afell, that Helgi
is drenched 4ith deadly de4. Thou 4ee*est bitter tears before thou
goest to slee*, gold:dec,ed, sunbright, "outhern )aid8 each one falls
on )y breast, bloody, cold and 4et, cruel, hea!y 4ith grief....>
1"igrun1. >I ha!e )ade thee here a *ainless bed, Helgi, son of the
Wolfings. I 4ill slee* in thy ar)s, )y 4arrior, as if thou 4ert ali!e.>
1Helgi1. >There shall be no stranger thing at "e!afell, early or late,
than that thou, ,ing:born, Hoegni.s fair daughter, shouldst be ali!e
in the gra!e and slee* in a dead )an.s ar)s.>
The lay of Helgi H;oer!ardsson is furthest fro) the original, for there
is no feud 4ith "!a!a.s ,indred, nor does Helgi die at their hands8
but it *reser!es a feature o)itted else4here, in his lea!ing his bride
to his brother.s *rotection. $i,e the 4ife in the English ballad of
1Earl Brand1, and the heroine of the anish 1+ibold and 6uldborg1,
"!a!a refuses, but Hedin.s last 4ords see) to i)*ly that he is to
return and )arry her after a!enging Helgi. This 4ould be contrary to
all *arallels, according to 4hich "!a!a should die 4ith Helgi.
The alternati!e ending of the 1Helgi and =ara1 !ersion is interesting
as *ro!iding the *ossible source of another "cottish ballad dealing
4ith the sa)e ty*e of story. In 1The 9ruel =night1, as here, the
hero slays his bride, 4ho is of a hostile fa)ily, by )ista,e. 7ne
*assage of 1Helgi Hundingsbane II.1 describes Helgi.s entrance into
<alhalla, 4hich, ta,en 4ith the incident of "igrun.s ;oining hi)
in the ho4e, su**lies an instance of the sur!i!al side by side of
inconsistent notions as to the state of the dead. The lo!er.s return
fro) the gra!e is the sub;ect of 19ler, "aunders1 0the second *art3
and se!eral other "cottish ballads.
1The "ong of the Mill1.::The )agic )ill is best ,no4n in the fol,:tale,
>Why the sea is salt>8 but this is not the oldest *art of the story,
though it too, )ost hold of the *o*ular i)agination 4hich lo!es
legendary e#*lanations of natural *heno)ena. The hero, Frodi, a
)ythical anish ,ing, is the northern 9roesus. His reign 4as )ar,ed
by a 4orld:*eace, and the *eace, the 4ealth, the liberality of Frodi
beca)e *ro!erbial. The )oti!e of his tale is again the curse that
follo4s gold. It is told by "norri, in 4hose 4or, 16rottasoengr1
is e)bodied.
Frodi *ossessed t4o )agic /uern:stones, fro) 4hich the grinder could
grind out 4hate!er he 4ished8 but he had no one strong enough to turn
the) until he bought in "4eden t4o bond)aids of giant:race, Men;a and
Fen;a. He set the) to grind at the /uern by day, and by night 4hen
all sle*t, and as they ground hi) gold, and *eace, and *ros*erity,
they sang2
>We grind 4ealth for Frodi, all bliss 4e grind, and abundance of
riches in the fortunate bin. May he sit on 4ealth, )ay he slee* on
do4n, )ay he 4a,e to delight8 then the grinding 4ere good. Here shall
no )an hurt another, *re*are e!il nor 4or, death, nor he4 4ith the
,een s4ord though he find his brother.s slayer bound.>
But 4hen they 4earied of their toil and as,ed for a little rest,
Frodi ans4ered2 >De shall slee* no longer than the cuc,oo is silent,
or 4hile I s*ea, one sta!e.> Then the giant:)aids gre4 angry, and sang2
>Thou 4ert not 4ise, Frodi, in buying thy bond)aids2 thou didst
choose us for our strength and si?e but as,ed not our race. Bold
4ere Hrungni and his father, and )ightier Thia?i8 Idi and 7rni 4ere
our ancestors, fro) the) are 4e daughters of the )ountain:giants
s*rung.... We )aids 4rought )ighty deeds, 4e )o!ed the )ountains
fro) their *laces, 4e rolled roc,s o!er the court of the giants,
so that the earth shoo,.... No4 4e are co)e to the ,ing.s house,
)eeting no )ercy and held in bondage, )ud beneath our feet and cold
o!er our heads, 4e grind the Peace:)a,er. It is dreary at Frodi.s.>
As they sang of their 4rongs by night, their )ood changed, and instead
of grinding *eace and 4ealth, they ground 4ar, fire and s4ord2
>Wa,en, FrodiC 4a,en, FrodiC if thou 4ilt hear our songs.... I see
fire burn at the east of the citadel, the !oice of 4ar a4a,es, the
signal is gi!en. A host 4ill co)e hither in s*eed, and burn the hall
o!er the ,ing.>
"o the bond)aids ground on in giant:4rath, 4hile the sea:,ing Mysing
sailed nearer 4ith his host, until the /uern:stones s*lit8 and then
the daughters of the )ountain:giants s*o,e once )ore2 >We ha!e ground
to our *leasure, Frodi8 4e )aids ha!e stood long at the )ill.>
A Norse)an 4as rarely content to allo4 a fortunate ending to any
hero, and a continuation of the story therefore )a,es the )ill bring
disaster on Mysing also. After slaying Frodi and burning his hall,
he too, the stones and the bond)aids on board his shi*, and bade the)
grind salt. They ground till the 4eight san, the shi* to the botto)
of the sea, 4here the )ill is grinding still. This is not in the song,
though it has li!ed longer *o*ularly than the earlier *art. r. +ydberg
identities Frodi 4ith Frey, the 6od of fertility.
