Gram the sword of grief

Mythology Questions. For Elprofessori Only!
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1. How do specific actions of the heroes illustrate these values?

2. What different types of reward do the different characters seek?

Please take into account how harsh conditions, treachery and death are woven into this myth.

3.Does the end justify the means? Do intentions justify the end?

4. Where does evil come from and where does it breed?

Many scholars con­ sider the Teutonic epic of Sigurd the Vo/sung to be The Iliad of the northern countries.

The story is found in Scandinavian, British, and German literature. The earli­ est existing version appears in the epic of Beowulf (written in about A.D. 1000), where a minstrel sings the tale as enter­ tainment for the nobility. Clearly, the story was already famous at that time. The Volsunga Saga, written in 1300 by an anonymous author, is the definitive Norse version because it is the most detailed, cohesive, and complete ver­ s ion of the story.

The saga of Sigurd reflects the unstable political conditions in north­ ern Europe between A.D. 400 and 600, before the arrival of Christianity in that part of the world. The wars between neighboring kingdoms produced many local heroes and villains, and their dar­ ing deeds became the subjects of pop­ ular songs and poems.

APPEAL AND VALUE

For hundreds of years the story of Sigurd disappeared from view, because its stark drama and pre-Christian val­ ues did not appeal to people living during those centuries. In the nine­ teenth century, Sigurd again became popular when writers recognized the saga's many attractions.

First, Sigurd is an outstanding adventure story. It contains magic, a monster, cursed treasure, passionate love, violent hatred, jealousy,treachery, danger, and death. Within its pages are both an early version of the Sleeping

Beauty tale and a major source for the tale of the cursed ring

that J . R. R. Tolkien

used in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Richard Wagner used in his cycle of four

operas, The Ring of the Nibelung.

Second, Sigurd is an ideal hero. His wisdom is as great as his courage. He chooses to lead an honorable Iife by putting the needs of others above his own personal desires.

Third, the story contains numerous complex characters who are loyal to their families and friends until circum­ stances lead them to act treacherously. They are intelligent but they act fool­ ishly, with tragic consequences. They cannot profit from prophecies because their human frailties doom them. No one in the saga is completely pre­ dictable or completely trustworthy, and this creates an atmosphere of sus­ pense, excitement, and danger.

The reader can easily identify with the problems and emotions of the characters in Sigurd. They struggle to find happiness and to lead meaningful lives in a world that is uncaring, brutal, and treacherous. Death is inevitable, and the Norse gods offer no comfort. The characters cannot control their fates. They can try only to control their values, attitudes, and behavior. Their struggle to create meaning in their lives is viewed on a bare stage under harsh lighting. Life is a tragic experience, and the best the characters can hope for is to live with dignity.

The story of Sigurd strikes a sympa­ thetic chord today because we too must create a meaningful life in a world that is often uncaring and dan­ gerous. Ultimately, we must accept the inevitability of death. We must not give

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in to despair but must concentrate on the aspects of our Iives that we can control. Like the characters in Sigurd, we cannot determine when we w ill die, but we can try to determine how we live.

THE NORSE HERO

In the Norse world, events are con­ trol led by an unalterable fate. Both gods and humans know that their inevitable destiny is death. Since immortality exists only in the memory of the living, achieving honor and fame is the hero's principal goal.

The Norse hero creates his own meaning by living in such a way that others honor him. His greatness is measured by the quality of his life and his courage and dignity in facing death. Honor is earned primarily on the battlefield, where the hero attains glory according to whom he kills and the amount of treasure he acquires. The heroic goal is fame after death, the only immortality that a mortal can achieve. The hero aims to accomplish feats worth remembering-the type of great and glorious deeds that inspire poets and singers.

In the Norse world, a person's first loyalty is to his or her king. Family comes second, and friends third. No one else seems to exist. Gold is the greatest treasure. The noble person shares it generously,but the temptation to hoard treasure and let it corrupt one's personal va lues is very strong. Only the best human beings can with­ stand the temptation.

Retribution dominates Norse soci­ ety. Justice is a private affair between one person and another or between one family and another. Even in the case of accidental death or murder, an

individua l takes full responsibility for his or her actions. The killer may choose to offer wergild (man-price), which is a designated payment as resti­ tution for the death, but the recipient is free to reject the offer. As often as not, blood vengeance is the rule. The char­ acter accepts his or her punishment­ death-without flinching, and the fam ily feud continues to demand one Iife after another.

