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FR DAUA SINFJTLA

(The Death of Sinfjtli)

Bellows Introduction (1936)

It has been pointed out that the Helgi tradition, coming originally from Denmark, was early associated with that of the Volsungs, which was of German, or rather ofFrankish, origin (cf. Introductory Note toHelgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar). The connecting links between these two sets of stories were few in number, the main point beingthe identification of Helgi as a son of Sigmund Volsungsson. Another son of Sigmund, however, appears in the Helgi poems, though not in any of the poems dealing withthe Volsung cycle proper. This is Sinfjotli, whose sole function in the extant Helgi lays is to have a wordy dispute with Gothmund Granmarsson.

Sinfjotli's history is told in detail in the early chapters of the Volsungasaga. The twin sister of Sigmund Volsungsson, Signy, had married Siggeir, who hated his brother-in-law by reason of his desire to possess a sword which had belonged to Othin and been won by Sigmund. Having treacherously invited Volsung and his ten sons to visithim, Siggeir slew Volsung and captured his sons, who were set in the stocks. Each night a wolf ("some men say that she was Siggeir's mother") came out of the woodsand ate up one of the brothers, till on the tenth night Sigmund alone was left. Then, however, Signy aided him to escape, and incidentally to kill the wolf. He vowedvengeance on Siggeir, and Signy, who hated her husband, was determined to help him. Convinced that Sigmund must have a helper of his own race, Signy changed formswith a witch, and in this guise sought out Sigmund, who, not knowing who she was, spent three nights with her. Thereafter she gave birth to a boy, whom she namedSinfjotli ("The Yellow-Spotted"?), whom she sent to Sigmund. For a time they lived in the woods, occasionally turning into wolves (whence perhaps Sinfjotli's name).When Sinfjotli was full grown, he and his father came to Siggeir's house, but were seen and betrayed by the two young sons of Signy and Siggeir, whereupon Sinfjotlislew them. Siggeir promptly had Sigmund and Sinfjotli buried alive, but Signy managed to smuggle Sigmund's famous sword into the grave, and with this the father andson dug themselves out. The next night they burned Siggeir's house, their enemy dying in the flames, and Signy, who had at the last refused to leave her husband, from asense of somewhat belated loyalty, perishing with him.

Was this story, which the Volsungasagarelates in considerable detail, the basis of an old poem which has been lost? Almost certainly it was, although, as I have pointedout, many if not most of the old stories appear to have been handed down rather in prose than in verse, for the Volsungasagaquotes two lines of verse regarding theescape from the grave. At any rate, Sinfjotli early became a part of the Volsung tradition, which, in turn, formed the basis for no less than fifteen poems generally includedin the Eddic collection. Of this tradition we may recognize three distinct parts: the Volsung-Sigmund-Sinfjotli story; the Helgi story, and the Sigurth story, the last of thesethree being by far the most extensive, and suggesting an almost limitless amount of further subdivision. With the Volsung-Sigmund-Sinfjotli story the Sigurth legend isconnected only by the fact that Sigurth appears as Sigmund's son by his last wife, Hjordis; with the Helgi legend it is not connected directly at all. Aside from the fact thatHelgi appears as Sigmund's son by his first wife, Borghild, the only link between the Volsung story proper and that of Helgi is the appearance of Sinfjotli in two of the

Helgi poems. Originally it is altogether probable that the three stories, or sets of stories, were entirely distinct, and that Sigurth (the familiar Siegfried) had little or nothingmore to do with the Volsungs of northern mythological-heroic tradition than he had with Helgi.

The annotator or compiler of the collection of poems preserved in the Codex Regius, having finished with the Helgi lays, had before him the task of setting down thefifteen complete or fragmentary poems dealing with the Sigurth story. Before doing this, however, he felt it incumbent on him to dispose of both Sigmund and Sinfjotli,the sole links with the two other sets of stories. He apparently knew of no poem or poems concerning the deaths of these two; perhaps there were none, though this isunlikely. Certainly the story of how Sinfjotli and Sigmund died was current in oral prose tradition, and this story the compi ler set forth in the short prose passage entitledOf Sinfjotli's Death which, inRegius, immediately follows the second lay ofHelgi Hundingsbane. The relation of this passage to the prose of theReginsmolis discussedin the introductory note to that poem.

