48. Hœnir is a relatively obscure god who figures in several myths dealing with the origin of the gods and men.
49. The Æsir are the chief gods of Old Norse myth.
50. Goddess of the sea.
51. Hel, the daughter of Loki and a giantess, is the goddess of the underworld. The name is sometimes used to denote the underworld itself, as in “travel the road to Hel,” but it is not to be confused with the Christian Hell.
52. A kenning for gold.
53. Here Odin is almost certainly a mistake. In the same stanza from “The Lay of Regin,” Andvari says his father is called Oin. Oin is also a dwarf name from the Eddic poem “Völuspá” (“Sibyl’s Prophecy”).
54. The ring acquired from the dwarf Andvari, above. Andvaranautr literally means Andvari’s gift.
55. Several of the later manuscripts begin chapter 15 here, a more logical point in the narrative.
56. Hugin may refer to one of Odin’s two ravens. More probably the word refers not to any specific raven but to a huginn, a poetic synonym for raven. “To gladden the raven” meant “to kill men in battle.”
57. Fjolnir is, again, Odin.
58. Odin once again.
59. According to the “Lay of Fafnir,” Sigurd withheld his name because of an ancient belief that a dying man could curse his enemy if he knew the enemy’s name.
60. Ægishjálmr, “helm of terror,” refers to an object (helmet?), probably magical and certainly precious, which Sigurd later takes from Fafnir’s lair.
61. A dwarf.
62. A reference to Ragnarok, the end of the world. Surt is a fire-giant who, after defeating the god Frey at the final battle, will cover the world with flame.
63. The land of the Franks, France.
64. A kenning for warrior.
65. Gamanrœðna here, but in the Eddic “Lay of Sigrdrifa” gamanrúna is found. The meaning then would be runes of joy or pleasure.
66. The rune with the phonetic value [t] was named after the god Tyr.
67. Ships.
68. Assembly.
69. Odin.
70. Arvak and Alsvid are the horses that draw the chariot of the sun across the sky.
71. Spelled Rognir in the manuscript but almost certainly the giant (H)rungnir.
72. Bragi, a god of poetry. Bragi may have been a ninth-century Norwegian poet who was elevated to the status of god by later writers.
73. Probably a reference to Bifrost, the bridge of the gods.
74. Gaupnir is spelled Gungnir in “The Lay of Sigrdrifa.” Gungnir was Odin’s spear.
75. The mead of poetry, the story of which is explained in Snorri’s Prose Edda.
76. The Vanir are a family of gods particularly associated with fertility.
77. The manuscript says bókrúnar (beech runes) but probably should be bókrúnar (cure runes).
78. A reference to Ragnarok.
79. A kenning for warrior.
80. Vœringjar, Vaerings or Varangians, were Scandinavian traders in Russia. The name also denotes Northmen serving in the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. Here the term may simply denote “Scandinavians.”
81. Kurteisi (courtesy), a borrowing from Old French romance, was translated into Old Norse in the thirteenth century. The concept itself is foreign to Scandinavia.
82. Hild (battle) is a common element in women’s names in Old Norse. The element bekk literally means bench.
83. Bryn, from brynja, means mail coat.
84. At this point the saga begins the move from myth into legend. For the history underlying the saga, see Introduction.
85. Attila the Hun.
86. Apparently the brother of Helgi. The name Hamund, missing in the saga manuscript, is found in an account in Saxo Grammaticus’s history.
87. Two and a half years. The Norse year was divided into two seasons.
88. Russia.
89. Aslaug links The Saga of the Volsungs and The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok.
90. Gunnar, it seems.
91. Probably an allusion to Brynhild’s being a valkyrie.
92. Til borða is ambiguous and the line may also mean: “We will go to the table to eat and.…”
93. Presumably the reference is to Grimhild’s “ale of forgetfulness,” which Sigurd consumed in chapter 28.
94. A kenning for serpent.
95. Geri, the “ravener,” Odin’s wolf.
96. Atli’s sister.
97. Leiðsla means a burial, but it also has the metaphoric sense of being led through a vision of the afterlife.
98. According to widespread medieval belief, the arteries were considered to be ducts of air, whereas the veins were understood to be passages for blood.