1The E!erlasting Battle1.::No Eddic *oe) sur!i!es on the battle of the
H;athnings, the story of 4hich is told in *rose by "norri. It )ust,
ho4e!er, be an ancient legend8 and the hero Hedin belongs to one of
the old 6er)anic heroic races, for the )instrel eor is a de*endent of
the Heodenings in the 7ld English *oe) to 4hich reference 4ill be )ade
later. The legend is that Hild, daughter of Hoegni, 4as carried a4ay by
Hedin the H;athning, H;arrandi.s son. Hoegni *ursued, and o!ertoo, the)
near the 7r,neys. Then Hild 4ent to her father and offered atone)ent
fro) Hedin, but said also that he 4as /uite ready to fight, and Hoegni
need e#*ect no )ercy. Hoegni ans4ered shortly, and Hild returning told
Hedin that her father 4ould acce*t no atone)ent but bade hi) *re*are
to fight. Both ,ings landed on an island, follo4ed by their )en. Hedin
called to Hoegni and offered atone)ent and )uch gold, but Hoegni said it
4as too late, his s4ord 4as already dra4n. They fought till e!ening,
and then returned to their shi*s8 but Hild 4ent on shore and 4o,e u*
all the slain by sorcery, so that the battle began again ne#t day
;ust as before. E!ery day they fight, and e!ery night the dead are
recalled to life, and so it 4ill go on till +agnaroe,.
In the 6er)an *oe), 16udrun1, the 9ontinental !ersion of this legend
occurs in the story of the second Hilde. "he is carried a4ay by the
)instrel Horant 04ho thus *lays a )ore acti!e *art than the Norse
H;arrandi3, as en!oy fro) =ing Hettel, Hedin.s 6er)an counter*art. Her
father Hagen *ursues, and after a battle 4ith Hettel agrees to a
reconciliation. The story is du*licated in the abduction of Hilde.s
daughter 6udrun, and the battle on the Wuel*ensand.
Another reference )ay *robably be su**lied by the )uch debated lines
%F:%G fro) the Anglo:"a#on 1eor1, of 4hich the )ost satisfactory
translation see)s to be2 >Many of us ha!e heard of the har) of Hild8
the 5ute.s lo!es 4ere unbounded, so that the care of lo!e too,
fro) hi) slee* altogether.> "a#o, it is true, )a,es Hild.s father
a 5ute, instead of her lo!er, and "norri a**arently agrees 4ith hi)
in )a,ing Hedin Nor4egian8 but in the 16udrun1 Hettel is Frisian or
5utish. The Anglo:"a#on 1Widsith1 )entions in one line Hagena, ,ing of
the Hol)rygas 0a Nor4egian *ro!ince3, and Heoden, ,ing of the 6lo))as
0not identified3, 4ho )ay be the Hoegni and Hedin of this tale.
The Anglo:"a#on and 6er)an agree on another *oint 4here both differ
fro) the Norse. The Anglo:"a#on *oe) 1eor1 is su**osed to be s*o,en
by a 1sco*1 or court *oet 4ho has been ousted fro) the fa!our of
his lord, a Heodening, by Heorrenda, another singer2 >7nce I 4as the
Heodenings. sco*, dear to )y lord2 eor 4as )y na)e. Many a year I had
a good ser!ice and a gracious lord, until the song:s,illed Hoerrenda
recei!ed the rights 4hich the *rotector of )en once granted )e.> $i,e
Heorrenda, Horant in the 16udrun1 is a singer in the ser!ice of the
Heathnings. The Norse !ersion ,ee*s the na)e, and its connection 4ith
the Heathnings, but gi!es H;arrandi, as the hero.s father, no acti!e
*art to *lay. In both *oints, arguing fro) the *robable Frisian origin
of the story, the Anglo:"a#on and 6er)an are )ore li,ely to ha!e the
correct for).
The legend is, li,e those of Walter and Hildigund, Helgi and "igrun,
founded on the *ri)ary instincts of lo!e and 4ar. In the Norse
story of the Heathnings, ho4e!er, the for)er ele)ent is al)ost
eli)inated. It is fro) no lo!e to Hedin that Hild acco)*anies hi),
though "a#o 4ould ha!e it so. Nothing is clearer than that strife is
her only ob;ect. It is her )ediation 4hich brings about the battle,
4hen a**arently both heroes 4ould be /uite 4illing to )a,e *eace8 and
her arts 4hich cause the daily rene4al of fighting. This island battle
a)ong dead and li!ing is *eculiar to the Norse !ersion, and coloured
by, if not originating in, the <alhalla idea2 Hoegni and Hedin and
their )en are the Einher;ar 4ho fight e!ery day and rest and feast
at night, Hild is a 4ar:goddess. The conce*tion of her character,
contrasting 4ith the gentler *art *layed by the 9ontinental 6er)an
heroines 04ho are rather the causes than the inciters of strife3,
can be *aralleled fro) )any of the sagas *ro*er.
