She would not allow Odin to have his wilful way with her. So in a fit of pique he put her to sleep in a ring of fire on top of a mountain, with the proviso she could only be awakened by a hero brave enough to go fire-walking.

Then along came some besotted character called Sigurd who had a magic ring and was going to get engaged to her come hell or high fire.

Now it gets all out of hand — the ring had been cursed by Andvari and the Nibelungs whatever they are, and the son of Völsung would come into the picture if we had any idea what they looked like. But never mind because somebody called Guttorm killed Sigurd and a wag called Wagner turned it all into an opera and Brunhild the beauty queen of the Valkyries became Brunnhilde and sang as she threw herself into the funeral pyre of Sigurd.

The thunderous music and vociferous lungs of the Nibelungs and songs of the Völsung lads, together with the spectacular firework effects, have meant massive employment for operatic companies for many years. If only Odin could keep his hands to himself.

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Article last revised on May 26, 2019 by the Godchecker data dwarves.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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