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Signý
Signy or Signe (, sometimes known as ) is the name of two heroines in two connected legends from Norse mythology which were very popular in medieval Scandinavia. Both appear in the Völsunga saga, which was adapted into other works such as Wagner's 'Ring' cycle, including its famous opera ''Die Walküre''. Signy is also the name of two characters in several other sagas. The first Signy is the daughter of King Völsung. She was married to the villainous Geatish king Siggeir who has her whole family treacherously murdered, except for her brother Sigmund. She saves her brother, has an incestuous affair with him and bears the son Sinfjötli. She burnt herself to death with her hated husband. The second Signy is the daughter of King Siggeir's nephew Sigar. She fell in love with the Sea-King Hagbard, and promised him that she would not live if he died. They were discovered and Hagbard was sentenced to be hanged. Hagbard managed to signal this to Signy who set her house on fi ...
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Völsunga Saga
The ''Völsunga saga'' (often referred to in English as the ''Volsunga Saga'' or ''Saga of the Völsungs'') is a legendary saga, a late 13th-century prose rendition in Old Norse of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan (including the story of Sigurd and Brunhild and the destruction of the Burgundians). It is one of the most famous legendary sagas and an example of a "heroic saga" that deals with Germanic heroic legend. The saga covers topics including the quarrel between Sigi and Skaði, a huge family tree of great kings and powerful conquerors, the quest led by Sigmund and Sinfjǫtli to save princess Signý from the evil king Siggeir, and, most famously, Sigurd killing the serpent/dragon Fáfnir and obtaining the cursed ring Andvaranaut that Fáfnir guarded. Context and overview The saga is largely based on the epic poetry of the historic '' Elder Edda''. The earliest known pictorial representation of this tradition is the Ramsund carving in Sweden, which was c ...
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Sinfjötli
Sinfjötli ( ) or Fitela (in Old English) in Norse mythology was born out of the incestuous relationship between Sigmund and his sister Signy. He had the half-brothers Sigurd, Helgi Hundingsbane and Hamund. Etymology and orthography ''Sinfjǫtli'' is formed from two parts, ''sin-'', and ''fjǫtli''. The latter is cognate with the Old English ''Fitela''. In the standardized Old Norse orthography, the name is spelled ''Sinfjǫtli'', but the letter ' ǫ' is frequently replaced with the Modern Icelandic ö for reasons of familiarity or technical expediency. Life In ''Beowulf'', Fitela is the nephew of Sigmund, whereas the ''Völsunga saga'' describes him as both Sigmund's son and nephew due to incest. In the ''Völsunga saga'', Sinfjǫtli is the grandson of King Völsung. Signý, King Völsung's daughter, despises her husband King Siggeir, and begs "that she may not be made to return to King Siggeir." Völsung denies her request to leave, reminding her of the commitment thei ...
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Sigmund
In Germanic mythology, Sigmund ( , ) is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod. Sigmund is best known as the father of Sigurð the dragon-slayer, though Sigurð's tale has almost no connections to the Völsung cycle except that he was a dragonslayer. ''Völsunga saga'' In the ''Völsunga saga'', Signý marries Siggeir, the king of Gautland (modern Västergötland). Völsung and Sigmund are attending the wedding feast (which lasted for some time before and after the marriage), when Odin, disguised as a beggar, plunges a sword (Gram) into the living tree Barnstokk ("offspring-trunk"Orchard (1997:14).) around which Völsung's hall is built. The disguised Odin announces that the man who can remove the sword will have it as a gift. Only Sigmund is able to free the sword from the tree. Siggeir is smitten with envy and desire for the sword. He tries to buy it but Sigmund refuses. Siggeir invites ...
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Hroðgar
Hrothgar ( ; ) was a semi-legendary Danish king living around the early sixth century AD. Hrothgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', in Norse sagas and poems, and in medieval Danish chronicles. In both Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian tradition, Hrothgar is a Scylding, the son of Halfdan, the brother of Halga, and the uncle of Hrólfr Kraki. Moreover, in both traditions, the mentioned characters were the contemporaries of the Swedish king Eadgils; and both traditions also mention a feud with men named Fróði and Ingeld. The consensus view is that Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian traditions describe the same person. Names Hrothgar, also rendered ''Hrōðgār'', is an Old English form attested in ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', the earliest sources to mention the character. In non-English sources, the name appears in more or less corresponding Old Icelandic, Old Danish, and Latinized versions. He appears as ''Hróarr'', ''Hroar'', etc., in sagas and poetry ...
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Hrólfs Saga Kraka
Hrólfs saga kraka, the ''Saga of King Rolf Kraki'', is a late legendary saga on the adventures Hrólfr Kraki, a semi-legendary king in what is now Denmark, and his clan, the Skjöldungs. The events can be dated to the late 5th century and the 6th century. A precursor text may have dated to the 13th century, but the saga in the form that survived to this day dates to c. 1400. Forty-four manuscripts survive, but the oldest one of them is from the 17th century, although a manuscript is known to have existed c. 1461 at the monastery of Möðruvellir in Iceland. The saga elaborates on the same matter as several other sagas and chronicles in Scandinavian tradition, and also in the Anglo-Saxon poems ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith''. In ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', many of the same characters appear in their corresponding Old English forms: Hrólfr Kraki appears as Hroðulf, his father Helgi as Halga, his uncle Hróarr as Hroðgar, his grandfather Halfdan as Healfdene and their clan, the Sk ...
