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Reginsmol

[1]Sigurth was there continually with Regin, who said to Sigurth that Fafnir lay at Gnitaheith[2], and was in the shape of a dragon. He had a fear-helm[3], of which all living creatures were terrified. Regin made Sigurth the sword which was called Gram[4]; it was so sharp that when he thrust it down into the Rhine, and let a strand of wool drift against it with the stream, it cleft the strand asunder as if it were water. With this sword Sigurth cleft asunder Regin's anvil. After that Regin egged Sigurth on to slay Fafnir, but he said:

15.[5] "Loud will the sons  of Hunding laugh,Who low did Eylimi  lay in death,If the hero sooner  seeks the redRings to find  than his father's vengeance."

[6]King Hjalprek gave Sigurth a fleet for the avenging

[7]


    a descendant of Yngvi is, of course, absurd, and the use of this phrase is one of the many reasons for believing that stanzas 13-18 belonged originally to the Helgi cycle. The threads, etc.: another link with Helgi; cf. Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I, 3-4. As Helgi was likewise regarded as a son of Sigmund, stanzas 13-14 would fit him just as well as Sigurth.

  1. Prose.
  2. Gnitaheith: cf. Gripisspo, 11 and note.
  3. Fear-helm: the word "ægis-hjalmr," which occurs both here and in Fafnismol, suggests an extraordinary interesting, and still disputed, question of etymology.
  4. Gram: according to the Volsungasaga Regin forged this sword from the fragments of the sword given by Othin to Sigmund (cf. Fra Dautha Sinfjotla and note).
  5. Regarding the sons of Hunding and Eylimi, father of Sigurth's mother, all of whom belong to the Helgi tradition, cf. Fra Dautha Sinfjotla and note.
  6. Prose.
  7. The fleet, and the subsequent storm, are also reminis-

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