The Viking Dragon Blog
Norse Mythology
The Passing of the Ring (Andvari's Curse, Part X)
So Atli and Gudrun were wed, and they rode away together to his country. But his dreams became dark and full of death-omens so that he feared his wife....
Norse Gods
Thor, the Giant's Kettle, and the Midgard Serpent
In between their epic battles and their prodigious journeys, the Norse gods were fond of feasting. Once they invited themselves to the hall of a giant named Aegir who kept a good table. Aegir d...
Norse Mythology
The Passing of Sigurd and Brynhild (Andvari's Curse, Part IX)
An earlier blog post, "The Quarrel of the Queens," described how the spell of forgetfulness lifted from Sigurd so that he remembered how he had loved, pledged troth to, and lain with the Valkyrie ...
Norse Mythology
The Quarrel of the Queens (Andvari’s Curse, Part VIII)
Brynhild’s rage broke out and she swore that Gudrun would pay for stealing Sigurd. She added, truly enough, that Sigurd had had to be drugged into loving Gudrun, whereas he’d loved Brynhild first ...
Norse Mythology
Sigurd's Marriage and Brynhild's Betrayal (Andvari's Curse, Part VII)
The king's daughter Gudrun fell deeply and hopelessly in love with their guest; hopelessly, because he spoke constantly of his beloved and betrothed, Brynhild.Queen Grimhild saw her daughter’s gri...
Norse Gods
Brynhild's Origin and Brynhild's Love (Andvari's Curse, Part VI)
An earlier blog post described how the young hero Sigurd rode through a wall of fire to waken Brynhild, the beautiful armored woman who lay asleep within the enchanted ring. He had been told that s...
Norse Gods
Regin's Death and Brynhild's Waking (Andvari's Curse, Part V)
An earlier blog post described how the young hero Sigurd killed the dragon Fafnir, who had once been human. Sigurd was egged on to this exploit by his foster-father Regin, who told Sigurd (truly) t...
Norse Gods
Sigurd's Origin (Andvari's Curse, Part IV)
'Sigurd and the Dragon' described how Sigurd killed the dragon Fafnir, thus getting for himself fame, wealth, and Andvari’s curse. But even before he met Fafnir, Sigurd had inherited a complex load...
Norse Gods
Sigurd and the Dragon (Andvari’s Curse, Part III)
'Fafnir and the Cursed Hoard' described how Fafnir and Regin murdered their sorcerer father Hreidmar for his treasure. Fafnir, the stronger of the two, drove Regin away and took the gold, and his f...