99. Skógr (forest or woods) is the outaws’ home, the wilderness.
100. This enigmatic passage is based on “Guðrúnarkviða hin forna,” stanza 21.
101. Ling-fish is a kenning for serpent.
102. The Haddings were legendary Viking princes, and the Haddings” land is the sea. The “ling-fish of the Haddings” land’ is most likely an eel or a sea snake. Another interpretation might be a ship.
103. The uncut corn of the Haddings” land would be kelp or seaweed.
104. The meaning of the line is unclear. Innleið may mean inroad.
105. Here these female spirits play a role similar to that of the fetch. Their appearance forebodes death.
106. Kostbera.
107. Niflungr literally means son of mist. In the Nibelungenlied, the Nibelungs (Niflungs) possess the treasure that Sigfried wins. After the Burgundians obtain the gold, they inherit the name “Nibelungs” as well.
108. A difficult passage. Literally it reads: “You said you would visit me and wait for me from Hel.”
109. This and the following passage concerning the use of stones may also be translated with the sense that the sons are not to harm stones. If one adopts the second translation, it is possible that the line has something to do with an interdiction against allowing blood to pollute stones or the stony earth. It may be that an incident in which the brothers inflict damage on stones has been dropped from this rendering of the story. However this may be, by the end of the episode stones were able (and willing?) to do what iron could not.
110. In the Prose Edda Snorri Sturluson tells us that the brothers killed Erp because he enjoyed his mother’s affection, and they were angered by her taunting. The Eddic poem “Hamðismál,” however, calls Erp the son of a different mother.
EDDIC POEMS USED BY THE SAGA AUTHOR
In writing his prose work the saga writer probably had at his disposal an earlier, now lost, manuscript of Eddic lays. It is also probable that the sagaman knew oral variants of the poems. In either event, the verses employed by the writer differ at times from the extant poems contained in the Codex Regius.
Atlakviða (The Lay of Atli)
Atlamál in grœnlenzku (The Greenlandic Lay of Atli)
Brot af Sigurðarkviðu (Fragment of a Sigurd Lay)
Fáfnismál (The Lay of Fafnir)
Guðrú;narkviða in forna (The Old Lay of Gudrun)
Guðrúnarhvöt (Gudrun’s Enciting)
Grípisspá (The Prophecy of Gripir)
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I (The First Lay of Helgi Hunding’s Bane)
Hamismàl (The Lay of Hamdir)
Reginsmál (The Lay of Regin)
Sigrdrífumál (The Lay of Sigrdrifa)
Sigurðarkviða in skamma (The Short Lay of Sigurd)
The saga author also used a prose section of the Edda: Frá dauða Sinfjötla (About the Death of Sinfjotli)
GLOSSARY
This glossary lists names of persons (human or supernatural), groups, places, animals, and objects that appear in the saga. Entries are alphabetized in anglicized form, followed by the normalized Old Icelandic within parentheses. The numbers refer to chapters, and brackets signify that a character plays an important part in the chapter without being explicitly named there.
Æsir (Æsir), the Norse
gods: 14, kill Otr, are forced to pay Andvari’s gold in compensation for him; 18, some of the Norns belong to the race of the Æsir; the Æsir and Surt will mix together their blood on the island called Oskapt; 21, received the runes.
Agnar or Audabrodir (Agnarr or Auðabróðir): 21, a king who fought Hjalmgunnar. Odin had promised victory to Hjalmgunnar, but Brynhild granted victory to Agnar.
Alf (Álfr Hjálpreksson): 12, son of King Hjalprek of Denmark; plans to marry Hjordis; 13, marries Hjordis; is Sigurd’s guardian; [17, equips Sigurd for expedition to avenge Sigmund]; 26, allusion to the marriage of Sigurd’s mother to Alf.
Alf (Álfr Hundingsson): 9, son of Hunding; killed by Helgi.
Alf the Old (Álfr inn gamli): 9, fights with Granmar and Hodbrodd against Helgi and Sinfjotli.
Alsvid (Alsviðr), one of the horses that draw the chariot of the sun across the sky: 21, runes were cut on Alsvid’s head.