The fittest survive for a time, but raw courage and strength are not enough. Although the man or woman who is generous and loyal is less likely to have to stand alone against the human and natural world, in the Norse world no one is safe.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS*

SIGMUND: son of Volsung; king of Hunland; father of Sigurd

SIGURD: son of Sigmund; performs heroic deeds

HREIDMAR: father of Regin, Fafnir, and

Otter; skilled in magic

FAFNIR: son of Hreidmar; brother of Regin and Otter; takes the form of a dragon REGIN: son of Hreidmar; brother of Fafnir and Otter; tutors Sigurd

OTTER: son of Hreidmar; brother of Fafnir and Regin; often takes the form of an otter ANDVARI: dwarf; possesses a magic ring and a hoard of gold

BRUNHILD: disobedient Valkyrie; rescued by Sigurd; wife of Gunnar

ATLI: brother of Brunhild; husband of Gudrun after Sigurd's death

GIUKI: king of a land south of the Rhine; husband of Grimhild; father of Gunnar, Hogni, Guttorm, and Gudrun

GRIMHILD: wife of Giuki; mother of Gunnar, Hogni, Guttorm, and Gudrun; ski lled in magic

S ig u r d t h e V o 1 s u n g 479

( GUNNAR: son of Giuk i and Grim hild ; brother of Ho g ni , Guttorm, and Gudrun; hu sband of Brunh il d HOGN I : so n of Giuki and Grim h ild; brother of Gunnar, Guttorm, a nd Gudrun GUTTORM: youngest c hild of G iuki a nd Grimhild; brother of G unn a r , H og ni , a n d Gudrun GUDRUN: daughter of Giuk i and Gr imhild ; s i ster of Gunnar , Ho g ni , a nd G uttorm ; w i fe of S i g urd a nd l ate r of Atli * For a li st of the Norse gods, see page 460 . )

SI G U R D TH E VO LSU NG

Chapter 1
Sigmund, son of Volsung,pulls the god Odin's swordfrom the trunk of a tree. On the day that Sigmund isfated to die, Odin smashes the sword. Sigmund tells his wife to save thepieces for their son and then dies.
Listen to this tale from the heart of the north country, a land of snow-capped mountains, icy hills, and cold, gray seas. Hear of Sigurd, hero bright as the sun, and of Brunhild and Gudrun, who loved him. Hear of the treachery and woe that form the dark side of love and j oy. Hear of men and women, heroes and villains, love and hate, life and death. Listen!

In days of old, Volsung, the great-grandson of Odin and the king of Hunland, was the greatest of all warriors-the strongest, most skilled, and most daring of all. He built his royal house around a huge oak tree, so the trunk of the tree grew through the center of the great hall and its many branches overshad­ owed the roof of the building.

The most noble of King Volsung's many children were his youngest, the twins Sigmund and Signy. King Volsung gave his daughter Signy in marriage to the king of Gothland. The Volsung family and their guests gathered in the great hall to enjoy the wedding feast. Suddenly a strange, old, long-bearded man walked, unannounced, into the room. He was barefoot and huge, and something about him seemed to speak of another, ancient time. He wore a blue cloak and a broad-brimmed hat that overshadowed his forehead, and he had only one eye. In his hand he held a shimmering long-bladed sword.

With broad steps, the old man strode up to the great trunk of the oak tree and plunged his sword deep into the wood, so that only the hilt of the sword was visible. While the family and their guests stood in amazed silence, the stranger announced, "Whoever draws this sword from this oak will have the sword as my gift to him, and will find that he never had a better friend in time of need." The old man then turned and left the hall. Everyone present realized that the visitor had been Odin, the All-Father.

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Immediately, all of the noblemen rushed toward the sword in the tree. But it would not budge, no matter how hard they tugged. Finally, Sigmund put his hand upon the hilt and withdrew the sword as easily as if it lay loosely in the wood.

Sigmund announced, "I am destined to own this sword, for I have with­

drawn it from its place in the tree. I will never give it up, even if a mighty king offers to pay me all the gold that he possesses!"

In time, Sigmund became the noble king of Hunland. So great were his courage and cunning, his skill in warfare, and the treasure he had won with his sword that his name was known throughout the northern lands.

