Sigurd (also known as Siegfried in German tradition) is the greatest hero of Norse mythology, famed for slaying the dragon Fáfnir and winning the treasure of the Nibelungs. His story, preserved in the Poetic Edda and the Völsunga saga, centers on a cursed gold ring, a broken oath, and the tragic love of the valkyrie Brynhild.
Who Was Sigurd in Norse Mythology?
Sigurd was a mortal prince of the Völsung clan, the son of Sigmund and Hjördís. After his father died in battle, Sigurd was raised by the smith Regin, who urged him to kill the dragon Fáfnir. Fáfnir was originally a dwarf who had been transformed into a dragon by his own greed, guarding a hoard of gold that included the cursed ring Andvaranaut. Sigurd slew the dragon, tasted its blood, and thereby gained the ability to understand the speech of birds, who warned him that Regin meant to betray him. Sigurd then killed Regin and took the treasure for himself.
Sigurd and the Valkyrie Brynhild
After slaying the dragon, Sigurd came upon a sleeping warrior in a ring of fire. This was the valkyrie Brynhild, who had been punished by Odin for disobeying him in battle. Sigurd awakened her, and the two fell in love, exchanging oaths of betrothal. However, Sigurd later came to the court of King Gjúki, where the queen, Grimhild, gave him a potion of forgetfulness. Under its influence, Sigurd forgot Brynhild and married Gjúki’s daughter, Gudrun. He then helped his new brother-in-law, Gunnar, win Brynhild for his wife by disguising himself as Gunnar and riding through the flame. Brynhild married Gunnar, but later discovered the deception, which led to her demanding Sigurd’s death.
The Death of Sigurd
Brynhild’s thirst for revenge drove Gunnar and his brothers to plot Sigurd’s murder. Because they had sworn blood-brotherhood with Sigurd, they could not harm him themselves. Instead, they sent their younger brother, Guttorm, who had not taken the oath, to kill Sigurd while he slept. In the Poetic Edda, Sigurd is stabbed in bed, but in the Völsunga saga, he is killed in the forest. As he died, Sigurd threw his sword at Guttorm, cutting him in two. Brynhild, overcome with grief and guilt, killed herself on Sigurd’s funeral pyre, and the two were burned together.
The Cursed Treasure and Its Legacy
The gold Sigurd took from Fáfnir was originally stolen from the dwarf Andvari by Loki, who was forced to pay it as a ransom for the god Höðr’s accidental killing of Ótr. Andvari cursed the ring Andvaranaut so that it would bring death to its possessor. The curse followed the treasure through the hands of Fáfnir, Regin, Sigurd, and finally the Gjúkungs (the Burgundians). After Sigurd’s death, the treasure passed to Gunnar and his brothers, but the curse continued to destroy them, leading to their own downfall at the court of Attila (Atli) in the later poems of the Edda.
Sigurd in the Poetic Edda and the Völsunga Saga
The two main sources for Sigurd’s story are the Poetic Edda (a collection of Old Norse poems, including the “Lay of Regin,” “Lay of Fáfnir,” and “Lay of Brynhild”) and the Völsunga saga (a prose retelling from the 13th century). The Poetic Edda is older and more fragmented, while the Völsunga saga weaves the poems into a continuous narrative. The German tradition, best known through the Nibelungenlied, calls him Siegfried and tells a somewhat different version, where he is killed by Hagen while bathing in a river, and his wife Kriemhild (Gudrun) later takes a terrible revenge.
Sigurd’s Sword: Gram
Sigurd’s sword, Gram, was originally broken by Odin for his father Sigmund, then reforged by Regin. In the Völsunga saga, Sigurd used Gram to cleave Regin’s anvil in half, proving its strength. He also used it to kill Fáfnir and later to cut the web of a sleeping valkyrie. The sword is a symbol of his heroic status and his connection to the god Odin, who had granted the original sword to his father.
Sigurd’s Role in Wagner’s Ring Cycle
Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (1876) adapted Sigurd’s story into a modern German retelling, renaming him Siegfried. Wagner combined elements from the Eddas and the Nibelungenlied, creating a version where Siegfried is a naive and fearless youth who reforges the broken sword Nothung, slays the dragon Fafner, and awakens Brünnhilde. Wagner’s version ends with Siegfried’s murder and Brünnhilde’s immolation, but it adds a political and mythological layer about the corruption of power and the end of the gods, which is not present in the Norse sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Sigurd actually exist?
Sigurd is a legendary figure, not a historical person. However, some scholars have suggested that his story may be based on the historical Arminius, a Germanic chieftain who defeated the Romans in 9 AD, but this is speculative and not widely accepted. The name Sigurd appears in runic inscriptions and skaldic poetry, but these are literary references, not evidence of a real person.
Is Sigurd the same as Siegfried?
Yes, Sigurd and Siegfried are the same hero in different traditions. Sigurd is the Old Norse name, while Siegfried is the Middle High German form. The core story is the same, but the details differ: for example, in the German Nibelungenlied, Siegfried is killed by Hagen after a quarrel over a treasure, and his wife Kriemhild takes a bloody revenge, whereas in the Norse version, Brynhild is the instigator of his death.
What is the curse on the gold?
The curse was placed by the dwarf Andvari on his ring Andvaranaut after Loki stole it. The curse said that the ring would bring death to its possessor. This curse is what drives the entire tragedy: it causes Fáfnir to kill his father, Sigurd to be betrayed, and the Gjúkungs to be destroyed. The curse is a central theme of the story, showing how greed and broken oaths lead to ruin.
Why did Sigurd forget Brynhild?
Sigurd forgot Brynhild because Queen Grimhild gave him a potion of forgetfulness, a common motif in Norse sagas. The potion erased his memory of Brynhild and made him fall in love with Gudrun. This is a key plot point that allows the tragedy to unfold, as Sigurd’s actions after forgetting are not his own fault, but he is still held responsible by Brynhild.
What happened to the treasure after Sigurd’s death?
After Sigurd’s death, the treasure went to Gunnar and his brothers, the Gjúkungs. However, the curse continued to bring them misfortune. They eventually gave the treasure to Atli (Attila the Hun) as a ransom, but Atli betrayed and killed them, and the treasure was lost in the Rhine. In the Norse version, the treasure is ultimately sunk in the Rhine, and no one ever finds it again.
Related
- Garuda in Mythology: Origins, Roles, and Symbolism
- Gorgon in Mythology: Medusa & Her Sisters
- Fenghuang in Mythology: Origins & Meaning
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