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darchildre) wrote2014-04-27 12:04 pm
darchildre) wrote2014-04-27 12:04 pm
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Volsungasaga, parts 5 and 6
The Saga of the Volsungs, chapters 32 through 37.
And chapters 38 through 44, the end.
I got on a roll today and figured that I might as well finish it, so you get two segments today. The last one is a little shorter than normal but, well, there was no more saga to record.
In which rocks fall and everyone dies. Seriously, I'm not kidding - the reason the saga ends is that there are literally no Volsungs or Gjukungs left. People get stabbed, or stab themselves, or get set on fire, children are eaten, people are trampled to death by horses, or bitten by snakes, or have their hearts cut, or get stoned to death. There is also, notably, a guy who gets his hands and feet cut off, but doesn't die. (He is neither a Volsung or a Gjukung.) Also! There are a bunch of prophetic dreams that no one pays attention to, more magic potions, betrayals, battles, Gunnar showing us a nifty hidden talent, and Hogni being the most stone-cold badass of all time. And Odin (presumably) shows up again in the last paragraph, just for old times sake.
Chapter 32 - "wood-fish" is a kenning for snake. Oddrun is Atli's sister, who has not been previously mentioned.
Chapter 34 - In which there is some poetry with more kennings! A "ling-fish" is a serpent. "The Hadding's land" is the sea, so a ling-fish of the Hadding's land is probably an eel or sea snake. The ears of corn mentioned may also belong to the Hadding's land, in which case they are probably seaweed.
Chapter 35 - In Atli's dream, Hel is mentioned. It's important to note that Hel is different from Hell - it is a land of the dead, but not a place of punishment.
Chapter 37 - Glaumvor mentions Gunnar's disir. These are ancestral female spirits who watch over their descendants but also sometimes act as psychopomps, so their presence can be a foreboding of death.
Chapter 38 - Other sources (such as the Greenland Lay of Atli) suggest that Hogni's reference to his kinwomen being starved and murdered by Atli refers to Grimhild and Gudrun's niece. The Volsungasaga itself doesn't indicate which kinswomen he's talking about, though.
Previous parts of this saga can be found here. If you've enjoyed listening to me read this, I very much encourage picking up the text, as its explanatory notes are a lot better than mine. I also encourage tracking down a copy of Stephan Grundy's Rhinegold, as it is my favorite retelling of this story and I think it's great. 8)
So now you guys have to help me figure out what to read next. I have a bunch of cool sagas that would all be fun to read, so help me choose by telling me which one you want to hear.
And chapters 38 through 44, the end.
I got on a roll today and figured that I might as well finish it, so you get two segments today. The last one is a little shorter than normal but, well, there was no more saga to record.
In which rocks fall and everyone dies. Seriously, I'm not kidding - the reason the saga ends is that there are literally no Volsungs or Gjukungs left. People get stabbed, or stab themselves, or get set on fire, children are eaten, people are trampled to death by horses, or bitten by snakes, or have their hearts cut, or get stoned to death. There is also, notably, a guy who gets his hands and feet cut off, but doesn't die. (He is neither a Volsung or a Gjukung.) Also! There are a bunch of prophetic dreams that no one pays attention to, more magic potions, betrayals, battles, Gunnar showing us a nifty hidden talent, and Hogni being the most stone-cold badass of all time. And Odin (presumably) shows up again in the last paragraph, just for old times sake.
Chapter 32 - "wood-fish" is a kenning for snake. Oddrun is Atli's sister, who has not been previously mentioned.
Chapter 34 - In which there is some poetry with more kennings! A "ling-fish" is a serpent. "The Hadding's land" is the sea, so a ling-fish of the Hadding's land is probably an eel or sea snake. The ears of corn mentioned may also belong to the Hadding's land, in which case they are probably seaweed.
Chapter 35 - In Atli's dream, Hel is mentioned. It's important to note that Hel is different from Hell - it is a land of the dead, but not a place of punishment.
Chapter 37 - Glaumvor mentions Gunnar's disir. These are ancestral female spirits who watch over their descendants but also sometimes act as psychopomps, so their presence can be a foreboding of death.
Chapter 38 - Other sources (such as the Greenland Lay of Atli) suggest that Hogni's reference to his kinwomen being starved and murdered by Atli refers to Grimhild and Gudrun's niece. The Volsungasaga itself doesn't indicate which kinswomen he's talking about, though.
Previous parts of this saga can be found here. If you've enjoyed listening to me read this, I very much encourage picking up the text, as its explanatory notes are a lot better than mine. I also encourage tracking down a copy of Stephan Grundy's Rhinegold, as it is my favorite retelling of this story and I think it's great. 8)
So now you guys have to help me figure out what to read next. I have a bunch of cool sagas that would all be fun to read, so help me choose by telling me which one you want to hear.
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What saga should I read next?
View Answers
The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok
1 (33.3%)
The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
1 (33.3%)
Njal's Saga
1 (33.3%)
Grettir's Saga
0 (0.0%)
Egil's Saga
0 (0.0%)
Eyrbyggja Saga
0 (0.0%)
Some other saga I will mention in the comments.
0 (0.0%)