Hoegni.s s4ord ainsleif, forged by the d4arfs, as 4ere all )agic
4ea*ons, is li,e the s4ord of Angantyr, in that it clai)s a !icti)
4hene!er it is dra4n fro) the sheath2 an idea 4hich )ay easily ha!e
arisen fro) the *ro4ess of any fa)ous s4ords)an.
1The "4ord of Angantyr1.::$i,e the t4o last legends, Angantyr.s
story is not re*resented in the Elder Edda8 it is not e!en told by
"norri. Det *oe)s belonging to the cycle sur!i!e 0*reser!ed by good
fortune in the late )ythical 1Her!arar "aga13 4hich a)ong the heroic
*oe)s ran, ne#t in artistic beauty to the Helgi $ays. "ince the story
*ossesses besides a stri,ing originality, and is connected 4ith the
na)e of a Pan:6er)anic hero, the 7ngendtheo4 of 7ld English *oetry,
I cannot follo4 the e#a)*le of )ost editors and o)it it fro) the
heroic *oe)s.
$i,e the <olsung legend it is the story of a curse8 and there is a
general si)ilarity of outline, 4ith the e#ce*tion that the hero is in
this case a 4o)an. The curse:laden treasure is here the s4ord Tyrfing,
4hich "!afrla)i got by force fro) the d4arfs. They laid a curse on it2
that it should bring death to its bearer, no 4ound it )ade should be
healed, and it should clai) a !icti) 4hene!er it 4as unsheathed. In
the saga, the story is s*read o!er se!eral generations2 *artly, no
doubt, in order to include !arying !ersions8 *artly also in i)itation
of the true Icelandic fa)ily saga. The chief actors in the legend,
beside the s4ord, are Angantyr and his daughter Her!oer.
The earlier history of Tyrfing is told in the saga. "!afrla)i is
,illed, 4ith the )agic 4ea*on itself, by the !i,ing Arngri), 4ho thus
gains *ossession of it8 4hen he is slain in his turn, it descends to
Angantyr, the eldest of his t4el!e berser, sons. For a 4hile no one
can 4ithstand the), but the doo) o!erta,es the) at last in the battle
of "a)sey against the "4edes Arro4:7dd and H;al)ar. In berser,:rage,
the t4el!e brothers attac, the "4edish shi*s, and slay e!ery )an
e#ce*t the t4o leaders 4ho ha!e landed on the island. The battle
o!er, the berser,s go ashore, and there 4hen their fury is *ast, they
are attac,ed by the t4o "4edish cha)*ions. 7dd fights ele!en of the
brothers, but H;al)ar has the harder tas, in )eeting Angantyr and his
s4ord. All the t4el!e sons of Arngri) fall, and H;al)ar is )ortally
4ounded by Tyrfing. The sur!i!or buries his t4el!e foe)en 4here they
fell, and ta,es his co)rade.s body bac, to "4eden. The first *oe)
gi!es the challenge of the "4edish cha)*ions, and H;al)ar.s dying song.
Her!oer, the daughter of Angantyr, is in so)e res*ects a fe)ale
counter*art of "igurd. $i,e hi), she is born after her father.s death,
and brought u* in obscurity. When she learns her father.s na)e, she
goes forth 4ithout delay to clai) her inheritance fro) the dead, e!en
4ith the curse that goes 4ith it. Here the second *oe) begins. 7n
reaching the island 4here her father fell, she as,s a she*herd to
guide her to the gra!es of Arngri).s sons2
>I 4ill as, no hos*itality, for I ,no4 not the islanders8 tell )e
/uic,ly, 4here are the gra!es called H;oer!ard.s ho4esB>
He is un4illing2 >The )an is foolish 4ho co)es here alone in the dar,
shade of night2 fire is flic,ering, ho4es are o*ening, field and fen
are afla)e,> and flees into the 4oods, but Her!oer is dauntless and
goes on alone. "he reaches the ho4es, and calls on the sons of Arngri)2
>A4a,e, AngantyrC Her!oer calls thee, only daughter to thee and
Tofa. 6i!e )e fro) the ho4e the ,een s4ord 4hich the d4arfs forged
for "!afrla)i, Her!ard, H;oer!ard, Hrani, AngantyrC I call you all
fro) belo4 the tree:roots, 4ith hel) and corselet, 4ith shar* s4ord,
shield and harness, and reddened s*ear.>
Angantyr denies that the s4ord is in his ho4e2 >Neither father, son,
nor other ,ins)en buried )e8 )y slayers had Tyrfing8> but Her!oer does
not belie!e hi). >Tell )e but truth.... Thou art slo4 to gi!e thine
only child her heritage.> He tries to frighten her bac, to the shi*s
by describing the sights she 4ill see, but she only cries again,
>6i!e )e H;al)ar.s slayer fro) the ho4e, AngantyrC>
A. >H;al)ar.s slayer lies under )y shoulders8 it is all 4ra**ed in
fire8 I ,no4 no )aid on earth 4ho dare ta,e that s4ord in her hands.>
H. >I 4ill ta,e the shar* s4ord in )y hands, if I can get it2 I fear
no burning fire, the fla)e sin,s as I loo, on it.>
A. >Foolish art thou, Her!oer the fearless, to rush into the fire
o*en:eyed. I 4ill rather gi!e thee the s4ord fro) the ho4e, young )aid8
I cannot refuse thee.>
H. >Thou dost 4ell, son of !i,ings, to gi!e )e the s4ord fro) the
ho4e. I thin, its *ossession better than to 4in all Nor4ay.>
Her father 4arns her of the curse, and the doo) that the s4ord
4ill bring, and she lea!es the ho4es follo4ed by his !ain 4ish2
>Would that I could gi!e thee the li!es of us t4el!e, the strength
and energy that 4e sons of Arngri) left behind usC>
It is unnecessary here to continue the story as the saga does, 4or,ing
out the doo) o!er later generations8 o!er Her!oer.s son Heidre,, 4ho
forfeited his head to 7din in a riddle:contest, and o!er his children,
another Angantyr, Hlod, and a second Her!oer. The !erse sources for
this latter *art are !ery corru*t.
