Volsunga Saga

• Icelandic: Saga of the Volsungs

• Most important of the Icelandic sagas called
Fornaldarsǫgur (sagas of antiquity)
• Dates back roughly 1270 / late 13th-century poetic
rendition in Old Norse of the origin and decline of
the Völsung clan
• Contains the northern version of the story told in the
Nibelungenlied (German: Song of the Nibelungs) –
Siegfried (Old Norse Sigurd) and Brünhild
Volsunga Saga
• Falls into five sections:
Chapters 1-12. Sigurd’s genealogy in narrative form.
Chapters 13-25. Sigurd’s birth and youthful exploits.
Chapters 26-33. Sigurd’s marriage to Gudrun, his
death and Brynhild’s suicide.
Chapters 33-40. The death of Gunnar and Hogni and
Gudrun’s vengeance
Chapters 41-44. Gudrun, Svanhild and Jormunrek.
Signy
• daughter of King Volsung
• had 10 brothers, including
Sigmund
• Married to King Siggeir
• Mother of 4 from Siggeir, one
from Sigmund (Sinfjotli) –
switching body with a sorceress
• Died with Siggeir
Sigmund
• One of the sons of King Volsung
• Brother of Signy, had a child with
her (Sinfjotli)
• Married to Borghild and had two
sons Helgi and Hamund
• Married to Hjordis and had a son
named Sigurd
• Mortally wounded in a battle with
Odin’s appearance (wife’s
pregnant with Sigurd)
Sigi
• Son of Odin
• Killed Skadi’s thrall, Bredi (he
hunted better than Sigi so Sigi
killed him and hid the body)
• Became a king, ruling Huns
• Had a son, Rerir
• Killed by his brother in laws
Rerir
• Son of Sigi
• Killed his father’s murderers
• Became the King, took over the lands
• Married a woman, cannot have a
child after several years
• Prayed to Frigg to bless them, had a
child, Volsung, after 6 years of
pregnancy during which Rerir died of
illness
Volsung
• Rerir’s son
• Succeeded his father as king of
Hunland
• Married a Valkyrie, Hliod
• Had ten sons and a daughter;
eldest is Sigmund, daughter
Signy
• Killed by Siggeir’s trap
Siggeir
• Ruler of Gautland
• Husband of Signy
• Angry at Sigmund for not getting
the sword from the trunk, and
refusing his offer
• Killed by Sigmund and Sinfjotli
Sinfjotli
• Child of Signy and Sigmund
(Signy switched bodies with a
sorceress)
• Killed Siggeir’s two sons
• Sent by Signy to Sigmund to
aid in killing Siggeir
• Captured in a burial mound,
escaped with Signy’s help
• Poisoned by Sigmund’s wife,
Borghild
Sigurd
• Child of Sigmund and Hjordis
• A man gave him a horse,
descendant of Sleipnir
• Killed the dragon Fafnir from
Regin’s order
• Won a war to avenge his father
Regin
• Foster father of Sigurd
• Brother of Fafnir and Otr
(killed by Loki, Hoenir, and
Odin), son of Hreidmar
• Forged Gram, a sword used to
kill Fafnir
Brynhild
• Wife of Sigurd
• Wears tight chainmail which
Sigurd sliced to wake her
• Odin put her in her predicament
for killing a King he promised
victory
Grimhild
• Wife of King Gjuki
• A witch
• Brewed an ale causes Sigurd
to forget Brynhild
• Wants Sigurd to marry
Gudrun to get their treasures
Gudrun
• Grimhild and Gjuki’s daughter
• Wife of Sigurd after staying for
2 ½ years in their land
Setting
• Land of the Huns, Hunland
• Gautland – Siggeir’s land
• Forest
• Gnitaheid – Dragon Fafnir’s lair
• Hind Fell, south to Frankland – Brynhild’s location
• South of the Rhine – King Gjuki’s Kingdom
Types of Conflict
• Man vs man
• Man vs supernatural
Themes
• Greed
• Murder
• Betrayal
• Revenge
King Siggeir went to Volsung to ask Signy’s hand.

He asks to be married to Signy, which King Volsung

agreed, but Signy did not want to be married. In their
wedding feast, a man struck a sword onto a trunk.
Only Sigmund can pull the sword out of it – Siggeir
offered gold to him for the sword but was rejected
which angers Siggeir.
Volsung and his sons visited Siggeir.

Siggeir and Signy went away after the wedding against

the customs. He told Volsung to visit him in three
months along with his sons but this was indeed a trap,
killing Volsung and capturing his sons. The sons were
killed in stocks instead of killing them immediately, in
which Signy sent a servant to help Sigmund escape.
Signy helps Sigmund to avenge their father and
brothers.

Signy sent her two sons with Siggeir to help Sigmund.

Sigmund was told to kill them if they lack courage.
Signy swapped bodies with a witch to sleep with
Sigmund and gave birth to Sinfjotli after some time.
She sent him to Sigmund and he proved his courage to
him, making him as his aid to kill Siggeir.
Sigmund and Sinfjotli.

Both of them wandered in the forest, acting as bandits

to harden Sinfjotli. By the time they will kill Siggeir,
Sinfjotli killed Siggeir’s two sons, fought valiantly, but
captured and placed in a burial mound with a massive
stone. They escaped with Signy’s help and burned the
king’s hall, burning them and Signy who chose to die
because they had avenged their father and brothers.
Sigmund and Sinfjotli returned.

Sigmund returned and reclaimed his father’s throne,

marries Borghild and had sons. His wife killed
Sinfjotli and was exiled. He marries again to Hjordis,
and died in battle. Hjordis gave birth to Sigurd.
Sigurd and his encounters.

He met a one-eyed man who gave him a horse. Sigurd

was told by Regin to claim Fafnir’s treasure. His
sword Gram, was reforged. He went to war to avenge
his father and won. He created a ditch in the dragon’s
lair and killed Fafnir by stabbing its heart. One of its
treasures was a cursed ring Andvaranaut, causing
misfortune and destruction to the owner.
Sigurd killed Regin.

Regin appears to congratulate Sigurd, drank the

dragon’s blood and asks him to roast its heart to
consume it. Sigurd cooked the heart and tasted the
juice running out of it, making him understand bird
language. The birds told him to kill Regin and eat
Fafnir’s heart before he betrays him. They also told
him to run away with the treasure and Brynhild’s
location.
Sigurd and Brynhild.

Sigurd found Brynhild sleeping in a fortress. He cut

the chainmail, waking her. Brynhild told her story to
Sigurd. Both agreed to marry each other.
Sigurd’s travel.

He went to King Gjuki and offered him anything while

he was there. His wife, Grimhild, wanted his treasure
and to marry her daughter Gudrun. She brewed an ale
which caused Sigurd to forget Brynhild, eventually
marrying Gudrun. Grimhild’s son Gunnar married
Brynhild.
Sigurd’s death.

Brynhild was enraged after knowing the deception that

had been made from Gudrun’s revelation. She asked
Gunnar to kill Sigurd but Gunnar asked his brother
Guttorm to kill Sigurd and his young son in his sleep
instead. Sigurd also killed Guttorm and died later on.
Gudrun screamed in agony and Brynhild laughed
about it after Sigurd’s death.
Brynhild’s death.

Brynhild stabs a sword through herself before

throwing herself on to Sigurd’s funeral pyre.