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Interpretation of Grendel's mother, one of the most complex and enigmatic figures of Beowulf, is especially fraught with difficulty. The search for analogues to Grendel's mother has traditionally focused on the trolls of the Old Norse sagas, emphasising her non-human qualities. This article argues that the Germanic heroic women of the Völsung-Nibelung tradition are the key to understanding Grendel's mother. The introduction of Sigemund and Fitela in the interval between the first two fights (ll. 874–902) invites the reader to consider the women of the Germanic legends, specifically the figures of Signy and Brynhild in the late thirteenth-century Icelandic Völsunga saga, and Brunhild in the early thirteenth-century German poem the Nibelungenlied, as possible analogues to Grendel's mother. This article further proposes that reconsidering Grendel's mother within this interpretive framework shifts the view of the other women of Beowulf as reflexes of the Germanic heroic women of the Völsung-Nibelung tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though the so called fornaldarsogur ('sagas of the ancient times') appeared in Christian Scandinavia during the 12th and 13th centuries, the fact is that the motifs and topics of the ancient Scandinavian myths and legends still play a major role in those literary works. In particular, the fate and the sword are given a prominent place in the Volsunga saga, especially with reference to the Volsungs' deeds and misfortunes. Hence, the aim of this paper is to elucidate to what extent the tale establishes a symbolic relationship between that weapon and the future of two of its main characters: Sigurðr and Brynhildr. After analysing how destiny works in the story, on the one hand, and what the familiar meaning of the Volsung sword is, on the other hand, it will be possible to conclude that the weapon symbolises the tragic and violent separation of the couple in the saga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vǫlsunga Saga es una de las fuentes de mayor riqueza literaria producidas en el contexto nórdico medieval. El objetivo del artículo es demostrar las formas en las que se configura la identidad dentro de la familia de los Volsungos durante la representación de un rito de paso. Durante este proceso, varios personajes adoptan comportamientos lupinos. Se argumentará que la metamorfosis es determinada por la presión estructural ejercida sobre el cuerpo y afecta no solo al individuo transformado, sino también al grupo enemigo que se convertirá en su presa. Previamente, mostramos las condiciones y el desarrollo del rito de paso, en el que se otorga a los ancestros el poder de influir sobre su descendencia. Asimismo, demostraremos que las definiciones y obligaciones que se desprenden de la estructura de parentesco tienen la capacidad de caracterizar al grupo enemigo como un «otro» y legitimar los actos de violencia cometidos en su contra.

El objetivo del presente artículo es poner en tensión la Saga de los Volsungos y las fuentes que utilizó su autor para desarrollar esta obra. Nos centraremos especialmente en el Reginsmál y en las diferencias que presentan ambos escritos en la representación de la familia de Hreiðmarr. Se demostrará que las variaciones entre ambas fuentes sirven para enfatizar los dos patrones fundamentales de la saga: por un lado, acentúa la sobreestimación de las relaciones de parentesco y muestra las obligaciones que se desprenden de su estructura como deberes inexorables. Por otro lado, resalta el carácter nocivo de la maldición del tesoro de Andvari sobre la estructura familiar. Posteriormente argumentaremos que estas dos dinámicas no actúan de forma aislada, sino que se prestan a la comparación. Veremos que la estructura de parentesco se equipara al destino y a la maldición en tanto en cuanto sus obligaciones resultan igual de negativas e inevitables que el maleficio del oro de Andvari. Finalmente, se pondrá en relación el significado de la obra con su contexto de producción. Argumentaremos que la función de Vǫlsunga saga está enfocada a castigar un determinado orden de las cosas que amenaza las buenas prácticas y las ideologías del sistema que se pretende legitimar.

Vǫlsunga Saga is one of the sources of the greatest literary wealth produced in the medieval Nordic context. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the ways in which identity is configured within the family of the Volsungs during the representation of a rite of passage. During this process, some characters behave like wolves. It will be argued that the metamorphosis is determined by the structural pressure exerted on the body. It affects not only the transformed individual, but also the enemy group that will become its prey. Prior to that, we illustrate the conditions and the development of the rite of passage in which ancestors have the power to influence their offspring. Moreover, we will demonstrate how the definitions and obligations imposed by kinship structure characterize the enemy group as the «other» and legitimize the acts of violence committed upon them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medieval hero cannot be imagined without a significant sword. Swords often have names and a mysterious identity. Beowulf cannot kill Grendel's mother with his own sword, but has to resort to some of the ancient weapons lying in her lair. In the Nibelungenlied , Siegfried's sword gets into the hand of his nemesis, Hagen, after he has murdered him. Siegfried's widow, Kriemhild, finally takes it from Hagen and decapitates him. This, however, means her own death. In the Old Spanish El Poema de Mio Cid , the protagonist conquers two most valuable swords, and he passes them on to his sons-in-law, although they prove to be unworthy of those gifts. In the final court trial, Rodrigo Diaz demands those two swords back from the villains, and he triumphs over them. Once he has the swords back in his possession, he can proceed and destroy his enemies in this trial. Swords are not simply weapons; they are synecdoches of the hero himself, and they have the power to sing before or during battle, which is often commented on in the Old Norse sagas. This article will examine how heroic poets treated the sword as a pars pro toto of the hero and hence as agents of superpower, exacting justice and providing honor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Acclaimed and influential, the pre-Raphaelite artist and author William Morris's long narrative poem The Story of Sigurd and the Fall of the Niblungs (1876) fits, at first sight, the Victorian interpretation of the Old Norse world. It is essentially a world deprived of the original context, where the heroes were re-moulded within the contemporary frame. However, as the story goes, Sigurd's life gradually drifts away from that of a Victorian conventional hero: unlike other Old-Norse-made-Victorian heroes preceding him, he fell prey to the power of the dark—the Niblungs or 'the Cloudy people'. In this case, is he still a hero? If yes, what sort of hero will he be? It is the goal of this paper to address these questions. They will be approached through three successive steps: the first part will introduce the image of the Victorian Old Norse heroes in general as representations of light in contrast to absolute darkness, represented by the two Baldur-themed narrative poems from the 1860s. In the second, Sigurd's rise and fall as a conventional Victorian hero will be examined through analysing a series of key events in his life. At last, it will be argued that, instead of being a symbol of perfect light, Sigurd is essentially a hero of the grey—a compromise between the idealised and the real, which accords with Morris's own life experience and perception of heroism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Icelandic culture in medieval period and Icelandic legendary saga Völsunga Saga. Topics discussed include wealth, power and ransom in the Saga. Other topics which includes treasure, Christianity and Icelandic society are also discussed. Further, Icelandic literature is also mentioned.

This article places a section of sculpture-work, likely produced during the Anglo-Danish regnum and found in the rubble of the Old Minster, Winchester, within a political, cultural and ideological context. The fragmentary nature of the find poses difficulties in dating the work on stylistic grounds, determining its original length, and discerning its intended message. In suggesting answers, the scope of evidence analyzed and scholarship referenced is necessarily broad, but emphasis is placed on political history, artistic developments in architecture and poetry in England and Scandinavia, and the cross-cultural character of the English courts of King Cnut and his immediate successors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the heroic tales 'The Volsunga Saga' and 'Daredevils of Sassoun.' Basic structure of the epics; Story patterns of the epics; Narrative motifs found in both epics.