A full discussion of the relation bet4een the Eddic and the 9ontinental
!ersions of the heroic tales su))arised in the foregoing *ages 4ould,
of course, be far beyond the sco*e of this study8 the ut)ost that
can be done in that direction is to suggest a fe4 *oints. Three of
the stories are not concerned in this section2 Helgi and Frodi are
*urely "candina!ian cycles8 4hile though Angantyr is a 4ell:,no4n
heroic na)e 0in 1Widsith1 7ngendtheo4 is ,ing of the "4edes3, the
legend attached to his na)e in the Norse sources does not sur!i!e
else4here. The Weland cycle is *erha*s co))on *ro*erty. None of the
!ersions localise it, for the na)es in 1<oelundar,!ida1, Wolfdale,
Myr,4ood, Hc., are con!entional heroic *lace:na)es. It 4as *o*ular at a
!ery early date in England, and is *robably a Pan:6er)anic legend. The
"igurd and Hild stories, on the contrary, are both, in all !ersions,
localised on the 9ontinent, the for)er by the +hine, the latter in
Friesland or 5utland8 both, therefore, in $o4 6er)an country, 4hence
they )ust ha!e s*read to the other 6er)anic lands. To England they 4ere
doubtless carried by the $o4 6er)an in!aders of the si#th century. 7n
the /uestion of their *assage to the North there are 4ide differences
of o*inion. Most scholars agree that there 4as an earlier and a later
*assage, the first ta,ing Hild, Er)anric, and the <olsung story8 the
second, about the t4elfth or thirteenth century, the <olsungs again,
4ith *erha*s ietrich and Attila. But there is )uch disagree)ent as to
the date of the first trans)ission. Muellenhoff *ut it as early as G''8
=onrad Maurer, in the ninth and tenth centuries8 4hile r. 6olther
is of o*inion that the <olsung story *assed first to the !i,ings in
France, and then 4est4ard o!er Ireland to Iceland8 therefore also not
before the ninth century. "uch e!idence as is afforded by the !ery
slight English references )a,es it *robable that the "candina!ians
had the tales later than the English, a !ie4 su**orted by the )ore
highly de!elo*ed for) of the Norse !ersion, and, in the case of the
<olsung cycle, its greater li,eness to the 9ontinental 6er)an. The
earliest Norse references 4hich can be a**ro#i)ately dated are in the
",ald Bragi 0first half of the ninth century3, 4ho ,ne4 all three
stories2 the Hild and Er)anric tales he gi!es in outline8 his only
reference to the <olsungs is a ,enning, >the <olsungs. drin,,> for
ser*ent. With the *ossible e#ce*tion of the Anglo:"a#on frag)ents,
the Edda *reser!es on the 4hole the *urest !ersions of those stories
4hich are co))on to all, though, as )ight be e#*ected, the 9ontinental
sources so)eti)es sho4 greater originality in isolated details. These
6er)an sources ha!e entangled the different cycles into one in!ol!ed
)ass8 but in the Norse the e#traneous ele)ents are easily detached.
The )oti!es of heroic tales are li)ited in nu)ber and )ore or less
co))on to different races. Heroic cycles differ as a rule )erely in
their choice or co)bination of incidents, not in the nature of their
)aterial. The origin of these heroic )oti!es )ay generally be found in
*ri)iti!e custo) or conditions of life, sei?ed by an i)aginati!e *eo*le
and 4o!en into legend8 so)eti)es lin,ed to the na)e of so)e dead tribal
hero, ;ust as the *oets of a later date 4ound the sa)e traditions
in still:!arying co)binations round the na)es of 6retti As)undarson
and 6old:Thori8 though often the hero is, li,e the 6ods, born of the
)yth. In the latter case, the story is *ure )yth8 in the for)er it
is legend, or a )i#ture of history and legend, as in the Er)anric
and ietrich tales, 4hich ha!e less interest for the )ythologist.