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Thorpe (1866) Bellows (1936) Hollander (1962)

Sigmund Volsung's son was a king in Frankland. Sinfiotliwas the eldest of his sons, the second was Helgi, the thirdHamund. Borghild, Sigmund's wife, had a brother namedGunnar; but Sinfiotli her stepson and Gunnar both courtedone woman, on which account Sinfiotli slew Gunnar.When he came home, Borghild bade him go away, butSigmund offered the blood-fine, which it was incumbent

on her to accept. At the funeral feast Borghild presentedthe beer: she took a large horn full of poison, and offered itto Sinfiotli; who, when he looked into the horn, and sawthat there was poison in it, said to Sigmund: "the drinkferments!" Sigmund took the horn and drank up thecontents. It is said that Sigmund was so strong that nopoison could hurt him, either outwardly or inwardly; butthat all his sons could endure poison outwardly. Borghildbore another horn to Sinfiotli, and prayed him to drink,when all took place as before. Yet a third time she offeredhim the horn, using reproachful words on his refusing todrink. He said as before to Sigmund, but the latteranswered: "Let it pass through thy lips, my son." Sinfiotlidrank and instantly died. Sigmund bore him a long way inhis arms, and came to a long and narrow firth, where therewas a little vessel and one man in it. He offered Sigmundto convey him over the firth; but when Sigmund had bornethe corpse into the vessel, the boat was full-laden. The manthen said that Sigmund should go before through the firth.He then pushed off his boat and instantly departed.

King Sigmund sojourned long in Denmark, in Borghild'skingdom, after having espoused her. He then went south toFrankland, to the kingdom he there possessed. There hemarried Hiordis, the daughter of Eylimi. Sigurd was theirson. King Sigmund fell in a battle with the sons of

Hunding. Hiordis was afterwards married to Alf, son ofKing Hialprek, with whom Sigurd grew up in childhood.Sigmund and his sons exceeded all other men in strength,and stature, and courage, and all accomplishments, thoughSigurd was foremost of all; and in old traditions he ismentioned as excelling all men, and as the most renownedof warlike kings.

Sigmund, the son of Volsung, was a king in the land of theFranks;1Sinfjotli was his eldest son, the second was Helgi,and the third Hamund.2Borghild, Sigmund's wife, had abrother who was named [ ].3Sinfjotli, her stepson, and[ ] both wooed the same woman, wherefore Sinfjotlislew him. And when he came home, Borghild bade himdepart, but Sigmund offered her atonement-money, and

this she had to accept. At the funeral feast Borghildbrought in ale; she took poison, a great horn full, andbrought it to Sinfjotli. But when he looked into the horn, hesaw that it was poison, and said to Sigmund: "Muddy is thedrink, Father!" Sigmund took the horn and dranktherefrom. It is said that Sigmund was so hardy that poisonmight not harm him, either outside or in, but all his sonscould withstand poison only without on their skin.Borghild bore another horn to Sinfjotli and bade him drink,and all happened as before. And yet a third time shebrought him a horn, and spoke therewith scornful words ofhim if he should not drink from it. He spoke as before withSigmund. The latter said: "Let it tr ickle through your beard,Son!"4Sinfjotli drank, and straight way was dead. Sigmundbore him a long way in his arms, and came to a narrow andlong fjord, and there was a little boat and a man in it.5Heoffered to take Sigmund across the fjord. But whenSigmund had borne the corpse out into the boat, then thecraft was full. The man told Sigmund to go round the innerend of the fjord. Then the man pushed the boat off, anddisappeared.

King Sigmund dwelt long in Denmark6in Borghild'skingdom after he had married her. Thereafter Sigmundwent south into the land of the Franks,7to the kingdomwhich he had there. There he married Hjordis,8thedaughter of King Eylimi; their son was Sigurth. King

Sigmund fell in a battle with the sons of Hunding,9andHjordis then married Alf10the son of King Hjalprek. ThereSigurth grew up in his boyhood. Sigmund and all his sonswere far above all other men in might and stature andcourage and every kind of ability. Sigurth, however, wasthe foremost of all, and all men call him in the old tales thenoblest of mankind and the mightiest leader.

11Sigmund, son of Volsung, was king over Frankland. Hiseldest son was hight Sinfjotli,12the second, Helgi, and thethird Hmund. Borghild, Sigmunds wife, had a brother

called ;13but Sinfjotli, her stepson, and wooed thesame woman. Therefore Sinfjotli slew him. When hereturned, Borghild bade him betake himself away; butSigmund offered weregild, and this she had to take. At the

arvel, Borghild handed ale about. She took poison, a bigdrinking horn full, and handed it to Sinfjotli. But when helooked into the horn he saw that there was poison in it andsaid to Sigmund, Muddied is the ale, father! Sigmund

grasped the horn and finished it off. It is told of Sigmundthat he was proof against poison, so that it would not harmhim within nor without. But his sons could stand poisononly without, on their skin. Borghild brought Sinfjotlianother horn and bade him drink of it, and all happened asbefore. Still a third time she handed him the horn, shaminghim if he drank not. Sinfjotli spoke as before to his father.Sigmund said: Let your beard filter it, my son! Sinfjotli

drank, and forthwith fell down dead.

