He is an impressive
man to look at,
and, my lord,
he wants to talk to you.”
[5] The great king
left his hall,
and greeted
his visitor well:
“Welcome, Sigurth!
I wish you’d come earlier.
Geitir, take care
of Sigurth’s horse, Grani.”
[6] There was much talking,
there was much speaking,
when those two wise men
had their meeting.
Sigurth said:
“Tell me, if you know,
my uncle,
what do you see
of my fate?”
{222} Gripir said:
[7] “You will become
the most famous man
beneath the sun,
most honored of all kings,
you will share your gold
and show your courage,
you will be a handsome man,
and a master of words.”
Sigurth said:
[8] “Tell me more,
I want to know,
wise king,
if you know it:
What will be
my first journey,
after I have left
your home here?”
Gripir said:
[9] “Warrior, first
you will go avenge your father
and get compensation
for the suffering of your kin.
You will kill
the hard, brave sons
of Hunding,
and have a victory.”
Sigurth said:
[10] “Tell me now, king.
I, your nephew,
want to hear the truth
when we talk together.
Do you see excellent deeds
in my future to boast about,
deeds that will be called the best
beneath the heavens?”
{223} Gripir said:
[11] “You alone will kill
the shining serpent,
the greedy worm who lies
on Gnitaheith.
You will kill
both brothers,
Regin and Fafnir.
I do not lie.”
Sigurth said:
[12] “I’ll have plenty of gold
if I go to battle
against worthy foes,
as you clearly foresee.
Let your mind wander
and see yet further;
what sort of fate
is waiting for me?”
Gripir said:
[13] “You will find
Gripir’s treasure,
you will seize
all that gold.
You will put that gold
on Grani’s back,
then ride to the hall
of great King Gjuki.”
Sigurth said:
[14] “I hope that you
will say even more
than this, my wise,
accomplished uncle:
When I have visited Gjuki,
and left his home,
what sort of fate
will be waiting for me?”
{224} Gripir said:
[15] “A beautiful princess,
dressed in armor,
sleeps on a mountain
after the death of Helgi.
You will free
her with your sharp blade.
You will cut her armor
with the sword that killed Fafnir.”
Sigurth said:
[16] “I’ll break her armor,
and the girl will speak
when she wakes
from her sleep.
But then, what
will this wise girl say?
Will she say something
useful to me?”
Gripir said:
[17] “She will teach you
useful runes—
everything that people
most desire to know—
she’ll teach you to speak
in every language,
and how to heal the suffering—
live well, king!”
Sigurth said:
[18] “That meeting will end,
I’ll have learned much,
and I’ll ride further
along on my way.
Let your mind wander
and see yet further;
what sort of fate
will be waiting for me?”
{225} Gripir said:
[19] “You will come
to Heimir’s halls.
You’ll be a happy guest
of that brave king’s.
It’s all told, Sigurth,
everything I wanted to say—
please don’t ask me
anything further.”
Sigurth said:
[20] “Now your words
cause me worry,
for I think that you,
wise king, see yet further:
You know there is
some great misfortune
in store for me, and you
don’t want to tell it.”
Gripir said:
[21] “It was easy
to see how your life
would be in
your blooming youth.
But I am not
a real wise man
nor much of a prophet;
I’ve forgotten what I knew.”
Sigurth said:
[22] “I know of no one
in the world
who knows better
how to see the future:
Don’t conceal it,
even if it’s terrible to hear,
even if I’ll meet misfortune
on my life’s path.”
{226} Gripir said:
[23] “Your life’s path
is not written in mockery;
let that at least
stand out in your memory.
As long as humans
live on this earth,
the name of famous
Sigurth will live among them.”
Sigurth said:
[24] “I think it’s wrong
for me to part from you,
my wise uncle, in this way,
without hearing more.
My fate will go
as it must, no matter what—
but show me how it will go,
my honored uncle, if you will.”
Gripir said:
[25] “Now Sigurth, my nephew,
I will tell the whole truth,
since you, young hero,
want to force me into it.
First, I’ll say something
which you know is no lie:
Your final day is appointed;
death is coming.”
Sigurth said:
[26] “I don’t want
to make you angry,
I only want
to get your good advice.