The curse:bringing treasure, one of the )ost fruitful 6er)anic
)oti!es, *robably has its origin in the custo) of burying a dead )an.s
*ossessions 4ith hi). In the 1Waterdale "aga1, =etil +au), a !i,ing
of the eighth and early ninth centuries, re*roaches his son Thorstein
as a degenerate, in that he e#*ects to inherit his father.s 4ealth,
instead of 4inning fortune for hi)self2 >It used to be the custo)
4ith ,ings and earls, )en of our ,ind, that they 4on for the)sel!es
fortune and fa)e8 4ealth 4as not counted as a heritage, nor 4ould sons
inherit fro) their fathers, but rather lay their *ossessions in the
ho4e 4ith the).> It is easy to see that 4hen this custo) ca)e into
conflict 4ith the son.s natural desire to inherit, the sacrosanctity
of the dead )an.s treasure and of his burial:)ound 4ould be their only
*rotection against !iolation. The fear of the conse/uences of brea,ing
the custo) too, for) in the )yth of the curse, as in the s4ord of
Angantyr and the Nibelungs. hoard8 4hile the dangers attending the
!iolation of the ho4e 4ere *ersonified in the dragon:guardian. In
16old:Thori.s "aga1, the dead berser,s 4hose ho4e Thori enters, are
found guarding their treasure in the sha*e of dragons8 4hile Thori
hi)self is said to ha!e turned into a dragon after death.
Marriage 4ith alien 4i!es, 4hich in the case of the Master)aid story
has been *ostulated as )eans of trans)ission and as the one *ossible
e#*lanation of its nearly uni!ersal diffusion, )ay *erha*s 4ith )ore
si)*licity be assu)ed as the co))on basis in custo) for inde*endently
arising )yths of this ty*e. The atte)*ts of the bride.s ,indred to
*re!ent the )arriage, and of the bridegroo).s to undo it, 4ould be
natural incidents in such a story, and the )agic *o4ers e)*loyed by
and against the bride 4ould be the )ythical re*resentati!es of the
)utually unfa)iliar custo)s of alien tribes. This theory at least
offers a credible e#*lanation of the hero.s te)*orary obli!ion of
or unfaithfulness to his *rotectress, after their successful esca*e
together.
In the <al,yrie:brides, Brynhild and "igrun, 4ith their double
attributes of fighting and 4isdo), there is an e!ident conne#ion
4ith the 6er)anic ty*e of 4o)an *reser!ed in the allusions of 9aesar
and Tacitus, 4hich reaches its highest de!elo*)ent in the heroines
of the Edda. Any )ythical or ideal conce*tion of 4o)anhood co)bines
the t4o *ri)iti!e instincts, lo!e and fighting, e!en though the 4o)an
)ay be only the innocent cause of strife, or its *assi!e *ri?e. The
*eculiarity of the 6er)anic re*resentation is that the 4o)an is ne!er
*assi!e, but is herself the incarnation of both instincts. E!en
if she is not a <al,yrie, nor ta,ing *art herself in the fight,
she is ready, li,e the 4i!es of the 9i)bri, to dri!e the )en bac,
to the battle fro) 4hich they ha!e esca*ed. Hild and Her!oer are at
one e#tre)e2 4ar is their s*iritual life. $o!e is in Hild nothing
)ore than instinct8 in Her!oer it is not e!en that2 she 4ould desire
nothing fro) )arriage beyond a son to inherit the s4ord. At the other
e#tre)e is "igrun, 4ho has the 4arli,e instinct, but is s*iritually a
lo!er as co)*letely and essentially as Isolde or 5uliet. The interest
in "igny lies in the 4ay in 4hich she sacrifices 4hat are usually
considered the strongest fe)inine instincts, 4ithout, ho4e!er, by
any )eans abandoning the), to her unco)*ro)ising re!enge and *ride
of race. Her *ride in her son see)s to include so)ething of both
trains of feeling8 and she dies 4ith the husband she detests, si)*ly
because he is her husband. Brynhild, lastly, is a highly )odern ty*e,
as inde*endent in lo!e as in 4ar. It is i)*ossible to i)agine "igrun,
or Wagner.s "ieglinde, ta,ing her re!enge on a faithless lo!er8
fro) no lac, of s*irit, but si)*ly because re!enge 4ould ha!e gi!en
no co)fort to either. To Brynhild it is not only a distinct relief,
but the only endurable end8 she can forgi!e 4hen she is a!enged.
The other )oti!es of these stories )ay be briefly enu)erated. The
burning of Brynhild and "igny, and "igrun.s entrance into the ho4e,
are )ythical re)iniscences of 4ido4:burial. The >sister.s son> is
*reser!ed in the "ig)und and "inf;oetli tale, 4hich also has a trace
of ani)is) in the 4er4olf e*isode. The co))on s4an)aid )oti!e occurs
in t4o, the <oelund story and the legend of Helgi and =ara8 4hile the
first Helgi tale suggests the $e!irate in the *ro*osed )arriage of
"!a!a to her husband.s brother. The 4a!erlo4e of the <olsung )yth
)ay be traced bac, to the )idsu))er fires8 the 4ooing of Brynhild
by "igurd.s crossing the fire 4ould thus, li,e the si)ilar bridal
of Menglad and "!i*dag and the 4inning of 6erd for Frey, be based on
the )arriages 4hich for)ed a *art of agricultural rites.
Bibliogra*hical Notes
To a!oid confusion, and in !ie4 of the custo)ary loose usage of the
4ord >saga,> it )ay be as 4ell to state that it is here used only in
its technical sense of a *rose history.
