The Lay of Sigurd the Volsung
In a land where dragons slumbered beneath the earth and destinies were forged in fire, there lived Sigurd, a hero born of tragedy and prophecy. His tale, etched into the sagas of the North, begins with a bloodline cursed by betrayal and ends with the clash of love, vengeance, and fate.
Sigurd was the son of Sigmund, a warrior of the Volsung clan, and Hjordis, his mother, who bore him after Sigmund fell in battle. Sigurd was raised in the court of King Hjalprek, his strength and courage unmatched even as a boy. But it was the smith Regin who shaped Sigurd’s destiny, whispering of a dragon that slept on a hoard of gold and the glory that could be won by slaying it.
The dragon was Fafnir, a once-mortal man who had been transformed by greed and the cursed treasure of Andvari. His body had grown monstrous, his scales impenetrable, and his breath lethal. Regin, Fafnir’s own brother, urged Sigurd to slay the beast, though his motives were clouded by ambition.
To prepare, Sigurd sought a sword worthy of the task. Twice Regin forged him a blade, and twice the blade shattered. At last, Sigurd gathered the shards of his father’s sword, Gram, reforged them, and wielded a weapon so sharp it could cleave an anvil in two. With Gram in hand, Sigurd rode to Fafnir’s lair, a barren plain where the earth was scorched and lifeless.
Sigurd dug a pit along the dragon’s path, hiding within it as Fafnir lumbered toward him. The ground trembled with the weight of the beast, and its breath steamed like a forge. As Fafnir passed over the pit, Sigurd struck upward, driving Gram deep into the dragon’s heart. Fafnir roared, his death throes shaking the very mountains, but he fell, defeated by the hero’s blade.
As Fafnir lay dying, he cursed the treasure, warning Sigurd that it would bring ruin to all who possessed it. Sigurd, undeterred, claimed the hoard and tasted the dragon’s blood, which granted him the ability to understand the language of birds.
The birds warned him of Regin’s treachery, for the smith planned to kill Sigurd and take the treasure for himself. Without hesitation, Sigurd turned on his mentor, slaying Regin and securing the cursed hoard for himself.
But the treasure brought no peace. Sigurd’s path crossed with Brynhildr, a Valkyrie cursed to mortal slumber for defying Odin. Enchanted by her beauty and wisdom, Sigurd promised to wed her, sealing their fates together. Yet their love was not to last. Through a web of deception and betrayal, Sigurd was wed to Gudrun, while Brynhildr was given to another.
When Brynhildr learned of the betrayal, her grief and fury burned brighter than any fire. She conspired with Gudrun’s brothers, and Sigurd was slain in his sleep, his blood spilling onto the cursed treasure he had claimed.
Brynhildr, consumed by sorrow, ended her own life, joining Sigurd in death. Their tale became a warning, a reminder of the price of greed and the fragile threads of love and loyalty.
The cursed hoard remained, its gold untouched but its power undiminished. Even now, the sagas say that those who hear the whispers of treasure buried deep in the earth should beware—for it carries the weight of Sigurd’s triumph and tragedy, and the curse of a dragon’s dying breath.