hhimring

We started the discussion of the next chunk of The New Lay of the Volsungs and so far have been focussing on Signy especially: male relatives that really should have listened to you and a marriage that was a really bad idea, also women and magic and revenge in the Germanic tradition. If you’re interested in these subjects, have a look!

Copy of introductory post under the cut:

This week (13-19 April) we will be reading another chunk of The Lay of the Volsungs from The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrun on the sigurd-and-gudrun channel of the SWG Discord: sections II - V, with the relevant part of Commentary on the Lay of the Volsungs.

Please do join the read-along at any time during the week, even if you weren’t around for the first week! You can comment in the channel at any time it suits you.

The sections for this week:

Section II: "Signy" (41 stanzas)

Section III: “The Death of Sinfjotli” (13 stanzas)

Section IV: Sigurd Born (18 stanzas)

Section V: Regin (54 stanzas)

In section II and II we follow the doom-ridden fate of earlier members of the royal family of the Volsungs before Sigurd.

In section IV and V, Sigurd himself is born and kills the dragon, Fafnir, getting himself involved in the curse that lies on the dragon’s hoard.

You will find introductory prose paragraphs by Tolkien himself at the beginning of each section.