I have to know for certain
what awaits, even if it’s evil;
I want to know what fate
has in store for me.”
{227} Gripir said:
[27] “There is a beautiful woman
who is living at Heimir’s,
and her name will be
remembered as Brynhild.
She is the daughter of Buthli,
but the brave king
Heimir fosters
that hard-hearted girl.”
Sigurth said:
[28] “So what does it matter
if there is a beautiful woman
growing up
at Heimir’s place?
Now I need you
to delve deeper,
for I think that you
have foreseen all my fate.”
Gripir said:
[29] “That beautiful woman
/>
who is growing up at Heimir’s
will deprive you
of all of your happiness.
She will make you sleepless,
she will make you senseless,
you’ll pay attention to nothing
unless you’re with that girl.”
Sigurth said:
[30] “Tell me, Gripir,
what can I do
to find some medicine
to heal this illness?
Will this beautiful girl
I intend to marry,
be given to me
in marriage?”
{228} Gripir said:
[31] “The two of you
will swear oaths
to one another,
but will keep few of them.
You will be a guest
at Gjuki’s one night,
and then you will forget
Brynhild, daughter of Buthli.”
Sigurth said:
[32] “But Gripir, how will
this happen to me?
Am I made with such
a weak mind?
Will I betray her,
when she
has captured
my whole heart?”
Gripir said:
[33] “Others will trick you
into this treachery.
You will be trapped
by Queen Grimhild.
You will ask for the hand
of her bright-haired
daughter; she will
fool you into it.”
Sigurth said:
[34] “So then I will be
brother-in-law of
great Gunnar,
married to Guthrun.
It seems this would be
a very good marriage,
if I didn’t suspect
there’s more bad to come.”
{229} Gripir said:
[35] “Grimhild will
terribly deceive you,
she will ask you
to court Brynhild
for the bride of Gunnar,
that king of the Goths.
And you will promise
to go upon that journey.”
Sigurth said:
[36] “Clearly I can see
that pain awaits me.
And this is the worst,
that I must court
the famous woman
I love most of all
to be the fair bride
of another man.”
Gripir said:
[37] “You will
swear many oaths,
you and Gunnar,
together with Hogni.
You and Gunnar will
magically trade
appearances on the journey.
I am not lying.”
Sigurth said:
[38] “What will that gain me?
Why will we two
change appearances
on this journey?
Some other evil
must follow
all this other evil—
tell me more, Gripir!”
{230} Gripir said:
[39] “You will look like Gunnar,
you will act as if you were Gunnar,
but you’ll have your own mind
and your own courage;
you will woo Brynhild,
foster-daughter of Heimir,
for Gunnar, and nothing
will prevent it.”
Sigurth said:
[40] “I think the worst part
is that people will call me
an evildoer
when they hear of this.
I do not wish
to woo the princess,
the best woman I know,
with trickery.”
Gripir said:
[41] “You will sleep
next to the young woman,
but only as if
she had been your mother.
Because of this,
for a long time
people on this earth
will speak the famed name of Sigurth.”
Sigurth said:
[42] “Will the famous
King Gunnar
marry this girl,
even after
the wise princess
has slept next to me
for three nights?
Answer me, Gripir!”
{231} Gripir said:
[43] “Two bridegrooms,
you and Gunnar,
will toast your weddings
in Gjuki’s hall, on the same day.
You’ll exchange
appearances again
when you come home,
and have the same souls as before.”
Sigurth said:
[44] “Will my
brother-in-law and I
stay in good friendship?
Tell me, Gripir!
Will Gunnar
later rejoice for
these weddings,
or will I?”
Gripir said:
[45] “You’ll remember your oaths,
and you will be silent;
you will live happily
with your wife Guthrun.
But Brynhild will learn
about the deception,
and she will plot
her revenge on you.”
Sigurth said:
[46] “And what repayment
will Brynhild accept,
from me and the others
who deceived her?
All she’ll have from me
are the oaths I swore
and later broke,
and her unhappy fortune.”
{232} Gripir said:
[47] “She will
tell Gunnar
that you were not
true to him.
She will tell
Gunnar, son of Gjuki,
that he was wrong
to place his trust in you.”
Sigurth said:
[48] “What is this? Gripir,
tell me honestly,
will her story be true?
