Sigurd— Norse Hero"Dragon Slayer"

The Dragon Slayer

Sigurd is the greatest hero of Norse and Germanic legend, known as Siegfried in German tradition. His story encompasses everything heroic myth demands: divine ancestry, a reforged sword, a slain dragon, cursed treasure, doomed love, and tragic death. His tale was so beloved it appears in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Völsunga Saga.

The Reforged Sword

Sigurd was raised by the dwarf smith Regin, who had his own agenda. Regin reforged Gram, the shattered sword of Sigurd's father Sigmund, which Odin himself had originally given. Gram was so sharp it could cut an anvil in half and slice a tuft of wool floating downstream. With this sword, Sigurd was ready to face Fáfnir.

The Slaying of Fáfnir

Fáfnir was once a dwarf who killed his father for cursed gold and transformed into a dragon to guard it. Regin—Fáfnir's brother—wanted the treasure and convinced Sigurd to kill the dragon. Sigurd dug a pit in Fáfnir's path and stabbed upward as the dragon crawled over it. The dying Fáfnir warned Sigurd that the gold was cursed, but Sigurd took it anyway.

The Blood of Wisdom

When Sigurd roasted Fáfnir's heart (at Regin's request), he burned his thumb and put it in his mouth. Tasting the dragon's blood gave him the ability to understand birds. They warned him that Regin planned to kill him. Sigurd struck first, beheading Regin. He then bathed in Fáfnir's blood, becoming invulnerable—except for one spot on his back where a leaf had fallen.

The Tragic Love

Sigurd awakened the Valkyrie Brynhild from an enchanted sleep and swore to marry her. But a magic potion made him forget her and marry Gudrun instead. Through manipulation, Brynhild was tricked into marrying another. When she discovered the deception, her love turned to rage. She had Sigurd murdered—stabbed in his one vulnerable spot—then killed herself to join him on his funeral pyre.