6 h 32 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A sword waits in a tree, a dragon guards cursed gold, and honor leaves little room for mercy.
The Story of the Volsungs follows a family that claims descent from Odin through generations of feuds, curses, and broken oaths. Sigmund and his twin sister Signy face a world where loyalty demands revenge, and turning back from danger can seem worse than death.
Sigurd grows up with the smith Regin, whose desire for a dragon's gold draws the young warrior toward danger. Brynhild, a sleeping warrior behind shields and fire, brings honor into sharp focus. This Icelandic prose saga moves fast, letting deeds and choices carry feelings it rarely stops to explain.
What you’ll discover
- A sword in wood Enter a world where Odin's gifts bind a family's story to danger and fate.
- The cost of vengeance Follow Signy as family loyalty drives her toward a long and costly revenge.
- Gold worth fearing Meet Regin and Sigurd, drawn toward treasure guarded by a dragon and shadowed by a curse.
- Honor above comfort Discover Brynhild, whose fierce regard for honor gives the saga's bonds of oath their weight.
- Roots of familiar fantasy Explore Norse stories that later inspire Wagner's Ring operas and parts of Tolkien's invented worlds.
Who will love it
For readers who love myth, fantasy, and epic tales of dragons and cursed gold, and anyone curious about the Norse stories behind Wagner and Tolkien.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sword in the tree starts everything
- Revenge is planned over many years
- Sigmund and Sinfjotli live as wolves
- Sigurd, the dragon, and the cursed gold
- Brynhild, Gudrun, and the bonds of oath
- Fate, honor, and how the saga speaks
Who’s who
- SigmundSon of Volsung and twin of Signy, he alone draws Odin's sword from the tree and lives to avenge his family.
- SignyVolsung's daughter, forced into marriage with Siggeir, she plots a long and costly vengeance for her father and brothers.
- SigurdSigmund's son, raised by the smith Regin, he becomes a dragon slayer and the most admired warrior of his age.
- BrynhildA valkyrie punished by Odin, she lies asleep behind a wall of shields until Sigurd comes, and she values honor above comfort.
- GudrunDaughter of King Giuki, she marries into the center of the story and has to live with the actions of her brothers.
- ReginA skilled smith and Sigurd's foster father, he wants the dragon's gold and sends Sigurd to win it.
- OdinThe one-eyed god appears in disguise to give weapons and advice, and he shapes the fate of the Volsung line.
- GrimhildGiuki's wife, a skilled sorceress, she wants the great hero Sigurd for her family and uses magic to secure him.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 32 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Die Saga der Wölsungen in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Die Saga der Wölsungen
by Unbekannt · 1270
A sword in a tree and a cursed ring draw Odin's descendants into a world of revenge, loyalty, and broken oaths.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A sword in the tree starts everything
The saga begins with Odin's descendants. King Volsung rules in the land of the Huns and has ten sons and one daughter. The daughter is Signy, and her twin brother is Sigmund. The family lives in a great hall built around a huge tree called Branstock, whose trunk rises through the roof.
Signy is promised in marriage to Siggeir, king of Gautland. At the wedding feast, a tall one-eyed stranger in a hooded cloak walks in. He is Odin, though no one says so at the time. He drives a sword into the trunk up to the hilt and says that whoever can draw it out may keep it.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Die Saga der Wölsungen
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Volsunga Saga about?
It tells the history of the Volsung family, descended from Odin, across several generations. It covers a feud, a magic sword, the hero Sigurd's killing of the dragon Fafnir, a cursed ring, and the tragic bonds of love and oath.
Who is Sigurd in Norse mythology?
Sigurd is the son of Sigmund and the main hero of the second half of the saga. He kills the dragon Fafnir, takes its gold, and wakes the valkyrie Brynhild. He is the Norse form of Siegfried.
Is the Volsunga Saga a true story?
No. It is a legendary saga, though it may echo vague memories of people and events from the migration age. It was written down in Iceland in the thirteenth century from older oral stories and poems.
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in myths & legends
See all
Free
Free
