his efforts can avail nothing until the day of Ragnarok. Then
shall his bonds be loosed, and he shall fight his last battle and
fall, never to rise again.

CHAPTER XV

The Story of the Magic Sword

_This is the tale the Northmen tell of how a great feud
arose between the Volsungs and the Goths._

Sigi, the son of Odin, was a man mighty in the hunt, and he lived in
the house of Skadi. And one day he went out to the woods with Bredi,
Skadi's servant, and they hunted deer all day long. But when they
gathered their spoil in the evening, it was found that Bredi had slain
far more than Sigi, and it vexed the soul of Sigi that a servant
should hunt better than his master. So, in his jealous rage, he fell
upon Bredi and killed him, and hid his body in a snowdrift, after
which he rode home in the gloaming, with the tale that Bredi had
ridden away from him into the wild woods.

"Out of the sight of mine eyes he rode," said he, "and I know not what
has become of him."

But Skadi did not believe his words--for Sigi's eyes looked sideways
as he spoke--and he sent and searched the woods, and the body of Bredi
was found in a snowdrift. Then, his dark suspicion being confirmed, he
took Sigi and put him forth from the land and commanded that he be an
outlaw for ever.

Sigi embarked upon the ocean in a small boat, and he had not been
sailing long when a little skiff drew near, wherein was an old man
with one eye, wearing a broad-brimmed grey hat. This was none other
than Odin, who had come to succour his son, and he took the boat in
tow and brought Sigi to a war vessel manned with a brave crew, well
armed and provided, which he gave into his charge, promising that
victory in battle should always be his.

Then Sigi took fresh heart and, ever aided by the powerful favour of
Odin, he won at length dominion and lordship over the great empire of
the Huns.

Yet did he not escape punishment for the evil deed of his youth, for
when he was very old the favour of Odin forsook him; and the brother
of his wife, whom he trusted above all men, fell upon him with
treachery and slew him.

But the son of Sigi was now a brave youth, and gathering the warriors
of his land he drove out his mother's kindred and took the kingdom for
himself. When peace had settled upon it he took unto him a wife, and
Frigga blessed them with a fine little son, whom they named Volsung.
But while the boy was yet quite young Rerir, his father, went out to