Siegfried was the son of the good King Siegmund. He lived in the great
palace with his father and the gentle queen, his mother.

Siegfried had everything his heart could desire. He was loved by every
one about the palace. He had many servants to wait upon him, and
beautiful clothes to wear at all times. More than this, the stables of
the great palace were full of horses, and Siegfried could ride or drive
whenever he wished to do so.

Now, the king was as wise as he was good, and he knew that if Siegfried
would grow to be a good king he must learn to work with his hands. The
king and queen talked of it, and, although they disliked to part with
their son, they decided to send Siegfried to Mimer, the wonderful
blacksmith.

Mimer was a queer little man. His back was bent and his hair was long
and white. He had a long white beard and two very sharp, black eyes.
Mimer's shop was out in the great, dark forest, and many boys came to
learn of this wonderful master, for Mimer, you must know, was the best
blacksmith in all the king's country.

To this shop Siegfried was sent. At first he was very lonely and
unhappy. There were no servants now to wait upon him. His soft,
beautiful clothing had been exchanged for a suit of the coarsest
material and a huge leather apron. There was no soft bed waiting for him
at night, only a pile of straw in the corner. But Siegfried was a brave
boy, and lost no time complaining. He worked patiently at his anvil, day
after day, learning from his master to make strong chains of iron, as