[EN#25]—The Winning of Brunhild.
The story of the outwitting of Brunhild, as related in the pages which follow, is essentially the same as that given in the Nibelungen Lied. It is quite different from the older versions.
[EN#26]—Sif.
Sif corresponds to the Ceres of the Southern mythology. (See Grimm, p. 309.) The story of Loki and the Dwarfs is derived from the Younger Edda. It has been beautifully rendered by the German poet Oelenschlager, a translation of whose poem on this subject may be found in Longfellow’s Poets and Poetry of Europe.
[EN#27]—Eigill.
Eigill is the original William Tell. The story is related in the Saga of Thidrik. For a full history of the Tell myth, see Grimm’s Teutonic Mythology, p. 380, and Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, p. 110.
[EN#28]—Welland the Smith.
The name of this smith is variously given as Weland, Wieland, Welland, Volundr, Velint etc. The story is found in the Vilkina Saga, and was one of the most popular of middle age myths. (See Grimm’s Mythology.) Sir Walter Scott, in his novel of Kenilworth, has made use of this legend in introducing the episode of Wayland Smith.
[EN#29]—Vidar[FN#1] the Silent.
“Vidar is the name of the silent Asa. He has a very thick shoe, and he is the strongest next to Thor. From him the gods have much help in all hard tasks.”—The Younger Edda (Anderson’s translation).