Völsunga saga
Also known as: Volsunga saga, Saga of the Volsungs, Volsungasaga, Völsunga saga ok Niflunga
An Icelandic prose saga weaving the legends of the Völsung family and the Niflungar: the rise and fall of Sigmund and Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer, the fatal bond with Brynhild, Gudrun’s tragedies, and the blood-feuds that end with the doom of kings.
Description
Völsunga saga condenses a wide Northern heroic cycle into a continuous prose narrative, adapting earlier Eddic poems into saga style. It traces the lineage from Völsung and his children—Sigmund and Signy—through Sigurd Fáfnisbani’s forging of his father’s broken sword, the slaying of Fafnir, and the awakening of the valkyrie Brynhild. Courtly machinations bind Sigurd to the Gjúkungs, leading to Brynhild’s wrath and the catastrophe of his death. The saga then follows Guðrún’s grief, her marriage to Atli and revenge, and finally the fate of Svanhild and the doomed assault of Hamðir and Sörli on Jörmunrekkr. Its motifs—cursed gold, broken oaths, and inescapable fate—became foundational for later retellings across Scandinavia and Germany.
Historiography
Composed in Iceland in the mid-13th century, the saga synthesizes and reframes Eddic materials (e.g., Reginsmál, Fáfnismál, Sigrdrífumál, Atlakviða, Hamðismál) into a prose continuum. The only complete medieval witness is the vellum NKS 1824b 4to (c. 1400), supplemented by early modern paper copies; the text shows signs of prose smoothing, genealogical rationalization, and Christian-era moral framing. From the 19th century, translations (notably Morris & Magnússon) and comparative philology linked it to the German Nibelungen tradition; it influenced Wagner’s Ring cycle and modern fantasy.
Date Notes
Anonymous Icelandic prose redaction drawing on earlier Eddic lays; principal medieval manuscript is late 15th century (Copenhagen, NKS 1824b 4to).
Major Characters
- Sigurd
- Brynhild
- Gudrun
- Sigmund
- Signy
- Regin
- Fafnir
- Gunnar
- Atli
Myths
- Odin’s Sword in the Branstock
- Sigmund and Signy’s Vengeance
- Sigurd Slays Fafnir
- Brynhild’s Awakening and Oath
- Gunnar in the Serpent Pit
- The Fall of the Niflungs
Facts
- The saga is a 13th-century Icelandic prose compilation of older heroic lays.
- Its hero Sigurd (Sigurðr) is the archetypal dragon-slayer who kills Fáfnir.
- Odin repeatedly intervenes, placing and later breaking the lineage’s sword.
- The cursed hoard originates with Andvari’s ring and Hreidmar’s weregild.
- Brynhild’s enchanted sleep is ringed by fire that only a chosen hero may cross.
- Sigurd’s marriage ties to the Gjúkungs precipitate his betrayal and death.
- Guðrún survives multiple tragedies and orchestrates Atli’s death.
- The saga preserves a Norse counterpart to the German Nibelungen legend.
- The principal complete medieval manuscript dates to around 1400.
- William Morris and Eiríkr Magnússon produced an influential English translation in 1870.