his tutor to help him obtain the treasure guarded by the latter's
brother Fafnir. Sigurd promises, but first demands a sword.
Two, that arc given him by Regin, prove worthless, and he forges
a new one from the pieces of his father's sword, which his mother
had preserved. With this he easily splits the anvil and cuts in
two a flake of wool, floating down the Rhine. He first avenges
the death of his father, and then sets off with Regin to attack
the dragon Fafnir. At the advice of the former Sigurd digs a
ditch across the dragon's peth and pierces him from below with
his sword, as the latter comes down to drink. In dying the
dragon warns Sigurd against the treasure and its curse, and
against Regin, who, he says, is planning Sigurd's death,
intending to obtain the treasure for himself.

When Regin sees the dragon safely dead, he creeps from his place
of concealment, drinks of the blood, and, cutting out the heart,
begs Sigurd to roast it for him. While doing so, Sigurd burns
his fingers, and, putting them in his mouth, understands at once
the language of the birds and hears them say that Sigurd himself
should eat the heart and then he would be wiser than all other
men. They also betray Regin's evil designs, and counsel the lad
to kill his tutor. This Sigurd then does, cutting off Regin's
head, drinking the blood of both brothers, and eating Fafnir's
heart. (3) On the further advice of the birds Sigurd first
fetches the treasure from the cave, and then journeys to the
mountain "Hindarfjall", where he rescues the sleeping Valkyrie,
"Sigrdrifu" ("Brynhild", "Brunhild"), who, stung by the sleep
thorn of Wodan, and clad in full armor, lies asleep within a
castle that is surrounded by a wall of flame. With the help of
his steed Grani, Sigurd succeeds in penetrating through the fire