Alsvid (Alsviðr Heimisson): 24, son of Heimir; 25, tries to dissuade Sigurd from courtship of Brynhild.
Andvaranaut (Andvaranautr): 14, a ring from Andvari’s hoard, seized by Loki; Andvari puts a curse on it, that it will be the death of whoever owns it; Odin attempts to keep it for himself, but is forced to give it to Hreidmar; [although not explicitly mentioned, Andvaranaut forms part of Fafnir’s hoard, which Sigurd wins]; 29, Sigurd takes from Brynhild the ring Andvaranaut, which he had given to her earlier (presumably, in chap. 25); 30, Gudrun shows Brynhild Andvaranaut and reveals that it was Sigurd, not Gunnar, who had taken it from her.
Andvari (Andvari): 14, a dwarf who lives in a waterfall in the shape of a pike; Loki catches the pike and forces him to give up his gold treasure in ransom for his life; he puts a curse on the ring Andvaranaut, that it will be the death of whoever owns it.
Andvari’s Fall (Andvarafors): 14, waterfall where Otr fishes in the shape of an otter and Andvari lives in the shape of a pike.
Arvak (Árvakr), one of the horses that draw the chariot of the sun across the sky: 21, runes were cut on Arvak’s ear.
Asgard (Ásgarðr), the home of the gods: 9, insult directed at Granmar, “You were a valkyrie in Asgard.”
Aslaug (Áslaugr): 29, daughter of Sigurd and Brynhild (presumably begotten in chap. 25).
Atli (Atli Buðlason), Attila the Hun: 26, brother of Brynhild; 27, Brynhild predicts that Gudrun will marry and then kill King Atli; 29, Budli’s son; present at feast at Brynhild’s marriage to Gunnar; 32, Gunnar taunts Brynhild that she deserves to see King Atli killed; upon dying, Brynhild prophesies Gunnar’s death at Atli’s hands and Atli’s death at Gudrun’s hands; 34, Gudrun is married, against her will, to Atli; 35, has dreams prophesying his sons” deaths; desires the gold that was Sigurd’s; treacherously invites Gunnar and Hogni to his house with the intention of getting it; 36, Hogni’s wife has prophetic dreams of Atli’s treachery; 38, Atli attacks Gunnar and Hogni when they arrive at his hall; 39, Atli captures Gunnar and Hogni, cuts out Hogni’s heart, and puts Gunnar in a snake pit to die; 40, Gudrun kills her sons by Atli and gives him their blood and hearts to eat; then she kills Atli; 43, Gudrun laments her disastrous marriage to Atli.
Audabrodir (Auðabróðir). See Agnar.
Barnstock (Barnstokkr): 2, tree in Volsung’s hall; 3, [Odin] thrusts sword into Barnstock.
Bekkhild (Bekkhildr Buðladóttir): 24, daughter of Budli, wife of Heimir, sister of Brynhild.
Bera. See Kostbera.
Bikki (Bikki), counselor of King Jormunrek: 32, upon dying, Brynhild prophesies Svanhild’s downfall through the counsels of Bikki; 42, slanderously accuses Randver and Svanhild of being lovers and contrives their deaths.
Borghild (Borghildr): 8, marries Sigmund; mother of Helgi and Hamund; 10, poisons her stepson Sinfjotli.
Bragi (Bragi), god of poetry: 21, runes were cut on Bragi’s tongue.
Bravoll (Brávöllr), a battlefield: 9, Sinfjotli’s insult to Granmar, “You were a mare… and I rode you… on Bravoll.”
Bredi (Breði): 1, thrall of Skadi, killed by Sigi.
Bredi’s Drift (Breðafönn): 1, snowdrift, so called because Sigi buried the murdered Bredi in the drift.