Is it true I’ll be faithless?
Or will the famous woman
be telling lies
about what she and I did?
Tell me, Gripir!”
Gripir said:
[49] “Because of her anger,
the girl will lie about you,
she’ll cause you
this heartbreak.
Even though you
were not the cause,
the princess will know
she was won through treachery.”
Sigurth said:
[50] “Will Gunnar
be fooled by her?
Will Gotthorm be fooled,
and Hogni too?
Will my brothers-in-law
redden their swords
in my flesh?
Tell me, Gripir!”
{233} Gripir said:
[51] “The pain
will go to Guthrun’s heart
when her brothers
kill you.
She will never be happy,
she will never love again;
it will all be
Grimhild’s fault.
[52] “But Sigurth,
leader of warriors,
there is one comfort
in your fate:
A better man
will never walk
upon the earth
beneath the sun than you.”
Sigurth said:
[53] “I part from you in friendship.
My fate will be what it will.
You have done
what I asked you to do,
and I think you would have
happily told me
I would have a better fate,
if that had been my true destiny.”
{234} Reginsmal (The Tale of Regin)
Reginsmal (literally “Regin’s Wor
ds”) is the first of a trio of poems concerned with the adventures of the young Sigurth, together with Fafnismal and Sigrdrifumal. Reginsmal begins with a fairly long prose introduction, partially narrated by Regin, about the killing of Regin’s brother Otter by the Aesir, and the demands by their father Hreithmar for a large amount of gold in payment for this crime. After telling of how Fafnir, Regin’s brother, killed his father Hreithmar for this gold and became a dragon, Regin tells of how he fled to the kingdom of Hjalprek and fostered Sigurth. Sigurth tells Regin he will avenge Hreithmar, but only after he has avenged his own father and uncle on Lyngvi and the other sons of Hunding. In the last stanza of this poem, we read that Sigurth carved the “bloody eagle” (Old Norse blothugr orn) on Lyngvi’s back. This is a reference to a form of torture in which the victim was laid out flat in a prostrate position and his ribs removed from his back one by one. “Battle-Stirrer” is Odin in disguise.
Reginsmal
Sigurth went to Hjalprek’s remuda and chose a horse that later was named Grani. At this time Regin, son of Hreithmar, lived in Hjalprek’s kingdom. He was more skillful with his hands than any other man, and a dwarf in height. He was wise, grim, and skilled in magic. Regin fostered and educated Sigurth, and loved him well. He told Sigurth about his parents, and about the events when Odin, Loki, and Honir had come to Andvari’s Falls. This was a waterfall where an abundance of fish could be found. A dwarf named Andvari lived there for a long time, in the form of a pikefish, and fed himself there. “Otter was the name of our brother,” said Regin, “and he often went to the Falls in the form of an otter. He had caught a salmon and sat on the bank where he was eating it with his eyes closed. Loki threw a stone and killed him. The Aesir felt very lucky about this, and skinned the otter and made a bag out of the skin. That same evening they came as guests to Hreithmar’s house and showed him what they had caught. We captured them and threatened their lives if they did not fill that bag with gold, and cover it on the outside with gold as well. Then the Aesir sent Loki to acquire the gold. He came to Ran and borrowed her net, {235} and went back to Andvari’s Falls and threw the net in front of the pikefish, and the fish jumped in. Then Loki said:
[1] “WHAT KIND OF FISH IS THIS
swimming in the water,
that doesn’t know to avoid a net?
Your head will stay
on your body, if you
can get me some gold.”
[2] “I am named Andvari,
son of Oin,
I have been in many waterfalls.
A cruel Norn
shaped my fate at the beginning,
cursed me to live in the water.”
[3] “Tell me this, Andvari,” said Loki,
“if you want go free and live
in the halls of men:
What should a man
get in return
if he lies to others?”
[4] “They get a lot in return,
all those men who will wade
the traitors’ river at Ragnarok.
They will suffer for a long time
if they lie to others,
in return for their untrue words.”
Loki saw all the gold that Andvari owned. And after he had taken all of it, Andvari still had one single ring, and Loki took that from him as well. The dwarf then hid inside a stone and said:
[5] “This gold
The Poetic Edda Page 19
