Sigmund Volsungsson
32 x Great-Grandfather of Wallace Joseph Jenkins
From "Children's Stories from the Northern Legends" by Dorothy Belgrave and Hilda Hart, 1916.
The Branstock
Long ago,
in the days when good King Volsung ruled over Hunland, Siggeir of
Gothland came with many warriors and battleships to demand the hand
of Signy, Volsung's only daughter. Now King Siggeir was crafty and
very powerful, so Volsung was troubled, for he knew that if Siggeir's
request were denied, the Goths would wage fierce warfare upon
Hunland. Therefore Volsung held counsel with his ten sons in the hall
of the Branstock, while golden-haired Signy listened to their
argument in silent suspense.
The
Branstock was a huge oak tree, around which the castle hall had been
built. Its branches spread far through the vaulted roof, and the
trunk rose like a massive pillar in the centre of the hall. Signy
loved the Branstock, and since her childhood she had always felt that
in some strange manner her fate was linked to the old tree.
For a long
time King Volsung talked earnestly with his sons, and nine of them
agreed with him, that Siggeir's demand must not be refused, but
Sigmund, the eldest brother, who was Signy's twin, and loved his
sister very dearly, protested against the marriage.
"Evil
will fall upon our race," he cried hotly. "It were better
we should fight the Goths in mortal combat than give our sister to
this crafty King. I would gladly die to save her from such a
fate." And he looked steadfastly at Signy, who returned his gaze
with mystery in her eyes.
Sigmund and
Signy possessed strange powers. At times glimpses of the future were
revealed to them, and they knew that this marriage would bring
disaster upon the proud race of the Volsungs. But the brothers
murmured against Sigmund's words, and King Volsung asked sadly,
"What say you, my Signy?"
"Father,
do with me as you will," answered Signy proudly, "but
Sigmund is right, evil will surely befall us."
Then,
choking back her tears with one despairing look at Sigmund, she left
the hall.
In spite of
Sigmund's warnings and entreaties, however, Signy's hand was promised
to King Siggeir, and at the appointed time he arrived to claim his
bride, accompanied by many noble Goths.
The
marriage ceremony took place and they then sat down to a magnificent
feast in the hall of the Branstock. Volsung and his sons entertained
their guest without a thought of evil, but amidst the rejoicing crowd
two were pale and silent.
Sigmund's
food and wine lay untasted before him, while Signy sat like a statue
at King Siggeir's side.
"How
can I leave my home to go with this man whom I cannot love?" she
was asking herself sadly, when the door was flung open and an old
grey-bearded man with one eye appeared upon the threshold. He was
clad in a long, dark cloak, with a blue hood nearly covering his face.
Over his
left shoulder he carried an ash-beam, and his right hand grasped a
mighty sword. He strode straight up the hall to the Branstock and
plunged his sword up to the hilt into the tree-bole.
"Volsungs
and Goths," he cried, "this sword is my gift to the man
who can pluck it from the tree."
Then amidst
the awed silence in the great hall he strode swiftly to the door and
disappeared. There was amazement amongst the wedding guests, for they
had all recognized the stranger.
"'Twas
Odin, Allfather," they whispered to each other, wondering what
this visi portended, for they knew that the god never revealed
himself to his people unless great events were to happen.
Who was to
pluck the sword from the Branstock, was the eager question on
everybody's lips.
"Let
Siggeir be the first to try his strength," commanded King
Volsung, and without a thought of failure, the haughty bridegroom
stood before the tree.
He grasped
the hilt and pulled with all his force, but the sword did not move.
Again and again he tugged, but still the hilt remained firmly fixed
in the Branstock. At last Siggeir was obliged to yield his place to
another, but although man after man advanced to the tree confident of
success, the sword was immovable.
Now it was
Sigmund's turn. He stretched out his hand and, strange to say,
without an effort he plucked the sword from the Branstock and held it
aloft in triumph.
There was a
loud outcry in the hall, for such a wonderful sword had never been
forged before. King Siggeir begged Sigmund to exchange it for gold,
but Sigmund answered that he would not part with his sword for
countless gold and treasure.
"You
could have plucked it from the tree yourself, had Odin placed it
there for you," he said proudly.
Siggeir
turned away to hide his wrath, and from that moment he determined to
be revenged not only upon Sigmund but his father and brothers also.
However, under the guise of great friendship, he set sail for
Gothland with his bride, after he had made Volsung and his sons
promise to visit Signy in three months' time.
Poor Signy
dwelt unhappily in Gothland, longing for her kinsmen yet dreading
their arrival, for she knew that Siggeir meant to deal treacherously
with them.
One evening
she saw the sails of the Volsungs' ships in the distance and she
hurried down to the seashore.
