_He who is without fear can do marvelous things. The faint heart is
defeated before the battle begins._
Many years ago there lived in the Netherlands a king named
Siegmund. When he died he gave his broken sword to his queen
telling her to give it to his little son when he became a man. Now,
this was a magic sword which had come from Odin, and which no one
but Odin could break. Odin had appeared in battle and had shattered
the sword in Siegmund’s hand, and had wounded him to death. The
name of the sword was “Gram,” which means Wrath.
The young prince was named Siegfried. He grew up to be a man of
great strength and was without fear. No other could handle a sword
so well as he. When he was old enough his mother gave him his
father’s broken sword and took him to a cunning smith who could
make swords so sharp that they would cut iron and never turn an
edge. The smith was named Mimer.
Mimer told Siegfried strange stories of the dwarfs under the earth,
and of the golden treasures of the Nibelings guarded by a dragon,
and of a helmet which made the wearer invisible, and of a ring that
gave the owner power over all the earth. The dragon’s name was
Fafnir, and he was very dreadful. His eyes shot fire, and smoke
came out of his nostrils, and his tail could cut down a forest tree
at one blow. His tongue was like a sword, and his claws were sharp
as steel.
“I have no fear of the dragon,” said Siegfried. “What is fear?”
At this Mimer started up, for there was an old legend that said
the dragon should be slain by a youth who had no fear. Mimer and
Siegfried began to make a sword. They mended the broken sword of
Siegfried’s father so well that when Siegfried struck the anvil he
split it half in two, but the edge was not dulled. Then it cut a
lock of wool that lay upon it, by its own weight. It was indeed a
sword fit to slay the terrible Fafnir.
They went to a great hollow in the mountain side and waited for
Fafnir to come down. Siegfried blew his horn so loudly that the
echoes rang far into the valley. The dragon heard him and came
crashing down his path. He was on his way to the river. He saw
Siegfried: “Ah!” said he, “I was looking for drink, but I also find
food!” At that he made a lunge at Siegfried.
But Siegfried was not to be caught. As the dragon leaped across
the chasm, the young prince jumped into it, and thrust his sword
up from below into the body of the monster. The sword pierced the
heart of the dragon and he lay dead across the chasm. The dragon’s
blood touched Siegfried’s lips and suddenly he felt a wonderful
change. He heard the voice of a bird telling him where the treasure
was. He followed the voice, found the treasure, the helmet, and the
ring of which Mimer had told him, and was now ready for the many
adventures which befell him.