may not be
told; and now whenas Sigurd was among the foremost, came the sons of
Hunding against him, and Sigurd smote therewith at Lyngi the king, and
clave him down, both helm and head, and mail-clad body, and thereafter
he smote Hjorward his brother atwain, and then slew all the other sons
of Hunding who were yet alive, and the more part of their folk withal.

Now home goes Sigurd with fair victory won, and plenteous wealth and
great honour, which he had gotten to him in this journey, and feasts
were made for him against he came back to the realm.

But when Sigurd had been at home but a little, came Regin to talk with
him, and said--

"Belike thou wilt now have good will to bow down Fafnir's crest
according to thy word plighted, since thou hast thus revenged thy father
and the others of thy kin."

Sigurd answered, "That will we hold to, even as we have promised, nor
did it ever fall from our memory."

ENDNOTES:
(1) This and verses following were inserted from the "Reginsmal"
by the translators.
(2) "D?sir", sing. "D?s". These are the guardian beings who
follow a man from his birth to his death. The word
originally means sister, and is used throughout the Eddaic
poems as a dignified synonym for woman, lady.

CHAPTER XVIII. Of the Slaying of the Worm Fafnir.

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 sayedst thou, Regin, that this drake (1) was no greater than other
lingworms; methinks the track of him is marvellous great?"

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 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