A retelling of the Norse legend of the Volsungs, derived from the Poetic Edda, rendered in expressive yet accessible modern prose:

His home is conquered,
His father slain,
His mother enslaved,
And the boy is hidden.

Taken by the Dwarven smith Reginn into the mountain’s densest forest,
Sigurd, Blood of Odin and heir to the Volsung throne,
Devotes himself to study and training,
So that he may reclaim his birthright.

This is the tale of the mightiest of Norse heroes,
Growing from keen-witted boy to wizened man,
From outcast and vagabond to rightful king restored.

The slayer of the dragon Fafnir,
The hunter of raging Jotun and fierce vargr,
He who rescues the entrapped Valkyrie from her enchanted slumber,
And who may yet defeat the clan’s age-old enemy,
And rout the Hunding hoards,
And so thwart sly Loki’s schemes.