1<oelund1. 0Pages I to J.3
r. +ydberg for)ulates a theory identifying <oelund 4ith Thia?i,
the giant 4ho carried off Idunn. It is based chiefly on argu)ents
fro) na)es and other *hilological considerations, and gi!es *erha*s
undue 4eight to the authority of "a#o. It is difficult to see any
funda)ental li,enesses in the stories.
The 7ld English references to Weland are in the 1Waldere1 frag)ent
and the 1$a)ent of eor1. For the Fran,s 9as,et, see Professor
Na*ier.s discussion, 4ith *hotogra*hs, in the 1English Miscellany1
07#ford, 9larendon Press, %&'%3. The 1Thidre,s "aga1 0so)eti)es
called 1<il,ina "aga13, 4as edited by Anger 09hristiania, %JI-3,
and by Hylten:9a!allius 0%JJ'3. There are t4o 6er)an translations2
by +ass)ann 01Heldensage,1 0%JG-3, and by <on der Hagen 01Nordische
Heldenro)ane1, %J@-3.
1The <olsungs1. 0Pages J to (@.3
As di!ided in )ost editions the *oe)s connected 4ith the <olsung cycle,
including the t4o on Er)anric, are fifteen in nu)ber2
16ri*iss*a1.
1+egins)al, Fafnis)al, "igrdrifu)al1, a continued narrati!e co)*iled
fro) different sources.
1"igurd Frag)ent1, on the death of "igurd.
1First 6udrun $ay1, on 6udrun.s )ourning, late.
1"hort "igurd $ay1 0called 1$ong Brynhild $ay1 in the 19or*us
Poeticu)18 so)eti)es called 1Third "igurd $ay13. style late.
1Brynhild.s Hellride1, a continuation of the *receding.
1"econd1, or 17ld, 6udrun $ay1, is also late. It contains )ore ,ennings
than are usual in Eddic *oetry, and the *icture of 6udrun.s so;ourn in
en)ar, and the ta*estry she 4rought 4ith Thora Halfdan.s daughter,
together 4ith the descri*tions of her suitors, belong to a *eriod
4hich had a taste for colour and elaboration of detail.
1Third 6udrun $ay1, or the 17rdeal of 6udrun1 0after her )arriage to
Atli3, is ro)antic in character. The 6othic hero Th;odre, 0ietrich3
is introduced.
17ddrun.s $a)ent1, in 4hich 6unnar.s death is caused by an intrigue
4ith Atli.s sister 7ddrun, )ar,s the disintegration of the <olsung
legend.
The t4o Atli $ays 10Atla,!ida1 and 1Atla)al1, the latter of 6reenland
origin3, deal 4ith the death of 6unnar and Hoegni, and 6udrun.s
!engeance on Atli.
16udrun.s $a)ent1 and 1Ha)this)al1 belong to the Er)anric cycle.
1<olsung Para*hrases1. 0Page %%.3
1",alds,a*ar)al, <oelsunga "aga1 and 1Norna:6ests Thattr1 0containing
another short *ara*hrase3 are all included in r. Wil,en.s 1ie
Prosaische Edda1 0Paderborn, %J@J3. There is an English !ersion of
1<oelsunga1 by Magnusson and Morris 0$ondon, %J@'3 and a 6er)an !ersion
of 1<oelsunga1 and 1Norna:6est1 by Ed?ardi.
1Nibelungenlied1. 0Page %%.3
Editions by Bartsch 0$ei*?ig, %J&I3 and Karnc,e 0Halle, %J&&38
translation into )odern 6er)an by "i)roc,.
1"igny and "iggeir1. 0Page %-.3
"a#o 6ra))aticus 0Boo, !ii.3 tells the story of a "igny, daughter
of "igar, 4hose lo!er Hagbard, after slaying her brothers, 4ins her
fa!our. "igar in !engeance had hi) strangled on a hill in !ie4 of
"igny.s 4indo4s, and she set fire to her house that she )ight die
si)ultaneously 4ith her lo!er. The anti/uity of *art at least of this
story is *ro!ed by the ,enning >Hagbard.s collar> for halter, in a
*oe) *robably of the tenth century. 7n the other hand, a reference
in 1<oelsunga "aga1, that >Ha,i and Hagbard 4ere great and fa)ous
)en, yet "igar carried off their sister, ... and they 4ere slo4 to
!engeance,> sho4s that there is confusion so)e4here. It see)s *ossible
that Hagbard.s story has been conta)inated 4ith a distorted account
of the <olsung "igny, ci!ilised as usual by "a#o, 4ith an effect of
!ulgarity absent fro) the *ri)iti!e story.
In a recently *ublished *a)*hlet by Mr. W.W. $a4rence and
r. W.H. "chofield 01The First +iddle of 9yne4ulf1 and 1"igny.s
$a)ent1. Balti)ore2 The Modern $anguage Association of A)erica. %&'(3
it is suggested that the so:called First +iddle in the E#eter Boo,
is in reality an Anglo:"a#on translation of a Norse >9o)*laint>
s*o,en by the <olsung "igny. E!idence fro) )etre and for) is all in
fa!our of this !ie4, and the *oe) bears the inter*retation 4ithout any
straining of the )eaning. r. "chofield.s second contention, that the
*oe) thus inter*reted is e!idence for the theory of a British origin
for the Eddie *oe)s, is not e/ually con!incing. The e#istence in
Anglo:"a#on of a translation fro) the Norse is no *roof that any
of the Eddie *oe)s, or e!en the original Norse >"igny.s $a)ent>
*ostulated by r. "chofield, 4ere co)*osed in the West.
