vered the giver of the
sword, who was no less famous a personage than Odin. Sigmund then knew
that his good fortune had departed from him, and he sank down on the
battle-field and died.

There is a legend of Odin, Loki, and Haenir in one of their many
wanderings coming to a river side, where they saw an otter with a
salmon in its mouth. Loki killed the otter with a stone. Then the AEsir
passed on, and came at night to Reidmar's house to seek shelter. They
showed the otter and salmon to him, on which he cried to his sons to
seize and bind them, for they had slain their brother, Otter. To make
compensation for what they had done, they agreed to pay any sum
Reidmar might name. Otter was flayed, and Reidmar commanded the AEsir
to fill the skin with gold, and cover it without that not a hair could
be seen. Odin sent Loki down to the dwellings of the black elves to
obtain the precious metal. The cunning god caught Andvari, the dwarf,
and compelled him to surrender all the gold he had accumulated. The
dwarf begged and prayed that he might be permitted to retain one ring,
for it was the source of all his wealth, as ring after ring dropped
from it. Loki was inexorable; not a penny-worth would he leave with
the dwarf. Seeing he could not retain the ring, the dwarf laid a
curse on it, and said it would prove a bane to every one into whose
possession it might pass. Reidmar having all the gold except the ring
laid at his feet, filled the skin with the yellow ore, and set it up
on end. Odin poured gold over it until it was covered up. Reidmar
carefully looked at the skin, and declared that he saw a grey hair,
and desired them to cover it also. Odin reluctantly drew out the ring,
which he would fain have kept for himself, and laid it over the grey
hair. Before the AEsir departed, Loki repeated the curse which Andvari
had laid upon the ring. The curse began to take effect. Regin, one of
Reidmar's sons, asked for a share of the gold, but his father refused
to give him any. This undutiful son and his brother Fafnir conspired
against their sire, slew him, and took possession of the gold. Fafnir
being the stronger brother, determined to keep the whole treasure to
himself; and not only that, but he threatened that unless Regin went
off he would share his father's fate. Regin fled for his life, and his
brother assumed the form of a dragon, in which shape he lay on the
Glistening Heath, coiled round his store of gold and precious things.

S