Then the two sat down together, and Mimer, or Regin as we
shall now call him, told the prince many tales of the days
that had been, and of his bold, wise forefathers. And the
lad's heart swelled within him; and he longed to be like
them,--to dare and do and suffer, and gloriously win at
last. And he turned to Regin and said,--

"Tell me, wisest of masters, what I shall do to win fame,
and to make myself worthy to rule the fair land which my
fathers held."

"Go forth in your own strength, and with Odin's help,"
answered Regin,--"go forth to right the wrong, to help the
weak, to punish evil, and come not back to your father's
kingdom until the world shall know your noble deeds."

"But whither shall I go?" asked Siegfried.

"I will tell you," answered Regin. "Put on these garments,
which better befit a prince than those soot-begrimed clothes
you have worn so long. Gird about you this sword, the good
Balmung, and go northward. When you come to the waste lands
which border upon the sea, you will find the ancient Gripir,
the last of the kin of the giants. Ask of him a war-steed,
and Odin will tell you the rest."

So, when the sun had risen high above the trees, Siegfried
bade Regin good-by, and went forth like a man, to take
whatsoever fortune should betide. He went through the great
forest, and across the bleak moorland beyond, and over the