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Illuga Saga Gríðarfóstra
Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra is a ''fornaldarsaga'' about a young Dane named Illugi who delivers a female troll and her daughter from a curse. The earliest manuscript (of 36 which are known to exist) dates from the first half of the 16th century (AM 123 8vo). Synopsis The story begins in Denmark where there was a king called Hringr, the son of Skjöld Dagsson. It tells that this Skjöld had a saga of his own telling of his battles with a Herman. It lauds Hringr's qualities as well as those of his son Sigurd. The mother was Sigrid, the daughter of Vilhjalm (William) of Gaul. Not far from where they lived there was a farmer called Svidi the Valiant whose wife was Hildr and son Illugi. This Illugi was tall, strong and good at any game, and he often played with Prince Sigurd. The two boys became close friends and swore to avenge one another. However, the king had an incompetent advisor named Björn who was treacherous and cunning, but skilled in seid (witchcraft) and a great warrior wh ...
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Heroes In Norse Myths And Legends
Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' or ''Heroes'', a series of video games *''Heroes of the Storm'' or ''Heroes,'' a 2015 video game * ''Heroes'' (role-playing game) (1979) * ''Sonic Heroes'', a 2003 video game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise Literature * ''Heroes'' (book series), short novels and plays intended for young boys * ''Heroes'' (comics), a 1996 comic book by DC Comics * ''Heroes'' (novel), a 1998 novel by Robert Cormier * ''Heroes'' (play), a translation by Tom Stoppard of ''Le Vent Des Peupliers'' by Gérald Sibleyras * '' Heroes: Saving Charlie'', a 2007 novel based on the American TV series ''Heroes'' * ''Heroes'', a role-playing game magazine by Avalon Hill * ''Heroes'', a 2018 collection of stories from ancient Greek mythology by Stephen Fry ...
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Barnstokkr
In Norse mythology, Barnstokkr (Old Norse, literally "child- trunk"Byock (1990:113).) is a tree that stands in the center of King Völsung's hall. Barnstokkr is attested in chapters 2 and 3 of the ''Völsunga saga'', written in the 13th century from earlier tradition, partially based on events from the 5th century and the 6th century, where, during a banquet, a one-eyed, very tall man appears and thrusts a sword into the tree which only Sigmund is able to pull free. Scholarly theories have been put forth about the implications of Barnstokkr and its relation to other trees in Germanic paganism. ''Völsunga saga'' Barnstokkr is introduced in chapter 2 of ''Völsunga saga'' where King Völsung is described as having "had an excellent palace built in this fashion: a huge tree stood with its trunk in the hall and its branches, with fair blossoms, stretched out through the roof. They called the tree Barnstokk .Byock (1990:37). In chapter 3, King Völsung is holding a marriage feast ...
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Gram (mythology)
In Germanic mythology, Gram in Norse Mythology, Norse legend (, "Wrath"), or Balmung in the Middle High German epic poem ''Nibelungenlied'', is a magical godlike sword, specifically the sword that the hero Sigurd used to kill the dragon Fafnir. It is primarily used by the Völsungs in the ''Völsung Cycle'', however, it is also seen in other legends, such as the ''Þiðreks saga, Thidrekssaga'' in which it is wielded by Hildebrand. The myth of Gram may be related to the british myth of "the sword in the stone", Excalibur, as Gram is thrusted into a tree, for which only the hero Sigmund can pull it out, much like how Excalibur only can be pulled out by the true king of England, King Arthur. The myth of Gram being broken and then reforged was also the inspiration of Tolkien's sword Narsil. In Richard Wagner's work, ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), it is referred to as Nothung (, "child of need"). Description Nowhere in the ''Völsunga saga'' is a cle ...
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Hljod
Hljod or Ljod (Old Norse: ''Hljóð'' ) is a jötunn in Norse mythology. She is the spouse of Völsung, the daughter of the jötunn Hrímnir, and the mother of Sigmund and Signy. Name The Old Norse name ''Hljóð'' has been translated as 'howling'. Attestation In the first chapter of ''Völsunga saga'', Hljóð is portrayed as the daughter of the jötunn Hrímnir, and as a 'wish-maiden' of the god Odin, which could be interpreted as 'Valkyrie of Odin'. Hljóð then assumes the shape of a crow and provides the apple of fertility to the childless Rerir, who eventually begets Hljóð's own husband Völsung Völsung ( , ) is a figure in Germanic mythology, where he is the eponymous ancestor of the Völsung family (, ), which includes the hero Sigurð. In Nordic mythology, he is the son of Rerir and was murdered by the Geatish king Siggeir. He was .... References Bibliography * * Germanic heroic legends Gýgjar Valkyries {{Norse-myth-stub ...
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