The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga); with Excerpts from the Poetic Edda
General
The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga); with Excerpts from the Poetic Edda
Eddas -- Translations into English; Nibelungen -- Romances; Sagas -- Translations into English; Siegfried (Legendary character) -- Romances
But Helgi bade men fear naught, nor take in any sail, but rather hoist
every rag higher than heretofore; but little did they miss of foundering
or ever they made land; then came Sigrun, daughter of King Hogni, down
on to the beach with a great army, and turned them away thence to a good
haven called Gnipalund; but the landsmen see what has befallen and
come down to the sea-shore. The brother of King Hodbrod, lord of a land
called Swarin's Cairn, cried out to them, and asked them who was captain
over that mighty army. Then up stands Sinfjotli, with a helm on his
head, bright shining as glass, and a byrny as white as snow; a spear
in his hand, and thereon a banner of renown, and a gold-rimmed shield
hanging before him; and well he knew with what words to speak to kings--
"Go thou and say, when thou hast made an end of feeding thy swine and
thy dogs, and when thou beholdest thy wife again, that here are come
the Volsungs, and in this company may King Helgi be found, if Hodbrod
be fain of finding him, for his game and his joy it is to fight and win
fame, while thou art kissing the handmaids by the fire-side."
Then answered Granmar, "In nowise knowest thou how to speak seemly
things, and to tell of matters remembered from of old, whereas thou
layest lies on chiefs and lords; most like it is that thou must have
long been nourished with wolf-meat abroad in the wild-woods, and has
slain thy brethren; and a marvel it is to behold that thou darest to
join thyself to the company of good men and true, thou, who hast sucked
the blood of many a cold corpse."
Sinfjotli answered, "Dim belike is grown thy memory now, of how thou
wert a witch-wife on Varinsey, and wouldst fain have a man to thee, and
chose me to that same office of all the world; and how thereafter thou
wert a Valkyria (1) in Asgarth, and it well-nigh came to this, that for
thy sweet sake should all men fight; and nine wolf whelps I begat on thy
body in Lowness, and was the father to them all."
Granmar answers, "Great skill of lying hast thou; yet belike the father
of naught at all mayst thou be, since thou wert gelded by the giant's
daughters of Thrasness; and lo thou art the stepson of King Siggeir, and
were wont to lie abroad in wilds and woods with the kin of wolves; and
unlucky was the hand wherewith thou slewest thy brethren, making for
thyself an exceeding evil name."
Said Sinfjotli, "Mindest thou not then, when thou were stallion Grani's
mare, and how I rode thee an amble on Bravoll, and that afterwards thou
wert giant Golnir's goat-herd?"
Granmar says, "Rather would I feed fowls with the flesh of thee than
wrangle any longer with thee."
Then spake King Helgi, "Better were it for ye, and a more manly deed, to
fight, rather than to speak such things as it is a shame even to hearken
to; Granmar's sons are no friends of me and of mine, yet are they hardy
men none the less."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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