I have recently started reading again, and one of the books I have read over this summer was a fairly unique book by J.R.R. Tolkien, titled The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun. It is an English translation of two Norse poems, or lays: “The Lay of the Volsungs” and “The Lay of Gudrun”.
To most new readers, the overall sentence structure is interrupted, with seemingly out-of-place text fragments, but it is in Old English and so is merely the natural rhythm of the translation. In the preface of the book, the different types of rhythms are explained (there are six types of rhythms in all). These rhythms are made out of “strong” and “weak” elements, which can also be called “lifts” and “dips”.
For example, the phrase “knights in armor” has a “falling-falling” type of rhythm, in which the first syllables in the segments are the “strong“ elements, which are usually stressed and more high-pitched than the “weak“ elements, as in “knights in | armor”, with the italics indicating the strong portions. These rhythms may hinder many new readers, but it is just part of what makes Old English translations unique.
The first poem, The Lay of the Volsungs, is about the adventures and history of the Volsung family, as well as Sigmund and Sigurd. It describes the events of the tragedy between Sigurd and Brynhild (one of Odin’s finest Valkyries), as well as how it was linked to several other terrible events, like the needless slaying of the god Otr, the willful deed of Loki, and the extrication of Odin. In the end, all of these events set off a curse that ultimately leads to Sigurd’s death and Brynhild‘s suicide. Even though Odin equipped Sigurd with gear, a horse, and Brynhild (in order to punish the family of Hreidmar for the exaction of Otr’s ransom), in the end, all of his efforts go in vain.
This lay shows many real-life issues and feelings in its storyline, including trust, betrayal, vengeance, conflicting emotions, and the “you can’t have ‘em all” mentality. It mixes all of those issues and emotions into one poem-story that truly reaches into you and evokes feelings towards the characters and the storyline.
There is another poem, The Lay of Gudrun, and this one is about the maiden Gudrun, who is incapable of carrying out plans for almost anything, no matter what intentions Gudrun has for the outcome. Her mother, Grimhild, is the main antagonist in this story. She is skilled in reading minds and hearts and using their weaknesses, so it is no surprise that her will dominates both Gudrun and her older brother, Gunnar. Gunnar is an impatient character and often turns to violence in times of doubt.
Gudrun falls in love with Sigurd, but upon his death, unlike Brynhild, she did not take her own life. When provoked (in this poem-story, by Brynhild), she tends to be reckless, and her mistakes during these rampages sets off a calamitous series of events that ends in the slaying of the Niflung people by Attila and his Hun army (in this poem-story, Atli). Also, due to Atli’s rise in power, Gunnar soon realizes how much Sigurd could help him fend off the Huns.
This lay was meant to be a sequel to The Lay of the Volsungs and shows issues and emotions, such as manipulation, love, vengeance, the weakness of the human psyche, and the disastrous effects that happen as a result of them. Like its prequel, it also mixes them together into an influential poem-story.
In conclusion, this book, containing the two lays: The Lay of the Volsungs and The Lay of Gudrun, is a relatively unique piece of literature, containing Old English interpretations of the two lays. Although their format and diction may be confusing at first, if you can manage to interpret it correctly, it turns into a masterpiece with profound meaning.
