Skip to main content
University of California Press

The Saga of the Volsungs

The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer
by Jesse L. Byock (Translator)
Paperback eBook
Price: $21.95 / £18.99
Publication Date: Jun 2012
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9780520272996
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Illustrations: 2 maps
Request an Exam or Desk Copy(opens in new window)Read an Excerpt(opens in new window)
Recommend to your Library (PDF)(opens in new window)Rights and Permissions

About the Book

The Saga of the Volsungs is an Icelandic epic of special interest to admirers of Richard Wagner, who drew heavily upon this Norse source in writing his Ring Cycle and a primary source for writers of fantasy such as J. R. R. Tolkien and romantics such as William Morris.

A trove of traditional lore, it tells of love, jealousy, vengeance, war, and the mythic deeds of the dragonslayer, Sigurd the Volsung.

Byock's comprehensive introduction explores the history, legends, and myths contained in the saga and traces the development of a narrative that reaches back to the period of the great folk migrations in Europe when the Roman Empire collapsed.

About the Author

Jesse L. Byock is Professor of Old Norse and Medieval Scandinavian Studies, Scandinavian Section, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
Representations of the Volsung Story in Norse Art
Myths, Heroes, and Social Realities
History and Legend: Burgundians, Huns, Goths,
    and Sigurd the Dragon Slayer
Richard Wagner and the Saga of the Volsungs

NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION

THE SAGA OF THE VOLSUNGS
I. Odin Guides Sigi from the Otherworld*
2. The Birth of Volsung
3· Sigmund Draws the Sword from Barnstock*
4· Siggeir Plots Revenge*
5· The Fall of Volsung
6. Signy Plots Revenge*
7· Signy Gives Birth to Sinfjotli
8. Sigmund and Sinfjotli Don the Skins
9· Helgi Marries Sigrun
IO. Concerning the Volsungs
II. Sigmund Marries Hjordis*
I2 . Hjordis Remarries*
I3. The Birth of Sigurd
'' Chapter tides with an asterisk have been supplied by the translator; all other tides
are in the original manuscript.
14· The Otter's Ransom*
15. Regin Fashions Gram
16. Gripir Foretells Sigurd's Future*
17. Sigurd Kills Lyngvi and Hjorvard and All
    the Others
18. Regin and Sigurd Go Riding
19. Regin Drinks Fafnir's Blood
20. Sigurd Eats the Serpent's Heart
21. Concerning Sigurd
22. Brynhild's Wise Counsel
23. Concerning Sigurd's Appearance
24. Sigurd Comes to Heimir
25. The Conversation between Sigurd and Brynhild
26. Concerning King Gjuki and His Sons
27. Brynhild Interprets Gudrun's Dream
28. The Ale of Forgetfulness Is Blended for Sigurd
29. Sigurd Rides through the Wavering Flames of
    Brynhild, the Daughter of Budli
30. Dispute of the Queens, Brynhild and Gudrun
31. Brynhild's Grief Only Increases
32. The Betrayal of Sigurd
33· Brynhild's Request
34· The Disappearance of Gudrun
35. Gudrun Carves Runes
36. Hogni Interprets His Wife's Dream
37· The Brothers' Journey from Home
38. The Battle in the Fortress and the Victory
39· Hogni Is Captured
40. The Conversation between Atli and Gudrun
41. Concerning Gudrun
42. Svanhild Is Married and Trampled to Death
    under the Hooves of Horses
43· Gudrun Urges Her Sons to Avenge Svanhild
44· Concerning the Sons of Gudrun.
    The Final Chapter
    
NOTES

EDDIC POEMS USED BY THE SAGA AUTHOR

GLOSSARY

MAPS
I. The world of the Vikings (ca. IO00)
2. Migrations of the tribes central to The Saga of the
Volsungs up to the death of Attila the Hun

Reviews

"This is a book of the highest importance. No one should attempt to teach about Viking society or claim to understand it without being familiar with this chilling and enduring myth."—Eleanor Searle, author of Predatory Kinship & the Creation of Norman Power

"Byock's translation is excellent, but his thorough introduction is of equal scholarly importance. . . . His section on Richard Wagner's use of the Volsung material in writing his Ring will expand the topic toward modern Wagnerians."—Michael Bell, University of Colorado

"The Saga of the Volsungs is one of the most important texts of Old Icelandic literature, with its treatment of Old Scandinavian heroic traditions. . . . The most difficult part of the text to translate is, of course, the poetry, but also here the translator has been successful."—Vésteinn Olason, University of Oslo