It see)s unnecessary to su**ose, 4ith r. "chofield, an influence of
British legend on the <olsung story. The *oints in 4hich the story
of "ig)und rese)bles that of Arthur and differs fro) that of Theseus
*ro!e nothing in the face of e/ually strong *oints of corres*ondence
bet4een Arthur and Theseus 4hich are absent fro) the <olsung story.
1"inf;oetli.s eath1. 0Page %F.3
Munch 01Nord)aendenes 6udelaere1, 9hristiania, %JF@3 ingeniously
identified the old )an 4ith 7din, co)e in *erson to conduct "inf;oetli
to <alhalla, since he 4ould other4ise ha!e gone to Hel, not ha!ing
fallen in battle8 a stratage) /uite in har)ony 4ith 7din.s traditional
character.
1"ig)und and "inf;oetli1. 0Page %I.3
It see)s *robable, on the e!idence of 1Beo4ulf1, that "ig)und and
"inf;oetli re*resent the Pan:6er)anic stage of the national:hero, and
"igurd or "iegfried the 9ontinental stage. Possibly Helgi )ay then be
the Norse race:hero. "igurd 4as certainly foreign to "candina!ia8 hence
the e*ithet Hunnish, constantly a**lied to hi), and the localising
of the legend by the +hine. The *ossibility suggests itself that the
Brynhild *art of the story, on the other hand, is of "candina!ian
origin, and thence *assed to 6er)any. It is at least curious that
the 1Nibelungen $ied1 *laces Prunhilt in Iceland.
1Wagner and the <olsung 9ycle1. 0Page (G.3
Wagner.s 1+ing des Nibelungen1 is re)ar,able not only for the 4ay
in 4hich it re*roduces the s*irit of both the "inf;oetli and the
"igurd traditions, but also for the 4onderful instinct 4hich chooses
the best and )ost *ri)iti!e features of both Norse and 9ontinental
!ersions. Thus he ,ee*s the dragon of the Norse, the Nibelungs of
the 6er)an8 *reser!es the 4ildness of the old "ig)und tale, and
substitutes the 6er)an Hagen for his *aler Norse na)esa,e8 restores
the original balance bet4een the *arts of Brynhild and 6udrun8 gi!es
the latter character, and an acti!e instead of a *assi!e function
in the story, by assigning to her her )other.s share in the action8
and by substituting for the slaying of the otter the bargain 4ith
the 6iants for the building of <alhalla, )a,es the cause 4orthy of
the catastro*he.
1Er)anric1. 0Page (@.3
For e#a)*les of legend beco)ing attached to historical na)es, see
Tylor.s 1Pri)iti!e 9ulture1.
1The Helgi $ays1. 0Page (&.3
The Helgi $ays stand before the <olsung set in the M".8 I treat the)
later for the sa,e of greater clearness.
1Helgi and =ara1. 0Page -'.3
1Hro)undar "aga 6ri*ssonar1, in 4hich this story is gi!en, is 4orthless
as literature, and has not been recently edited. P.E. Mueller.s
1"agabibliothe,1, in 4hich it 4as *ublished, is out of *rint. $atin and
"4edish translations )ay be found in B;oerner.s 1Nordis,e =a)*a ater1
0"toc,hol), %@-@3, also out of *rint.
1+ebirth1. 0Page -%.3
r. "tor) has an interesting article on the Norse belief in +e:birth in
the 1Ar,i! for Nordis, Filologi1, i#. He collects instances, and a)ong
other argu)ents *oints out the Norse custo) of na)ing a *osthu)ous
child after its dead father as a *robable relic of the belief. The
inheritance of luc, )ay *erha*s be another sur!i!al8 a notable instance
occurs in 1<iga:6lu)s "aga1, 4here the 4arrior <igfus be/ueaths his
luc, to his fa!ourite grandson, 6lu). In the 1Waterdale "aga1 there
are t4o instances in 4hich it is stated that the luc, of the dead
grandfather 4ill *ass to the grandson 4ho recei!es his na)e. "cholars
do not, ho4e!er, agree as to the *lace of the rebirth idea in the Helgi
*oe)s, so)e holding the !ie4 that it is an essential *art of the story.
1Hunding1. 0Page -(.3
It is *ossible that the 4er4olf story is a tote) sur!i!al. If so,
the Hunding feud )ight easily belong to it2 dogs are the natural
ene)ies of 4ol!es. It is curious that the Irish 4er4olf 9or)ac has
a feud 4ith Mac9on 01i.e.1, "on of a og3, 4hich )eans the sa)e as
Hunding. This story, 4hich has not been *rinted, 4ill be found in
the Bodleian M". $aud, G%'.
1Thorgerd Holgabrud1. 0Page --.3
Told in "a#o, Boo, ii. "norri has a bare allusion to it.
1Holger ans,e, or 7gier $e anois1. 0Page --.3
"ee 19or*us Poeticu) Boreale1, !ol. i. *. c###., and No. %' of this
series. The Norse !ersion of the story 0Helgi Thorisson3 is told in
the "aga of 7laf Trygg!ason, and is su))arised by r. +ydberg in the
1Teutonic Mythology1, and by Mr. Nutt in the 1<oyage of Bran1.
