. Two, that arc given him by
Regin, prove worthless, and he forges a new one from the pieces of his
father's sword, which his mother had preserved. With this he easily
splits the anvil and cuts in two a flake of wool, floating down the
Rhine. He first avenges the death of his father, and then sets off with
Regin to attack the dragon Fafnir. At the advice of the former Sigurd
digs a ditch across the dragon's peth and pierces him from below with
his sword, as the latter comes down to drink. In dying the dragon warns
Sigurd against the treasure and its curse, and against Regin, who, he
says, is planning Sigurd's death, intending to obtain the treasure for
himself.

When Regin sees the dragon safely dead, he creeps from his place of
concealment, drinks of the blood, and, cutting out the heart, begs
Sigurd to roast it for him. While doing so, Sigurd burns his fingers,
and, putting them in his mouth, understands at once the language of the
birds and hears them say that Sigurd himself should eat the heart and
then he would be wiser than all other men. They also betray Regin's evil
designs, and counsel the lad to kill his tutor. This Sigurd then does,
cutting off Regin's head, drinking the blood of both brothers, and
eating Fafnir's heart. (3) On the further advice of the birds Sigurd
first fetches the treasure from the cave, and then journeys to the
mountain "Hindarfjall", where he rescues the sleeping Valkyrie,
"Sigrdrifu" ("Brynhild", "Brunhild"), who, stung by the sleep thorn
of Wodan, and clad in full armor, lies asleep within a castle that is
surrounded by a wall of flame. With the help of his steed Grani, Sigurd
succeeds in penetrating through the fire to the castle. The sleeping
maiden awakes when he cuts the armor from her with his sword, for it
was as tight as if grown fast to the flesh. She hails her deliverer
with great joy, for she had vowed never to marry a man who knew fear. At
Sigurd's request she teaches him many wise precepts, and finally pledges
her troth to him. He then departs, after promising to be faithful to her
and to remember her teachings.

On his journeyings Sigurd soon arrives at the court of "Giuki" (the
Norse form of the German "Gibicho", "Gibich"), a king whose court lay on
the lower Rhine. Giuki has three sons, "Gunnar", "Hogni", and "Guthorm",
and a daughter "Gudrun", endowed with great beauty. The queen bears
the name of Grimhild, and is versed in magic, but possessed of an evil
heart. (4) S