"Go
back, go back," she cried imploringly to her father and
brothers, "Siggeir means to kill you all."
But retreat
was distasteful to the poor Volsungs.
"If
Siggeir be our foe, we will fight him openly," was their answer.
Signy's
fears were well founded, as although Siggeir received the Volsungs
cordially, at sunrise he attacked them with a large army of Goths,
killed King Volsung and his followers and took Signy's ten brothers
as prisoners. Then, rejoicing over his base victory, Siggeir seized
Gram (as Sigmund had called Odin's sword) and ordered the brothers to
be put to death.
Signy
pleaded that they should be kept alive for a few days, for she hoped
to devise some means of rescuing them.
"They
may live for ten days and nights," answered Siggeir grimly, for
he had conceived a plan to torture them.
The brave
Volsungs were imprisoned in a dark wood with their feet thrust
through a mighty beam. Every night Siggeir sent a she-wolf to devour
one of them until at last only Sigmund was left alive.
All Signy's
plans to rescue her brothers had failed up to now, but she made one
more desperate attempt. She sent a faithful servant to Sigmund with a
pot of honey and a message that her brother must smear the sweet
stuff over his face.
When the
she-wolf arrived that night, she began to lick Sigmund's face instead
of devouring him immediately. Sigmund grasped her tongue with such
force that he dragged it out of her mouth by the roots. Then
something wonderful happened, for in her death-struggles the wolf set
her feet so firmly against the wooden beam in which Sigmund's feet
were imprisoned that it broke asunder, and Sigmund was free.
He fled
deeper into the wood, and for a long time he remained hidden, praying
that he might one day be able to avenge the cruel wrongs of his race.
Siggeir
lived happily in the belief that all Signy's brothers had perished,
but at length Sigmund was captured and brought to the castle of his enemy.
Even now
the wicked Siggeir was unwilling to slay the Volsung without torture,
so he had him thrown into a deep pit, to be left there to starve.
That night
while Siggeir slept, Signy stole the sword Gram from his side and,
creeping to the mouth of the pit, she hurled the weapon down to her brother.
Sigmund
managed to hew his way out of the deep chasm, and the following
night, when every one in Siggeir's castle was asleep except Signy,
Sigmund set fire to the palace.
He then
called upon Signy to escape with him while there was yet time, but
the Queen came to her window and shook her head sadly.
"I am
weary of my life," she said, "and although I have never
lived happily with my cruel husband, I will die gladly with him
knowing that you have avenged the wrongs of our race. Go back to
Hunland, dear brother, and a son shall be born to you who shall be
the greatest of all the Volsungs." Then with one last look at
her brother, Signy went back to her husband's side and perished with
him in the flaming castle.
Sigmund
sorrowfully returned to Hunland, and you shall now hear how Signy's
prophecy concerning his son was fulfilled.
The she-wolf with Sigmund in the wild-wood
The Rhine Gold
Part 1
For some
time after his return to Hunland, Sigmund's life was uneventful, but
trouble arose through his marriage with Hiordis, a beautiful young princess.
A certain
King called Lynge had also wanted to marry Hiordis, and out of
revenge he invaded Hunland, with a mighty force.
A terrible
battle took place, but Sigmund fought fearlessly, for had he not his
sword Gram, against which no weapon could prevail?
All day
long the battle raged and it seemed as if the Volsungs were gaining
the victory until, at nightfall, an old man with one eye, clad in a
grey cloak, appeared upon the battlefield carrying a spear in his hand.
For the
first time Sigmund's heart grew heavy with the fear of approaching
doom, for he recognized the stranger.
"What
is your will, Allfather?" he cried, but Odin did not answer.
Smiling sadly at Sigmund, he struck Gram with his spear and the sword
split into two pieces.
The god
vasnished and with him the fortune of the Volsungs. One by one they
fell upon the battlefield, and at last Sigmund was mortally wounded.
He lay
there that night, hidden by the darkness, and pondered over the
future, for many things seemed clearly revealed to him. Queen Hiordis
had been searching for him everywhere, and just before dawn she found
him and tried to staunch his wounds.
"Dear
wife, let me die," Sigmund cried feebly, "and do not grieve
for me, for I shall soon dwell in Valhalla with Odin. You shall have
a son to comfort you, the last and noblest of our race, and men shall
call him Sigurd the Hero. Guard these two pieces of my sword, for
Gram shall be newly forged from them for Sigurd the Hero to wield."
Sigmund's
voice ceased, and at sunrise he died peacefully, leaving Hiordis
alone on the desolate battlefield. The poor Queen hid herself with
one of her maids, fearing that King Lynge would capture her. Soon a
great joy came to her, for, as Sigmund had foretold, her little son
Sigurd was born.
Go
here to read the end of the story
-
of Sigmund's son Sigurd.