Brynhild (Brynhildr Buðladóttir), daughter of Budli: 20, birds advise Sigurd to ride to Hindarfell, where Brynhild sleeps; 21, Sigurd awakens her from the sleep that Odin has placed upon her; she teaches him runes; 22, gives Sigurd wise advice; he pledges to marry her; 24, sister of Bekkhild; is so named because she takes up a mail coat and goes into battle; 25, foster daughter of Heimir; daughter of Budli; a shield-maiden; weaves Sigurd’s deeds into a tapestry; accepts Sigurd’s courtship but predicts that he will marry Gudrun instead of her; 26, Gudrun visits her and they discuss famous men; Brynhild praises Sigurd; 27, interprets Gudrun’s dream; 28, Sigurd forgets Brynhild when Grimhild gives him a magic drink; Gunnar decides to win Brynhild; 29, Sigurd in the shape of Gunnar rides through her wall of flame; she marries Gunnar; 30, she and Gudrun quarrel, and Gudrun reveals that it was Sigurd who rode through the wall of flame; 31, sulks in her bed; refuses Gunnar’s attempts to reconcile her; in dialogue with Sigurd, pours out her love and hatred for him; says that someone must die, for she will not have two husbands in one hall; 32, urges Gunnar to kill Sigurd; laments Sigurd’s death and stabs herself; prophesies the future of the Gjukungs; 33, asks to be burned on Sigurd’s pyre; dies.
Budli (Buðli): 25, father of Brynhild; 26, a king; 29, gives his consent to Brynhild’s marriage to Gunnar; father of Atli; 31, Brynhild claims that Budli forced her to marry against her will; the sons of Gjuki killed Budli’s unnamed brother; 40, Atli accuses Gudrun of being greedy for King Budli’s lands.
Busiltjorn (Busiltjörn): 13, a river; Sigurd chooses a horse by driving a herd of horses into the river and taking the only one that does not swim back to shore.
Denmark (Danmörk): 12, kingdom of Hjalprek and Alf; 34, Gudrun takes refuge in Denmark with King Half; Valdemar of Denmark is mentioned.
Disir (Dísir), minor, often guardian goddesses: 11, Sigmund’s spaewomen (spádísir) watched over him; 21, invoke the disir for aid in childbirth; 37, Glaumvor’s premonitory dream of Gunnar’s death; somber-looking women chose Gunnar as husband; Glaumvor interprets them as Gunnar’s disir.
Dvalin (Dvalinn), a dwarf: 18, some of the Norns are daughters of Dvalin.
Elves (Alfar), a race of supernatural beings: 18, some of the Norns belong to the race of elves; 21, received the runes.
Erp (Erpr Jónakrsson): 41, Gudrun’s son by Jonak; 44, Hamdir and Sorli kill Erp, then regret it because their revenge against Jormunrek would have succeeded if Erp had been alive to cut off Jormunrek’s head.
Eyjolf (Eyjólfr Hundingsson): 9, killed by Helgi.
Eylimi (Eylimi): 11, a king, father of Hjordis; 12, falls in battle against Lyngvi; 26, Sigurd praised for avenging Eylimi.
Eymod (Eymóðr): 34, accompanies the sons of Gjuki on their journey to Denmark to be reconciled with Gudrun.
Fafnir (Fáfnir): 13, Regin tells Sigurd that Fafnir, as a serpent, lies on great wealth; 14, kills his father Hreidmar; turns into an evil serpent [dragon] and lies on the hoard of gold; 15, the sword is made with which Fafnir can be slain; 16, 17, Regin urges Sigurd to slay him; 18, is slain by Sigurd; 19, Regin drinks his blood; Sigurd roasts his heart, tastes his blood, and understands the speech of birds; 20, Sigurd takes Fafnir’s hoard; 21, Sigurd identified as the one who has the helmet of Fafnir and carries Fafnir’s bane in his hand; 23, Sigurd slew the dragon called Fafnir by the Vaerings; 28, Sigurd gives Gudrun some of Fafnir’s heart to eat; she becomes grimmer and wiser than before; 29, Sigurd in the guise of Gunnar gives Brynhild a ring from Fafnir’s hoard; 30, Sigurd’s slaying of Fafnir is cited by both Gudrun and Brynhild as a mark of his superiority over Gunnar; 31, Brynhild had declared herself betrothed to the one who had Fafnir’s inheritance; 33, 42, 43, Sigurd described as the bane of Fafnir.
The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer (Penguin Classics) Page 14
