159
See also: The adventures of Thor and Loki in Jötunnheim 146–47 ■ The death of Baldur 148–49 ■
The twilight of the gods 150–57NORTHERN EUROPE
intentions and beheaded him,
taking the gold for himself. As the
new owner of the cursed treasure,
Sigurd was now doomed as well.
Having proved himself a great
warrior, Sigurd became betrothed to
the Valkyrie Brynhild. However, he
forgot Brynhild after drinking a
potion from queen Grimhild—who
wanted the treasure for her family—
and he married Grimhild’s daughter
Gudrun instead. Gunnar, Gudrun’s
brother, then sought Sigurd’s help in
winning the hand of Brynhild, whose
hall was protected by a ring of magic
fire through which only Sigurd could
pass. Made to switch forms with
Gunnar, Sigurd wooed the Valkyrie
for his brother-in-law, but Brynhild
was enraged to learn that she had
been deceived and ordered Gunnar
to kill Sigurd.
Gunnar’s brother Guttorm
agreed to do the deed and fatally
wounded Sigurd, at the cost of his
own life. Heartbroken, Brynhild
threw herself on Sigurd’s funeral
pyre. Gunnar alone avoided the
treasure’s curse by abandoning
the gold in a cave. ■Otter’s ransom
passed hands many
times after Loki forced
Andvari to give it up.
The gold cursed all
who took possession of
it, including the Aesir,
who were doomed to
die at Ragnarök.Andvari,
a fish dwarf,
put a curse on
the treasure as
he gave it to
the god Loki.Regin was
beheaded by
Sigurd, who
he had plotted
to murder.Sigurd was
murdered by
Guttorm, the
brother of
Gunnar.The Aesir
gods paid
the ransom to
Hreidmar
for the death
of Otter.Fafnir, a
shape-shifter,
was killed by
Sigurd for
Fafnir’s brother
Regin.Gunnar
broke the curse
by leaving the
gold in a cave,
where Andvari
recovered it.Hreidmar,
king of the
dwarves, was
killed in battle
by his son,
Fafnir.Dragons in myth
Common in many mythologies,
dragons are serpentlike, often
winged, reptilian creatures
capable of breathing fire or venom.
In Indo-European stories, dragons
are usually malign creatures
eventually killed by divine or
human heroes. In Vedic Hinduism,
for example, the dragon Vritra,
a personification of drought, is
slain by the god Indra. In Norse
mythology, the god Thor kills the
world-encircling Midgard serpent.
A dragon-slaying hero appears
in Near Eastern mythologies,including the story of the
Babylonian god Marduk slaying
the sea dragon Tiamat. The
creature also appears in early
Christian stories, such as that
of St. George and the Dragon,
where the dragon becomes a
symbol of Satan.
In contrast, the dragons
of Chinese mythology are
revered beneficent creatures,
associated with authority,
power, and wisdom. They
possess powers over natural
forces, specifically those to do
with water; they can control
rain, tsunamis, and floods.Dragon statues mark the boundary
of the City of London, in reference to
the story of England’s patron saint
St. George and the dragon.US_158-159_Sigurd.indd 159 06/12/17 4:31 pm