And of their eyes
Precious stones he formed,
Which to Nidud’s
Wily wife he sent.
But of the teeth
Of the two
Breast ornaments he made,
And to Bodvild sent.”
Lay of Völund (Thorpe’s tr.).
These gifts were joyfully accepted, as the royal family did not suspect whence they came; for they fancied the youths had drifted out to sea, where they had been drowned. Some time after this, Bodvild, wishing to have her ring repaired, also visited the smith’s hut, where, while waiting for it, she unsuspectingly partook of a magic drug, which sent her to sleep and left her in Völund’s power. His last act of vengeance accomplished, Völund donned the pair of wings which he had cunningly fashioned to effect his escape, and grasping his sword and ring slowly rose up in the air. He flew to the palace, and, perched there out of reach, he confessed all his crimes to Nidud. The king, beside himself with rage, summoned Egil, Völund’s brother, who had also fallen into his power, and bade him use his marvelous skill as an archer to bring down the impudent bird. Obeying a signal from Völund, Egil aimed for a protuberance under his wing where a bladder full of the young princes’ blood was concealed, and Völund flew triumphantly away, declaring that Odin would give his sword to Sigmund—a prediction which was duly fulfilled.