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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 4 page paper discusses the deaths of Sigurd the Volsung and the Greek hero Achilles. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVSigAch.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Well begin with Sigurd. Anyone who knows opera will immediately recognize the characters of Sigurd and Brynhild in William Morriss poem "Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs"
as Siegfried and Brunnhilde in Wagners "Ring" cycle. The poem will also remind readers strongly of "Beowulf," with its Northern setting, brave warrior, and battles. In fact, Morriss poem is
a retelling of a story "of which an Icelandic version, the "Volsunga Saga, written in the twelfth century, is one of the worlds masterpieces" (Mackail). The Volsunga is the "great
epic of Northern Europe, just as the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer are the chief epics of ancient Greece" (Mackail). Its fitting therefore to examine the death of Sigurd in
connection with the death of Achilles, who plays such an important part in Greek mythology. In Morriss poem, as in Wagners operas, Sigurd loves Brynhild but is tricked into drinking
a love potion which makes him fall in love with another woman, Gudrun. With no memory of Brynhild or their love, Sigurd goes to Brynhild to win her as wife
to another man, King Gunnar (Morris). Brynhild of course is furious and although she marries Gunnar and Sigurd marries Gudrun, Brynhild determines to destroy Sigurd. She says that she has
a favor to ask and makes the king promise that he will keep his word. He does, and asks her what she wants; she says "To slay," she said, "is
the deed, to slay a King ere the morn, / And the name is Sigurd the Volsung, my love and thy brother sworn" (Morris). Trapped by his promise, the king
sent a warrior, Guttorm, to kill Sigurd (Morris). He made two attempts but each time could not bring himself to strike; finally, on his third attempt he ran Sigurd through,
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