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Chapter XVIII
Chapter XVIII
Of The Slaying Of The Worm Fafnir
[Hear Worm Fafnir]
"Riesenworm motiv" or Fafner the Dragon`s theme from Richard Wagner`s
"Siegfried" from "Der Ring das Nibelungen".
Now Sigurd and Regin ride up the heath along that same way wherein Fafnir
was wont to creep when he fared to the water; and folk say that thirty fathoms
was the height of that cliff along which he lay when he drank of the water
below. Then Sigurd spake:
"How savedst thou, Regin, that this drake^1 was no greater than other
lingworms; methinks the track of him is marvellous great?"
[Footnote 1: Lat. draco, a drag
Then said Regin, "Make thee a hole, and sit down therein, and whenas the
worm comes to the water, smite him into the heart, and so do him to death, and
win for thee great fame thereby."
But Sigurd said, "What will betide me if I be before the blood of the
worm?"
Says Regin, "Of what avail to counsel thee if thou art still afeard of
everything? Little art thou like thy kin in stoutness of heart."
Then Sigurd rides right over the heath; but Regin gets him gone, sore
afeard.
But Sigurd fell to digging him a pit, and whiles he was at that work,
there came to him an old man with a long beard, and asked what he wrought
there, and he told him.
Then answered the old man and said, "Thou doest after sorry counsel:
rather dig thee many pits, and let the blood run therein: but sit thee down in
one thereof, and so thrust the worm`s heart through."
And therewithal he vanished away; but Sigurd made the pits even as it was
shown to him.
Now crept the worm down to his place of watering, and the earth shook all
about him, and he snorted forth venom on all the way before him as he went;
but Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him. So whenas the
worm crept over the pits, Sigurd thrust his sword under his left shoulder, so
that it sank in up to the hilts, then up leapt Sigurd from the pit and drew
the sword back again unto him, and therewith was his arm all bloody, up to the
very shoulder.
Now when that mighty worm was ware that he had his death - wound, then he
lashed out head and tail, so that all things soever that were before him were
broken to pieces.
So whenas Fafnir had his death-wound, he asked, "Who art thou? and who
is thy father? and what thy kin, that thou wert so hardy as to bear weapons
against me?"
Sigurd answered, "Unknown to men is my kin. I am called a noble beast;^2
neither father have I nor mother, and all alone have I fared hither."
[Footnote 2: Unknown to men is my kin." Sigurd refusing to tell his name is to
be referred to the superstition that a dying man could throw a curse on his
enemy.]
Said Fafnir, "Whereas thou hast neither father nor mother, of what wonder
when thou born then? But now, though thou tellest me not thy name on this my
death-day, yet thou knowest verily that thou liest unto me."
He answered, "Sigurd am I called, and my father was Sigmund."
Says Fafnir, "Who egged thee on to this deed, and why wouldst thou be
driven to it? Hadst thou never heard how that all folk were adrad of me, and
of the awe of my countenance? But an eager father thou hadst, O bright - eyed
swain!"
Sigurd answered, "A hardy heart urged me on hereto; and a strong hand and
this sharp sword, which well thou knowest now, stood me in stead in the doing
of the deed; Seldom hath hardy eld a faint - heart youth."
Fafnir said, "Well, I wot that hadst thou waxed amid thy kin, thou
mightest have good skill to slay folk in thine anger; but more of a marvel is
it, that thou, a bondsman taken in war, shouldst have the heart to set on me,
for few among bondsmen have heart for the fight."
Said Sigurd, "Wilt thou then cast it in my teeth that I am far away from
my kin? Albeit I was a bondsman, yet was I never shackled. God wot thou hast
found me free enow."
Fafnir answered, "In angry wise dost thou take my speech; but hearken,
for that same gold which I have owned shall be thy bane too."
Quoth Sigurd, "Fain would we keep all our wealth till that day of days;
yet shall each man die once for all."
Said Fafnir, "Few things wilt thou do after my counsel; but take heed
that thou shalt be drowned if thou farest unwarily over the sea; so bide thou
rather on the dry land, for the coming of the calm tide."
Then said Sigurd, "Speak, Fafnir, and say, if thou art so exceeding wise,
who are the Norns who rule the lot of all mothers` sons."
Fafnir answers, "Many there be and wide apart; for some are of the kin of
the Aesir, and some are of Elfin kin, and some there are who are daughters of
Dvalin."
Said Sigurd, "How namest thou the holm whereon Surt,^3 and the Aesir mix
and mingle the water of the sword?"
[Footnote 3: Surt; a fire-giant, who will destroy the world at the Ragnarok,
or destruction of all things. Aesir; the gods.]
"Unshapen is that holm hight," said Fafnir.
And yet again he said, "Regin, my brother, has brought about my end, and
it gladdens my heart that thine too he bringeth about; for thus will things be
according to his will."
And once again he spake, "A countenance of terror I bore up before all
folk, after that I brooded over the heritage of my brother, and on every side
did I spout out poison, so that none durst come anigh me, and of no weapon was
I adrad, nor ever had I so many men before me, as that I deemed myself not
stronger than all; for all men were sore afeard of me."
Sigurd answered and said, "Few may have victory by means of that same
countenance of terror, for whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no
man is by so far the mightiest of all."
Then says Fafnir, "Such counsel I give thee, that thou take thy horse and
ride away thy speediest, for ofttimes it falls out so, that he who gets a
death - wound avenges himself none the less."
Sigurd answered, "Such as thy redes are I will nowise do after them; nay,
I will ride now to thy lair and take to me that great treasure of thy kin."
"Ride there then," said Fafnir, "and thou shalt find gold enow to suffice
thee for all thy life-days; yet shall that gold be thy bane, and the bane of
every one soever who owns it."
Then up stood Sigurd, and said, "Home would I ride and lose all that
wealth, if I deemed that by the losing thereof I should never die; but every
brave and true man will fain have his hand on wealth till that last day; but
thou, Fafnir, wallow in the death-pain till Death and Hell have thee."
And therewithal Fafnir died.
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