Tales of The Norse Gods And Heroes by Picard Barbara Leonie

Author:Picard, Barbara Leonie [Picard, Barbara Leonie]
Language: eng
Format: azw
Tags: History
Publisher: Crushed Lime Media LLC
Published: 2016-09-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

The Story of the Volsungs

This is the story of the Volsungs, a family which Odin loved; and of the Giukungs, who dwelt by the Rhine; and of Brynhild, who had been a Valkyr.

There was once a king in Gautland, in Sweden, named Rerir. He was rich and powerful and much respected by his people, and he had a queen whom he loved greatly. Indeed, his only sorrow was that no children had been born to him and his wife, and he often prayed that the gods might send him a son; though it seemed for a long time as though his prayers had not been heard. But Frigg, the queen of the goddesses, had not forgotten him, and in her own good time she answered his prayers and sent him a sign.

One day, when Rerir was sitting alone, deep in thought, on a green bank near by his house, Frigg, in Fensalir her palace, called Gna her messenger to her and handed her an apple. ‘Go,’ she said, ‘take this to King Rerir where he sits alone, that he may know it for a sign from the gods.’

Gna took the apple and mounted her horse, Hofvarpnir, that could gallop through the air as swiftly as the wind, and in a moment she was gone from Asgard. King Rerir looked up and saw the clouds parting before a maiden on a great horse, and while he could do no more than wonder at the sight, Gna had dropped the apple into his hands and vanished.

Rerir looked a long time at the apple and thought, ‘This will be a sign from the gods at last, that they have heard our prayers.’ And he went home to his queen and told her what had befallen. Then they divided the apple that was Frigg’s gift, and each ate half of it.

A very few months later it happened that a neighbouring king harried the borders of King Rerir’s lands, and he was forced to call together his warriors to drive away the enemy. But even as he was journeying to give battle, he fell sick upon the way, and died, to the great sorrow of his men.

When the queen heard of his death her unhappiness was more than she could bear; she became pale and ill from grief, and could not rejoice even when a son was born to her, but only closed her eyes and died.

The little boy who had been born a king was named Volsung. He grew tall and strong and brave, and the fame of his courage and his battle-craft spread far and wide and won him much renown, both for himself and for his family; so that all those of his line who came after him were known by his name as the Volsungs, and reckoned it a great pride to be of his blood.

King Volsung married a good and gracious wife, and they had ten sons and a daughter, whom their father greatly loved. All the sons of

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