The Story of Sigurđ the Dragonslayer: Tales from the Volsunga Saga

By Liam G. Martin

The Story of Sigurđ the Dragonslayer is part of the Tales from the Volsunga Saga series which retells some of the stories from the Volsunga Saga. The Volsunga saga is a legendary Old Norse text that was written in Iceland around 1250 AD.

 

 In The Story of Sigurđ the Dragonslayer, you'll read about the early life of Sigurđ, one of the greatest heroes of Norse mythology.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liam G. Martin
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781916878037

Book preview

Prologue

In the aftermath of Chieftain Siggeir’s betrayal, the Volsung clan struggled to survive the winter. Sigmund, one of the warriors who had died avenging the death of Chieftain Volsung, had left behind a wife called Hjordís and a son named Sigurđ. Not long after Hjordís heard the news about her husband, she took ill and died.

Sigurđ was now all alone in the world. Regin, who had been a great admirer of Sigmund, took in the boy. The dwarf gave Sigurđ food and shelter, and in return, Sigurđ helped him in the smithy. Regin was very wise and taught Sigurđ many things. In the evenings, he would often tell Sigurđ stories of his father’s many great deeds.

One evening, while they ate, Sigurđ said to Regin, ‘You have told me many stories of my father’s greatness, but you too are a great man.’ He put his bowl of steaming chicken stew back down on the table. ‘Tonight, I would like to hear some of your stories.’

Regin, who had been slurping his stew, put his bowl down. He looked at Sigurđ curiously. Nobody had ever called him a great man before. He took a swig of beer. ‘I will tell you the story of how I came here.’

‘Many years ago, I lived with my father and my two brothers, Fáfnir and Ótr, in a glorious hall on top of a cliff. There was a waterfall that flowed down the cliff. And at the bottom was a clear blue lake filled with salmon.

‘Ótr was one of the rare few who possessed the gift of shapeshifting. He set up his nets in the lake and then took the form of an otter. He would chase the salmon so that they swam straight into his traps. When he caught enough, he would bring them to my father to cook.

‘One day, Òđin, accompanied by Hœnir and Loki, visited the lakeside. As the sun was setting, they came to our door. They carried Ótr’s dead body. Apparently, something had happened at the lakeside, and Loki had accidentally killed him. I do not know the full story of what happened, but I suspect what Loki told us was not the truth. There was something about him I did