Sigmund carried him a long way in his arms until he cameto a firth which was both long and narrow. There lay asmall boat, and in it was a man. He offered to ferrySigmund over. But when Sigmund had borne the body intothe boat there was no more room in it for another person.The man told Sigmund to walk around the firth; then heshoved the boat off and forthwith vanished.14

King Sigmund dwelled for a long time in Denmark inBorghilds realm, after marrying her; but afterwards he

fared south to Frankland to the kingdom over which hehimself had sway. There he married Hjordis, the daughterof King Eylimi, and their son was Sigurth. King Sigmund

fell in battle against the sons of Hunding. Then Hjordismarried lf, the son of King Hjalprek.15The boy Sigruth16grew up at his court. Both Sigmund and all his sons werefar above other men in strength, in stature, in hardihood,and in all manly feats; but Sigurth was foremost of themall, and about him men are at one in the olden tales, that hewas the noblest of men and the greatest of leaders in war.

1The Franks: although the Sigurth story had reached the North as early as the sixth or seventh century, it never lost all the marks of its Frankish origin.2Helgi and Hamund: sons of Sigmund and Borghild; Helgi is, of course Helgi Hundingsbane; of Hamund nothing further is r ecorded.3Borghild: the manuscript leaves a blank for the name of her brother; evidently the compiler hoped someday to discover it and write it in, but never did. A few editions insert wholly unauthorized names from late paper

manuscripts, such as Hroar, Gunnar, or Borgar.

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4In the VolsungasagaBorghild bids Sinfjotli drink "if he has the courage of a Volsung." Sigmund gives his advice because "the king was very drunk, and that was why he spoke thus." Gering, on the other hand, givesSigmund credit for having believed that the draught would deposit its poisonous contents in Sinfjotli's beard, and thus do him no harm.5Boat: the man who thus carries off the dead Sinfjotli in his boat is presumably Othin.6Denmark: Borghild belongs to the Danish Helgi part of the story.7The Franks: with this the Danish and Norse stories of Helgi and Sinfjotli come to an end, and the Frankish story of Sigurth begins. Sigmund's two kingdoms are an echo of the blended traditions.8Hjordis: just where this name came from is not clear, for in the German story Siegfried's mother is Sigelint, but the name of the father of Hjordis, Eylimi, gives a clue, for Eylimi is the father of Svava, wife of HelgiHjorvarthsson. Doubtless the two men are not identical, but it seems likely that both Eylimi and Hjordis were introduced into the Sigmund-Sigurth story, the latter replacing Sigelint, from some version of the Helgi tradition.9Hunding: in the Helgi lays the sons of Hunding are all killed, but they reappear here and in two of the poems (Gripisspo, 9, andReginsmol, 15), and the Volsungasaganames Lyngvi as the son of Hunding who, as therejected lover of Hjordis, kills Sigmund and his father-in-law, Eylimi, as well. The episode of Hunding and h is sons belongs entirely to the Danish (Helgi) part of the story; the German legend knows nothing of it, and permits

the elderly Sigmund to outlive his son. There was doubtless a poem on this battle, for the Volsungasagaquotes two lines spoken by the dying Sigmund to Hjordis before he tells her to give the pieces of his broken sword totheir unborn son.10Alf: after the battle, according to the Volsungasaga, Lyngvi Hundingsson tried to capture Hjordis, but she was rescued by the sea-rover Alf, son of King Hjalprek of Denmark, who subsequently married her. Here is anothertrace of the Danish Helgi tradition. TheNornageststhattrbriefly tells the same story.11This link, in very mediocre prose, was placed here by the Collector to form a transition to the Sigurth lays. It might with equal justice be entitled Of Sigurths Origin.12SeeHelgakvia Hundingsbana I, St.33 and note.13There is space left here in the manuscript for the insertion of the other suitors name, which is not known to the Volsunga saga, either.14The ferryman is none other than Othin, who thus himself accompanies the hero on his journey to the realm of the dead.15Of Denmark, according to the Volsunga saga.The name corresponds to that of the West Frankish King Chilperich. In the Volsunga saga it is explained how this comes about: lf happens to arrive on the scene of battlewith his fleet, and there finds Hjordis and one of her maids by the side of the dying Sigmund. He carries them off as bondmaids, but later marries Hjordis when her true status becomes known. Her son by Sigmund, Sigurth,may thus be said to have been born in captivity: seeFfnisml, Sts.7-8.16Warder of Victory. The German form Sigfritmeans Peace by Victory.