After ruling wisely for many years, one day Sigmund was forced to fight an invading army. In spite of his age, he fought with great strength and skill. The bat­ tle raged furiously; the sky became gray with the passage of arrows and spears. Sigmund was covered with the blood of his enemies, yet he himself remained unwounded .

Suddenly, into the midst of the battle came an old, long-bearded man. He wore a blue cloak and a broad-brimmed hat that overshadowed his forehead, and he had only one eye. In his hand he carried a hooked spear. The old man approached King Sigmund and said, "Sigmund the Volsung, your time has come!" With that, he attacked the king.

Sigmund confidently struck the hooked spear with his own marvelous sword. But to his amazement the impact broke his sword into pieces, as if it were an ordi­ nary weapon.

From that moment, Sigmund's success left him . No matter how well he fought, his enemies remained strong, while his men fell to their deaths all around him. Finally Sigmund received his death wound.

That night, the queen came out of hiding and searched among the corpses that littered the battlefield for her husband 's body. She found Sigmund still alive.

While she comforted him, he said, "Odin, the All-Father, has brought an end to my days as a warrior. I am dying. Care for our son who is now within you and who is destined to be the most noble and famous of all the Volsungs. Preserve the pieces of my broken sword for him. They can be recast and will make a great sword called Gram, with which our son will accomplish deeds that will make his name live as long as there are bards on earth to tell the tale. Now let me rest here until Death claims me."

The queen sat with her husband throughout the night, and he died with the coming of dawn. The early morning light revealed many ships sailing toward them.

The young king of Denmark landed with his men and took Sigmund's queen and treasure back to his country. He promised the captive queen, "I will make you my wife, and you will live with honor in this kingdom . You will con­ tinue to be regarded as the best of women, and your son will be born into a royal home."

S ig u r d t h e V o 1 s u n g .-..., 481

Chapter 2
Odin helps Sigurd choose his horse, Grani. His tutor, Regin, tells Sigurd about the dwarf Andvari's hoard of gold and the curse that Andvari placed upon it.
Sigurd, the son of Sigmund, was extraordinary from the time of his birth . He was raised in the royal house of Denmark, where he was loved and honored . All who met him marveled at his size, his strength, his courage, his skill, his intelligence, and his good heart. No one in the north lands could match Sigurd's gifts.

Sigurd's tutor was a gifted man by the name of Regin, who had earned fame as a metalsmith. Regin taught Sigurd to speak many languages, understand the ancient letters called runes, use weapons, and master all the other skills a prince was expected to know.

One day Regin said to Sigurd, "I am amazed to see that you are treated like a

servant of the Danish king!"

"You are wrong!" Sigurd replied. "I can do whatever I want, and if I ever wish for anything, the king gives me what I desire with a cheerful heart."

"Then," Regin counseled, "I suggest that you ask him to give you a horse."

Sigurd went to the king and said, "I think that I am old enough now to have my own horse. I would like to train it myself."

The king replied, "Choose whatever horse you wish, Sigurd, and whatever else you desire as well."

Sigurd immediately left the great hall and set out to find the royal horses. He was walking through the forest when he came upon an old, long-bearded man whom he had never seen before. The man was wearing a blue cloak and a broad­ brimmed hat that overshadowed his forehead, and he had only one eye.

"Where are you going, Sigurd, son of Sigmund the Volsung?" the old man asked him.

"Sir, I am going to find the royal horses," Sigurd replied, "for I intend to choose the best one for myself. You appear to be a very wise man. Would you like to come along and advise me?" he asked.

"That is just what I had in mind," the old man replied. "Let us drive the horses into the fast-flowing river. That should test their courage and strength!"

So the old man and the youth found the royal horses and drove them into the fast-flowing waters. Horse after horse shied away from the turbulent water. Some were so skittish that they would not enter the water at all. Others reared up on their hind legs in fright, turned around, and quickly regained dry land. Only one horse forged across the river. He was beautiful to see: gray in color, unusually large and strong in build, and yet quite young.

"The gray horse is the one I would choose!" Sigurd exclaimed. "I do not remember seeing him among these horses before today, or surely I would have remembered him. What do you think of my choice?"

"You have chosen wisely and well, Sigurd the Volsung!" the old man replied. "That gray horse is related to my horse, Sleipnir. Feed him well, and care for him. He will repay you by being the best of all horses!" And with these words, the old man vanished.