The Völsunga saga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Volsung clan (including the story of Sigurd and Brynhild and destruction of the Burgundians). It is largely based on epic poetry. The earliest known representation of this tradition is in pictoral form as the Ramsund carving, Sweden, which was created c. 1000 AD.

The matter is considerably older, however, and it is loosely based on real events in Central Europe during the 5th century and the 6th century.

The Middle High German epic poem Nibelungenlied is based largely on the old stories, which were commonly known in all of the Germanic lands from the early Middle Ages on, but reworks the material into a courtly medieval setting.

A story based on the Volsunga Saga was written by Melvin Burgess, called Bloodtide. Many of the features in the original saga make an appearance, with a few differences in characters, settings and story.

External links

• Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda and Völsunga saga in Old Norse from «Kulturformidlingen norrøne tekster og kvad» Norway.
• Read the Volsunga Saga Here, translated by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson.
• Timeless Myths: Volsunga Saga
• The Story of Sigurd. The Volsunga Saga retold by Andrew Lang.