Völsung in the context of "Sigmund"

The Völsunga saga (often referred to in English as the Volsunga Saga or Saga of the Völsungs) is a legendary saga, a late 13th-century prose rendition in Old Norse of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan (including the story of Sigurd and Brunhild and the destruction of the Burgundians). It is one of the most famous legendary sagas and an example of a "heroic saga" that deals with Germanic heroic legend.

The saga covers topics including the quarrel between Sigi and Skaði, a huge family tree of great kings and powerful conquerors, the quest led by Sigmund and Sinfjǫtli to save princess Signý from the evil king Siggeir, and, most famously, Sigurd killing the serpent/dragon Fáfnir and obtaining the cursed ring Andvaranaut that Fáfnir guarded.

In Germanic heroic legend and folklore, Fáfnir, was a dwarf or other type of humanoid, who had shifted into the hamr of a Germanic dragon (a worm, "serpent", in period nomenclature), in order to protect a treasure, and then was slain by a member of the Völsung family, typically Sigurð.

In Nordic mythology, he is the son of Hreiðmarr, and brother of Regin and Ótr. He is attested throughout the Völsung Cycle, where, Fáfnir commits patricide out of greed, taking the ring and hoard of the dwarf Andvari, and shapeshifting into a dragon. Fáfnir's brother Regin later assisted Sigurð in obtaining the sword Gram, by which Fáfnir is killed. Fáfnir has been identified with an unnamed dragon killed by a Völsung in other Germanic works, including Beowulf, the Nibelunglied and a number of skaldic poems. Fáfnir and his killing by Sigurð are further represented in numerous medieval carvings from the British Isles and Scandinavia, and a single axe head in a Scandinavian style found in Russia. The story of Fáfnir has continued to have influence in the modern period, such as in the works of J.R.R Tolkien, who drew inspiration from the tale of Fáfnir in his portrayals of Smaug and Gollum.

Bilateral descent is a system of family lineage in which the relatives on the mother's side and father's side are equally important for emotional ties or for transfer of property or wealth. It is a family arrangement where descent and inheritance are passed equally through both parents. Families who use this system trace descent through both parents simultaneously and recognize multiple ancestors, but unlike with cognatic descent it is not used to form descent groups.

While bilateral descent is increasingly the norm in Western culture, traditionally it is only found among relatively few groups in West Africa, India, Australia, Indonesia, Melanesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Polynesia. Anthropologists believe that a tribal structure based on bilateral descent helps members live in extreme environments because it allows individuals to rely on two sets of families dispersed over a wide area. Historically, North Germanic peoples in Scandinavia in the Late Iron Age and Early Middle Ages had a bilateral society, where the descent of both parents were important. Genealogies featuring the legendary danish king Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye gives him the matronymic name Áslaugsson due to his mother Aslaug's connection to Völsungs.

In the Völsung cycle, Sigi is the ancestor of the Völsung lineage. In the Völsunga saga, he is said to be one of the sons of Odin. He is also listed among Odin's sons in the Nafnaþulur. He has a son called Rerir, whose son was Völsung, sire of Signy and Sigmund, who, together with his sister begot Sinfjötli. Sigmund also fathered Sigurd, possibly with Hjordis

He was outlawed for murdering a slave who had outdone him in hunting. With the help of Odin, Sigi fled from the land and led successful raids, so much so that he became king of Húnaland, a country name referring both to the territories of the Franks, also known as the Hugones or Hugas, and the territories of the Huns. In his old age, he was killed by his wife's brothers who seized his kingdom. His son Rerir avenged him.

Signy or Signe (Old Norse: Signý, sometimes known as German: Sieglinde) is the name of two heroines in two connected legends from Norse mythology which were very popular in medieval Scandinavia. Both appear in the Völsunga saga, which was adapted into other works such as Wagner's 'Ring' cycle, including its famous opera Die Walküre. Signy is also the name of two characters in several other sagas.

The first Signy is the daughter of King Völsung. She was married to the villainous Geatish king Siggeir who has her whole family treacherously murdered, except for her brother Sigmund. She saves her brother, has an incestuous affair with him and bears the son Sinfjötli. She burnt herself to death with her hated husband.

Siggeir is the king of Gautland (i.e. Götaland/Geatland, but in some translations also rendered as Gothland), in the Völsunga saga. In Skáldskaparmál he is given as a Sikling and a relative of Sigar who killed the hero Hagbard. Hversu Noregr byggðist specifies that the last Sigar was Siggeir's nephew.

According to the Völsunga saga, Siggeir married Signy, the sister of Sigmund and the daughter of King Völsung. Although Völsung agreed to the marriage, Signy herself was unwilling. At the banquet Odin appears in disguise wearing a cape and a hood and sticks a sword in the tree Branstock. Then he said that whoever managed to pull the sword out could keep it. Siggeir and everyone else tried but only Sigmund succeeded. Siggeir generously offered three times the sword's value, but Sigmund mockingly refused. Siggeir was offended and went home the next day thinking of revenge.

In Germanic mythology, Gram, in Norse legend (Old Norse: Gramr, "ill-tempered"), or Balmung, in the Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied, is a magical godlike sword, specifically the sword that the hero Sigurd used to kill the dragon Fafnir. It is primarily used by the Völsungs in the Völsung Cycle, however, it is also seen in other legends, such as the Thidrekssaga in which it is wielded by Hildebrand.

The myth of Gram may be related to the British myth of "the sword in the stone", Excalibur, as Gram has been thrust into a tree, from which only the hero Sigmund can pull it out, much like how Excalibur only can be pulled out by the true king of England, King Arthur. The myth of Gram being broken and then reforged was also the inspiration of Tolkien's sword Narsil.