List Of Books The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
Title | : | The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún |
Author | : | J.R.R. Tolkien |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
Published | : | May 2009 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published 2009) |
Categories | : | Fantasy. Poetry. Mythology. Fiction. Classics |

J.R.R. Tolkien
Hardcover | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.84 | 6624 Users | 386 Reviews
Narrative To Books The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
Many years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien composed his own version, now published for the first time, of the great legend of Northern antiquity, in two closely related poems to which he gave the titles The New Lay of the Völsungs and The New Lay of Gudrún.In the "Lay of the Völsungs" is told the ancestry of the great hero Sigurd, the slayer of Fáfnir most celebrated of dragons, whose treasure he took for his own; of his awakening of the Valkyrie Brynhild, who slept surrounded by a wall of fire, and of their betrothal; and of his coming to the court of the great princes who were named the Niflungs (or Nibelungs), with whom he entered into blood-brotherhood. In that court there sprang great love but also great hate, brought about by the power of the enchantress of the Niflungs, skilled in the arts of magic, of shape-changing and potions of forgetfulness.
In scenes of dramatic intensity, of confusion of identity, thwarted passion, jealousy, and bitter strife, the tragedy of Sigurd and Brynhild, of Gunnar the Niflung and Gudrún his sister, mounts to its end in the murder of Sigurd at the hands of his blood-brothers, the suicide of Brynhild, and the despair of Gudrún. In the "Lay of Gudrún" her fate after the death of Sigurd is told, her marriage against her will to the mighty Atli, ruler of the Huns (the Attila of history), his murder of her brothers the Niflung lords, and her hideous revenge.
Deriving his version primarily from his close study of the ancient poetry of Norway and Iceland known as the Poetic Edda (and where no old poetry exists, from the later prose work Völsunga Saga), J.R.R. Tolkien employed a verse-form of short stanzas whose lines embody in English the exacting alliterative rhythms and the concentrated energy of the poems of the Edda.
Declare Books In Pursuance Of The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
Original Title: | The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún |
ISBN: | 0007317255 (ISBN13: 9780007317257) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | Sigurd, Gudrún |
Setting: | Germany |
Rating Of Books The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
Ratings: 3.84 From 6624 Users | 386 ReviewsEvaluate Of Books The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
One of my favourite tales of all time is that of the heroic lays in the Poetic Edda. It tells of Sigurd the Dragonslayer, Brynhild the Valkyrie and Gudrun the Burgundqueen. Its a story that spans centuries and have a different folktale version all over europe, though the most famous is that of the Poetic Edda, and the German Nibelungenlied.I was psyched when I saw that Tolkien had worked on a translation of this, and even more so when I realised that there were notes and -imagine this- his ownJ.R.R. Tolkien's interpretation of two ancient epic poems, the "Lay of the Volsungs" and the "Lay of Gudrun," from the Poetic Edda of the Icelandic peoples in maybe the 13th century. Tolkien's son Christopher compiled and edited his father's work on them, and presents the finished volume as some kind of crazy combination of mind-crushingly detailed Norse poetics primer and loosey-goosey fantasy passion project. It's hard to know what you're reading.The preface is pretty cool occasionally, as
A story about love, betrayal, death & sorrow. Written in verse in two parts. The Lay Of Sigurd and The Lay Of Gudrun. The lays written by J.R.R. Tolkien and after each Lay a commentary from his son Christopher Tolkien. Written similar to a psychology paper, explaining each stanza and referencing where it came from. Tolkien based most of his work off Norse Mythology and he based most of his life's work off of it. From this he created Middle Earth. I know some people are not a fan of his work

Aside from being a legendary figure who pretty much defined high fantasy as we know it today, J.R.R. Tolkien was a scholar whose main interests were Old English and Old Norse literature. "The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún" leans very heavily on those interests, and not at all on epic quests of elves and hobbits.I mention this because I was checking out the other reviews for this and I got the feeling that some people might expect this to be fantasy in the sense in which the Peter Jackson movies
Yes, five stars. That good? you ask. Yup, I think so. Let me explain.Anyone that knows about Norse legend knows that the sources present pretty much the opposite of a cohesive narrative. Between the Völsung Saga (c. 1200s), the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), and the older multi-authored and anachronistically titled Poetic Edda (850-1050), which is largely composed of one manuscript called the Codex Regius, which is itself multi-authored by poets over a vast range of years, one can
Pure Tolkien classic. Excellent example of Tom Shippey's idea of "writing into the gap"
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun showcases two fantastic epic poems infused with tragedy and blood. They are both powerful and full of gut-wrenching sorrow. These are Tolkiens versions of the legends written with his own masterful penmanship and attention to detail. He has translated ancient poetry into English, making it feel modern and slick; yet, he captures all the history and lore that come with such historical tales. Its a real feat of writing. Of all of Tolkiens poetical works, I think
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