Siguršr went to Hjalprekr's dwelling and chose himself a horse, who was called Grani afterwards. Then Reginn, the son of Hreišmarr, came to Hjalprekr. He was wiser than every man and a dwarf in size; he was wise, grim, and learned in magic. Reginn fostered Siguršr and taught him and loved him greatly. He told Siguršr of his forebears and of those events, when Ošinn and Hoenir and Loki came to Andvari's Waterfall; in those falls were many fish. A certain dwarf hight Andvari, he had a dwelling in the falls in the likeness of a pike and got his food there. - "Otter hight our brother", said Reginn, "who often fared into the falls in an otter's likeness. He had taken a salmon and sat on the river's bank and ate with half-closed eyes. Loki threw a stone at him, and it was his bane. It seemed to the AEsir that they had had great luck and they flayed the pelt from the otter. That same evening they sought guesting with Hreišmarr and showed him their booty. Then we took them into captivity and laid on them as ransom to fill the otterskin with gold and also to cover it outside with red gold. - Then they sent Loki to get the gold. He came to Ran and got her net and fared then to Andvari's Waterfall and cast the net for the pike, and he leapt into the net. Then said Loki,
1.
"What is that fish
who runs in the flood,
but cannot ward himself against harm?
You must buy off
your head from Hel:
find me the fire of the flood!"
Andvari said:
2.
"I hight Andvari,
Oinn hight my father,
I have fared in many falls.
Miserable norns
shaped in ancient days for me,
that I should wade in the water."
Loki said:
3.
"Say thou that, Andvari,
if you would like to have
life in the halls of men:
what payment do
the sons of men get,
if they hew at each other with words?"
Andvari said:
4.
"An overpayment
get the sons of men,
who wade in Vašgelmir;
whoever lies about others,
of untrue words
wide hence stretch the branches."
Loki saw all the gold that Andvari owned. But when he had given up the gold, then he had afterwards one ring, and Loki took it from him. The dwarf went into the stone and said,
5.
"The gold
which Gustr had shall
become the bane
of two brothers,
and the cause of strife
for eight athelings;
my wealth shall be joy to no man."
The Ęsir gave up the wealth to Hreišmarr and stuffed the otter-skin and raised it to its feet. Then the Ęsir had to pile up the gold and hide it. When that was done, Hreišmarr went before it and saw one whisker and bade it be covered. Then Ošinn brought forth the ring Andvaranaut and covered the hair. Loki said:
6.
"Now the gold
is given up to you,
but you will have a great payment
for my head;
for your son will this blessing be shaped:
it will be the bane of you both!"
Hreišmarr said,
7.
"You gave gifts,
but you did not give generously,
you did not give with a hale soul!
Little life
should be left to you,
if I had known that foeship before!"
Loki said:
8.
"But worse is
- that I seem to myself to know! -
the kinsmen's strife with kin;
I think it will yet be
unborn boars
who know this hate!"
Hreišmarr said:
9.
"The red gold
I mean that I shall rule myself,
as long as I live;
I do not fear
your hate in the least,
so wend your way home from here!"
Fafnir and Reginn asked Hreišmarr for their kin-geld from Otter, their brother. He said no to them. But Fafnir laid his sword into his sleeping father Hreišmarr. Hreišmarr called to his daughters:
10.
"Lyngheišr and Lofnheišr!
Know that my life is ended!
Great is the need which presses!"
Lyngheišr answered,
11.
"Few sisters,
though their father be lost,
would revenge sorrow on brothers!"
Hreišmarr said:
12.
"Bear you a daughter,
wolf-souled dis!
if you get no son
with a prince!
Get a man
for the maid in great need,
then their son
shall avenge your sorrow!"
Then died Hreišmarr. But Fafnir took all the gold. Then Reginn asked him for his father's inheritance; Fafnir told him no. Then Reginn sought speech with Lyngheišr, his sister, as to how he should get his father's inheritance. She said,
13.
