Questions about Völsunga saga

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What is the Völsunga saga and when was it written?

The Völsunga saga is a late thirteenth-century prose rendition written in Old Norse. The physical manuscript that preserves this text dates to approximately 1400 and resides in the Royal Library of Denmark as Ny kgl. Saml. 1824 b 4to.

Who are the main characters in the Völsunga saga and what do they do?

Sigmund survives a she-wolf attack and burns Siggeir alive while his son Sigurd slays the dragon Fáfnir. Guðrún avenges her brothers by killing Atli and setting their hall on fire after he orders Högni's heart cut out.

How does Odin influence events in the Völsunga saga?

Odin appears as a hooded one-eyed man who thrusts a sword into the tree Barnstokkr for Sigmund to pull free. He later breaks Sigmund's sword during battle and guides his son Sigi out of the underworld at the beginning of the story.

Where did Loki get the cursed ring Andvaranaut in the Völsunga saga?

Loki takes gold from the dwarf Andvari to fill Ótr's skin with gold after King Hreiðmarr demands payment for his death. This treasure includes the cursed ring called Andvaranaut which brings death to whoever owns it.

What modern works were inspired by the Völsunga saga?

Richard Wagner composed Der Ring des Nibelungen based on this saga while Ernest Reyer created an opera named Sigurd that draws directly from the text. J.R.R. Tolkien derived The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún from the Völsung poems found in the Elder Edda rather than the prose saga itself.