Northern mythology

98 NORTHERN MYTHOLOGY.
for his conduct in life.
They engaged on oath to marry
each other^ and Sigurd took his departure. His shield
blazed with the red gold^ on it was depicted a dragon, dark
brown above, and bright red beneath, a memorial of the
monster he had slain, w^hich the Vserings call Eafnir.
Sigurd^s
hair was brown, and fell in long locks, his beard
short and thick ; few could look on his piercing eyes. He
was so tall that, when girded with his sword Gram, which
\\'as seven spans long, he went through a ripe rye field,
the knob of his sword-sheath still stood forth. When all
the stoutest warriors and greatest captains are spoken of,
he is mentioned the first, and his name is current in all
languages.
Sigurd rode on until he came to a spacious mansion,
the rich lord of which was named Heimir. He was married
to a sister of Brynhild, named Bekhild (Bsenkhild).
Sigurd was received with pomp, and lived there a considerable
time in great honour.
Brynhild was also there on
a visit to her relations, and employed herself with embroidering
in gold the exploits of
serpent and carrying off the gold.
Sigurd—the slaying of the
It chanced one day that Sigurd^s falcon flew and perched
on the window of a high tower. On going in pursuit of
it, Sigurd discovered Brynhild at her work. Hereupon he
became thoughtful, and imparted to Heimir^s son, Alswith,
what a beautiful woman he had seen embroidering
his deeds. Alswith told him that it was Brynhild, Budli^s
daughter; whereupon Sigurd observed, that only a few
days before
he had learned that she was the most beautiful
woman in the world, and expressed his resolution to
visit her, although Alswith informed him that she would
never endure a husband, but that her thoughts were solely
bent on warfare ^
1
According to this account, Sigurd appears now to have seen Brj-nhild
for the first time, which is completely at variance with what we have just