Sigurd and the Dragon Fafnir
A Hero Faces a Treasure-Guarding Dragon
Sigurd’s fight with Fafnir is one of northern Europe’s greatest dragon stories. A young hero hides in a pit, stabs upwards with the sword Gram and kills a serpent guarding cursed gold. Yet the tale is about more than bravery. Fafnir was once a man, the treasure has already caused murder, and Sigurd is warned that taking it will bring disaster. I think the most important moment comes after the battle, when tasting dragon blood lets Sigurd understand birds and discover another betrayal.The treasure’s history begins when Odin, Loki and Hoenir travel together. Loki kills an otter, not realising it is Otr, the shape-changing son of Hreidmar. Hreidmar and his surviving sons, Fafnir and Regin, seize the gods and demand enough gold to fill Otr’s skin and cover every hair.
Loki takes the wealth from the dwarf Andvari, including his final ring, Andvaranaut. The furious dwarf curses the treasure so that it will bring death to its owners. The gods pay Hreidmar, but greed immediately enters the family.Fafnir murders his father, takes the gold and refuses to share it with Regin. He carries it onto Gnita Heath and becomes a dragon or giant serpent. The sources do not describe the change like a modern science scene. Greed, isolation and monstrous shape become part of the same character.
Regin later fosters Sigurd and encourages him to kill Fafnir. Two swords made by Regin break during testing. Sigurd’s mother then gives him the pieces of Gram, the weapon once carried by his father Sigmund. Regin reforges it, and the new blade cuts through an anvil.Sigurd digs a trench on Fafnir’s route to water. An old one-eyed stranger, Odin in disguise, advises him to make channels so the dragon’s blood can drain away. When Fafnir crawls overhead, Sigurd drives Gram into his soft underside.
The dying dragon questions his killer and warns him about the gold. Sigurd accepts that everybody must die and chooses the treasure anyway. Fafnir is not a speechless beast. He understands the curse and recognises that Sigurd is stepping into it.
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