1Ballads1. 0Page -G.3
Professor 9hild is *erha*s hasty in regarding the t4o *arts of 19ler,
"aunders1 as inde*endent. The first *art, though unli,e the Helgi
story in circu)stance, see)s to *reser!e the tradition of the hero.s
hostility to his bride.s ,indred, and his death at their hands.
The Helgi story, in all its !ariants, is as fa)iliar in anish as in
Border ballads. The distribution of the )aterial in Iceland, en)ar,,
England and "cotland is strongly in fa!our of the *resu)*tion that
"candina!ian legend influenced England and "cotland, and against the
*resu)*tion that the *oe)s in /uestion *assed fro) the British Isles
to Iceland. The e!idence of the anish ballads should be conclusi!e
on this *oint. There is an English translation of the latter by
+.9.A. Prior 01Ancient anish Ballads1, $ondon, %JG'3.
1The E!erlasting Battle1. 0Page -&.3
The ",ald Bragi 0before JI' A..3 has a *oe) on this sub;ect,
gi!en 4ith a translation in the 19or*us1, !ol. ii. "a#o.s !ersion
is in the fifth boo, of his History. According to Bragi, Hild has a
nec,lace, 4hich has caused co)*arison of this story 4ith that of the
6ree, Eri*hyle. Irish legendary history describes a si)ilar battle
in 4hich the slain re!i!e each night and rene4 the fight daily, as
occurring in the 4anderings of the Tuatha e anann before they reached
Ireland. According to =eating, they learnt the art of necro)ancy in
the East, and taught it to the anes.
The latest edition of the 16udrun1 is by Ernst Martin 0second edition,
Halle, %&'(3. There is a )odern 6er)an translation by "i)roc,.
1Angantyr1. 0Page F(.3
The *oe)s of this cycle are four in nu)ber::0%3 1H;al)ar.s
eath:song12 0(3 1Angantyr and Her!oer18 0-3 1Heidre,.s +iddle:Poe)12
0F3 1Angantyr the Dounger and Hlod1. All are gi!en in the first !olu)e
of the 19or*us1, 4ith translations.
1Herrarar "aga1 4as *ublished by +afn 09o*enhagen, %J(&:-'3 in
1Fornaldar "oegur1, !ol. i., no4 out of *rint. It has been )ore recently
edited by r. Bugge, together 4ith 1<oelsunga1 and others. Petersen
09o*enhagen, %JF@3 edited it 4ith a anish translation. Munch.s
1Nord)uendenes 6udelaere1 0out of *rint3 contains a short abstract.
1eath of Angantyr1. 0Page F-.3
Angantyr.s death is related by "a#o, Boo, !., 4ith entire e#clusion
of all )ythical interest.
1Trans)ission of $egends1. 0Page F@.3
Muellenhoff.s !ie4s are gi!en in the 1Keitschrift fuer deutsches
Altertu)1, !ol. #.8 Maurer.s in the 1Keitschrift fuer deutsche
Philologie1, !ol. ii. For 6olther.s !ie4s on the <olsung cycle see
16er)ania1, --.
1The ragon Myth1. 0Page F&.3
"ee also Hartland, 1"cience of Fairy:Tales1.
The eating of the dragon.s heart 0see *. %&3 )ay *ossibly be a sur!i!al
of the custo) of eating a slain ene)y.s heart to obtain courage,
of 4hich r. Fra?er gi!es e#a)*les in the 16olden Bough1.
1Alien Wi!es1. 0Page F&.3
For the theory of alien 4i!es as a )eans of trans)ission, see $ang,
19usto) and Myth1 0$ondon, %J&-3.
1The "ister.s "on1. 0Page I%.3
"ee Mr. 6u))ere.s article in the 1English Miscellany18 and Professor
+hys. Presidential Address to the Anthro*ological "ection of the
British Association, %&''. The double relationshi* bet4een "ig)und
and "inf;oetli 0not unco))on in heroic tales8 co)*are 9onchobhar and
9uchulainn, Arthur and Mordred3 see)s in this case due to the sa)e
cause as the custo) 4hich *re!ailed in the dynasty of the Ptole)ies,
4here the ,ing often )arried his sister, that his heir )ight be of
the *ure royal blood.
1"4an)aids1. 0Page I%.3
"ee Hartland, 1"cience of Fairy:Tales.1
1The Wa!erlo4e1. 0Page I%.3
r. Fra?er 016olden Bough13 gi!es instances of ritual )arriages
connected 4ith the )idsu))er fires. For 1"!i*dag and Menglad1, see
"tudy No. %( of this series. If +ydberg, as see)s !ery *robable, is
right in identifying Menglad and "!i*dag 4ith Frey;a and the )ortal
lo!er 4ho 4ins her and 4ho) she after4ards loses, the story 4ould
be a *arallel to those of <enus and Adonis, Ishtar and Ta))u?, Hc.,
4hich Fra?er deri!es fro) the ritual )arriage of hu)an sacrifices to
the 6oddess of fertility. The reason gi!en in the Edda for Brynhild.s
slee*, and her conne#ion 4ith 7din, are secondary, arising fro) the
<alhalla )yth.
Printed by 1Ballantyne, Hanson H 9o1
$ondon H Edinburgh
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