The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs

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Title: The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs
Author: William Morris
Release Date: May 6, 2006 [EBook #18328]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
? START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SIGURD THE VOLSUNG ***
Produced by R. Cedron, L.N. Yaddanapudi and the Online?Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
THE STORY OF SIGURD?THE VOLSUNG AND THE?FALL OF THE NIBLUNGS
BY WILLIAM MORRIS
EIGHTH IMPRESSION
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.?39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON?NEW YORK AND BOMBAY?1904
_All rights reserved_
CONTENTS.
BOOK I.
SIGMUND.
PAGE
_Of the dwelling of King Volsung, and the wedding of Signy his daughter_ 1
_How the Volsungs fared to the Land of the Goths, and of the fall of King Volsung_ 12
_Of the ending of all Volsung's Sons save Sigmund only and of how he abideth in the wild wood_ 19
_Of the birth and fostering of Sinfiotli, Signy's Son_ 26
_Of the slaying of Siggeir the Goth-king_ 39
_How Sigmund cometh to the Land of the Volsungs again, and of the death of Sinfiotli his Son_ 47
_Of the last battle of King Sigmund, and the death of him_ 55
_How King Sigmund the Volsung was laid in mound on the sea-side of the Isle-realm_ 63
_How Queen Hiordis is known; and how she abideth in the house of Elf the Son of the Helper_ 66
BOOK II.
REGIN.
_Of the birth of Sigurd the Son of Sigmund_ 69
_Sigurd getteth to him the horse that is called Greyfell_ 75
_Regin telleth Sigurd of his kindred, and of the Gold that was accursed from ancient days_ 81
_Of the forging of the Sword that is called The Wrath of Sigurd_ 101
_Of Gripir's Foretelling_ 108
_Sigurd rideth to the Glittering Heath_ 115
_Sigurd slayeth Fafnir the Serpent_ 121
_Sigurd slayeth Regin the Master of Masters on the Glittering Heath_ 127
_How Sigurd took to him the Treasure of the Elf Andvari_ 132
_How Sigurd awoke Brynhild upon Hindfell_ 134
BOOK III.
BRYNHILD.
_Of the Dream of Gudrun the Daughter of Giuki_ 148
_How the folk of Lymdale met Sigurd the Volsung in the woodland_ 158
_How Sigurd met Brynhild in Lymdale_ 162
_Of Sigurd's riding to the Niblungs_ 168
_Of Sigurd's warfaring in the company of the Niblungs, and of his great fame and glory_ 177
_Of the Cup of evil drink that Grimhild the Wise-wife gave to Sigurd_ 184
_Of the Wedding of Sigurd the Volsung_ 195
_Sigurd rideth with the Niblungs, and wooeth Brynhild for King Gunnar_ 204
_How Brynhild was wedded to Gunnar the Niblung_ 221
_Of the Contention betwixt the Queens_ 228
_Gunnar talketh with Brynhild_ 240
_Of the exceeding great grief and mourning of Brynhild_ 245
_Of the slaying of Sigurd the Volsung_ 252
_Of the mighty Grief of Gudrun over Sigurd dead_ 262
_Of the passing away of Brynhild_ 268
BOOK IV.
GUDRUN.
_King Atli wooeth and weddeth Gudrun_ 276
_Atli biddeth the Niblungs to him_ 287
_How the Niblungs fare to the Land of King Atli_ 297
_Atli speaketh with the Niblungs_ 309
_Of the Battle in Atli's Hall_ 316
_Of the Slaying of the Niblung Kings_ 323
_The Ending of Gudrun_ 338
THE STORY?OF?SIGURD THE VOLSUNG?AND THE?FALL OF THE NIBLUNGS.
BOOK I.
SIGMUND.
IN THIS BOOK IS TOLD OF THE EARLIER DAYS OF THE VOLSUNGS, AND OF SIGMUND THE FATHER OF SIGURD, AND OF HIS DEEDS, AND OF HOW HE DIED WHILE SIGURD WAS YET UNBORN IN HIS MOTHER'S WOMB.
_Of the dwelling of King Volsung, and the wedding of Signy his daughter._
There was a dwelling of Kings ere the world was waxen old; Dukes were the door-wards there, and the roofs were thatched with gold; Earls were the wrights that wrought it, and silver nailed its doors; Earls' wives were the weaving-women, queens' daughters strewed its floors,?And the masters of its song-craft were the mightiest men that cast The sails of the storm of battle adown the bickering blast. There dwelt men merry-hearted, and in hope exceeding great Met the good days and the evil as they went the way of fate: There the Gods were unforgotten, yea whiles they walked with men. Though e'en in that world's beginning rose a murmur now and again Of the midward time and the fading and the last of the latter days, And the entering in of the terror, and the death of the People's Praise.
Thus was the dwelling of Volsung, the King of the Midworld's Mark, As a rose in the winter season, a candle in the dark;?And as in all other matters 'twas all earthly houses' crown, And the least of its wall-hung shields was a battle-world's renown, So therein withal was a marvel and a glorious thing to see, For amidst of its midmost hall-floor sprang up a mighty tree, That reared