“ | King Helgi massacred her family just because he couldn't have her. Only her brother, Prince Dagr, survived to kill the mad king. | ” |
King Helgi also known as Helgi Hundingsbane is regarded as a hero in Norse sagas. He is known for his affections towards Princess Sigrún and the responsible for the destruction of the Kingdom Östergötland.
Norse Mythology[]
Helgi appears in Volsunga saga and in two lays in the Poetic Edda named Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Helgakviða Hundingsbana II. The Poetic Edda relates that Helgi and his mistress Sigrún were Helgi Hjörvarðsson and Sváva of the Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar reborn. They were once again reborn as Helgi Haddingjaskati and Kára whose story survives as a part of the Hrómundar saga Gripssonar.
Helgi appears to be the son of Sigmund and Borghild, and only fifteen years old he avenges his father by slaying Hunding, the king of the Saxons. This gives him the cognomen Hunding's bane. He continues with his warlike feats and one day, as he stands aboard his longship, he is visited by a Valkyrie named Sigrún, who can ride through the air and over the sea and who knows well about his feats. She embraces him and kisses him, and he immediately falls in love with her.
However, her father king Högni of Östergötland has promised her to Hothbrodd, the son of king Granmar of Södermanland. Helgi collects a force at Brandey and goes to Granmarr's kingdom. It is retold in detail about the gathering of the forces and of how, in a great battle, Helgi and his brother Sinfjötli fight with Högni, his son Dagr, Granmar and all of Granmar's sons Hothbrodd, Starkad and Gudmund. Everyone dies but Helgi, Sinfjötli and Högni's youngest son Dagr. Sigrún bids an angry farewell to the dying Hothbrodd and cries with happiness when she learns that her whole family is dead but Dagr, who swears allegiance to Helgi.
Sigrún and Helgi marry and they have several sons. Dagr is, however, tormented by the fact that honor demands that he avenge his father. Dagr prays to Odin in return for vengeance. Odin lends him a spear, and he dutifully pierces Helgi with it. Then he goes to Sigrún to give his condolences, which makes her curse him:
- The wind would stop every time he entered a ship.
- The fastest horse would not carry him if he is hunted.
- His sword would wound no one but himself.
She tells Dagr to flee into the woods and to thenceforth live on carrion. Then she buries Helgi in a barrow, but Helgi's soul is already in Valhalla, where Odin tells him to make himself comfortable. Helgi gladly obeys and orders Hunding to feed the pigs, to wash the Einherjar's feet and to do other menial chores.
One evening, someone says that he has seen Helgi ride with a large retinue into his own barrow, and so Sigrún goes to the barrow in order to see Helgi. His hair is covered with frost, his body is sullied with blood and his hands are wet. He explains that this is because every tear she has shed has fallen wet and cold on him. In spite of this, she prepares the bed in his mound and they spend a comfortable and wonderful night together. Before day breaks, Helgi has to return to Valhalla. Sigrún returns home and spends the rest of her life waiting in vain for Helgi to return to his barrow one more time.
In the second verse of Helgakviða Hundingsbana I we learn that the norns weave the destiny of Helgi, son of Borghild, called Great of Heart (Hugumstóri), that he will become the best of the Budlungs, the clan who bore Attila the Hun (Atlí) and Brunhild. Apart from this, Helgi is attributed to two different genealogies in the sagas. He is described as an Ylfing (the Wylfings of Beowulf) in several places, but also as a Völsung since he is described as the son of Sigmund and Borghild and the brother of Sinfjotle and Sigurd. This is probably due to a merger between the legend of the Völsungs and an earlier legend of Helgi Hundingsbane.
Both Högni and Helgi are described as kings of East Götaland, which may seem to be a contradiction. However, in the Heimskringla we learn that Högni was the father-in-law of the Ylfing Hjörvard. Since both are Ylfings or married into the clan, the battle between Helgi and Högni was apparently a civil war.[citation needed] The existence of a civil war may explain why Hjörvard was a sea-king, a man without roof, despite being described by Sögubrot as a former ruler of East Götaland. If so, the legends may be based on a civil war where Högni had usurped the throne from Hjörvard, but was killed by Hjörvard's kinsman Helgi. Correction.... Högni was the father-in-law of Granmer who married his daughter Hilda. Hjörvard was married to Hildagunn daughter of Granmer. Thus Granmer was Hjörvard father in law and Högni his grandfather-in-law. The Völsung origin is most likely a later addition, since the legends of Sigurd describe events in the 5th century and those of Helgi describe events in the 7th century.
God of War Ragnarök[]
King Helgi also known as the Mad King was a King likely near Midgard. During Sigrún's youth, he sought her out for her hand in marriage. However, her father King Högni, who knew of Helgi's true nature, refused to let him marry his daughter. Taking this as a slight, Helgi angrily responded by invading Fjöturlund in an attempt to claim Sigrún by force. On the mad king's orders, his soldiers sacked the kingdom and killed anyone who would dare oppose Helgi's supposed union. During the sacking, most of Sigrún's family, including her parents, were killed leaving only her brother Prince Dagr. Dagr, fueled by rage and honor, swore to avenge his family and keep the mad King away from his sister Sigrún. He later got into a fight with her brother Dagr who successfully impaled Helgi using his spear, killing him. Sigrún, who loved the mad king, and not knowing that he had massacred her family, proceeded to put a curse on her brother Dagr. However, when she finally realized that her lover had killed her family, it was already too late.
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