Sigurd and the dragon Fafnir

The Volsunga Saga is a 13th century epic poem. The saga relates the rise and fall of the Volsung clan. However, it is said the Danes have been painting scenes from the saga on cave walls hundreds of years earlier.

Again, the story of Sigurd is not really a dragon book, as its focus is not on a dragon. However, the story of Sigurd contains one very interesting dragon.

Sigurd son of Sigmund the king lived in the court of another king, waiting to avenge the death of his father. He was a strong, brave man who could defeat any ten men in combat. His horse was a descendent of Odin's horse and his sword, re-forged from his father's broken sword, could cut iron blocks in two and was so sharp it seemed fire glimmered on its sharp edges.

Sigurd wanted to prove himself the bravest man alive and so he fell prey to the suggestions of an old, white haired man, Regin. Regin told him of Fafnir the dragon and the treasure he guarded. Fafnir was so big and fearsome a dragon no hero dared challenge it for its treasure of red gold.

But Sigurd would not be denied. He hid in a pit along the dragon's path to the lake he drank from, a deep path that the monsters's huge body created in the earth.

Sigurd felt the earth tremble as the dragon approached. The dragon breathed a toxic cloud of poison before him, a cloud that could instantly slay anyone caught inside but Sigurd was safe in his pit. Sigurd waited till half of the giant serpent passed his pit and then struck upwards with his sword.

Sigurd's sword, Gram, was so sharp it could cut wool drifting in the water. Gram pierced the dragon's hide and killed him. Fafnir the dragon warned Sigurd that his treasure would bring woe to any man who touched it. Then, Fafnir thrashed and his lashing tail uprooted trees all around before the dragon finally died.

Sigurd cooked the dragon's heart as a reward for Regin but a drop of the boiling stew fell on Sigurd's fingers. Sigurd sucked his fingers in his mouth and suddenly he gained the power to understand the language of birds. Thus, Sigurd learnt from nearby songbirds that Regin was actually Fafnir's younger brother and Regin plotted to kill Sigurd and take Fafnir's treasure. Sigurd beheaded Regin with Gram, the sword Regin forged.

The reason we can call this a dragon book (or tome, or scroll or story) is that the dragon's power proved supreme as the dragon's cursed treasure still ruined Sigurd's life. He took one ring from the treasure and gave it to his beloved but then he lost her because the dragon's cursed treasure was mightier than a motral's love. Sigurd and his beloved died and were reunited only in death as they sailed a burning pyre ship into the sea.

We learn from this story that the dragon's hide is almost impenetrable, his tail can uproot trees, his body is enormous and his is the power to understand every kind of animal speech on earth. His breath is so poisonous it created a killing cloud in front of the living dragon.

And in addition, his treasure is bane for all mortal men.

 

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