"You should speak blithely
to a brother of inheritance,
and with different thoughts.
It is not fitting,
that with a sword you should
ask Fafnir for wealth."
Reginn told these things to Siguršr. One day, when he came to Reginn's house, he was well welcomed. Reginn said,
14.
"Sigmundr's kinsman
has come hither,
the brave-reded warrior
to our hall;
he has more courage
than an old man,
and I expect battle
from the greedy wolf!
15.
"I shall foster
the fierce folk-leader;
now Ingvi's kinsman
has come among us!
so shall the prince be
most powerful under the sun,
his ųrlög-thread
resound over all lands!"
Siguršr was usually with Reginn then, and he said to Siguršr that Fafnir lay on Gnita Heath and was in the likeness of a worm; he had the Helm of Awe, which all living things are terrified before. Reginn made for Siguršr a sword, which hight Gramr. That was so keen, that he drew it upstream in the Rhine and laid a clump of wool on the river, and the clump was taken asunder like water. With that sword Siguršr clove Reginn's anvil asunder. After that Reginn egged Siguršr to battle against Fafnir. He (Siguršr) said:
16.
"High would laugh
the sons of Hundings,
they who ended
Eylimi's life,
if the ruler longed
more greatly to seek
red rings
than to revenge his father!"
King Hjalprekr gave Siguršr a fleet for his father-revenge. They got a great storm and sailed near to a certain cliff-ness. A man stood on the cliff and said:
17.
"Who rides
Ręvil's horses there,
the high waves,
the roaring sea?
The sail-steeds
are sprinkled with sweat,
the wave-mares
cannot withstand the wind!"
Reginn answered,
18.
"Siguršr's men
are on the sea-trees here,
a sail-wind is given
to us to be our bane,
the high waves fall
over the high prow,
the roller-horses plunge down!
Who asks about it?"
The man said:
19.
"I was called Hnikar
when Huginn was gladdened,
- young Volsung -
and (many) were slain;
now you may call
the Carl of the Berg
Feng or Fjolnir!
I wish to get passage!"
They went towards the land, and the karl came on the ship, and the weather laid. Siguršr said,
20.
"Tell me that, Hnikkar
of everything that you know,
good signs for gods and men:
Which holy signs are best
if there is battle
for the swinging of swords?"
Hnikarr said:
21.
"Many, if warriors know them,
are good holy signs
for the swinging of swords!
A true following
for the sword-tree, I think,
is the dark one of the raven.
22.
"That is a second,
if you have come out
and are ready to go forth:
when you see,
standing on the path,
two fame-greedy warriors.
23.
"That is a third,
if you hear the howling
of a wolf under ash-branches:
good will be to you
when you come among helmet-staves,
if you see them faring first.
24.
"Never shall warriors
battle in the direction against
the moon's shining sister:
they have victory
who can see,
brave in blade-play,
when they draw up
battle-wedges.
25.
"That is a greatly ill sign
if your foot stumbles
when you wend towards battle:
betraying disir
stand at your two sides
and will see you wounded.
26.
"Every keen man
should be combed and cleaned
and eat in the morning,
for it is unknown
where he will come in the evening;
it is ill to hurry past good."
Siguršr had a great battle with Lynvi the son of Hunding and his brothers. Then fell Lyngvi and his three brothers. - After the battle Reginn said:
27.
"Now, with a bitter blade,
the blood-eagle is
risted on the back
of Sigmundr's bane!
Few were braver
who reddened the earth,
the warrior's inheritance,
and gladdened Huginn!"
[Siguršr went home to Hjalprekr. There Reginn egged Siguršr on to fight Fafnir.]
Note: This translation and others in this collection bearing this notice are the sole work of Stephan Grundy and are here with his permission. They are under his copyright. They are freely reproducible and quotable as long as this notice is attached if these are being reproduced or due credit is given to him for his translation if they are being quoted in another work.