The world first publication of a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the epic story of the Norse hero, Sigurd, the dragon-slayer, the revenge of his wife, Gudr???n, and the Fall of the Nibelungs. "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 V???lsungs and The New Lay of Gudr???n. In the Lay of the V???lsungs is told the ...
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The world first publication of a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the epic story of the Norse hero, Sigurd, the dragon-slayer, the revenge of his wife, Gudr???n, and the Fall of the Nibelungs. "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 V???lsungs and The New Lay of Gudr???n. In the Lay of the V???lsungs is told the ancestry of the great hero Sigurd, the slayer of F???fnir 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, mother 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 Gudr???n 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 Gudr???n. In the Lay of Gudr???n 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 the V???lsunga 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." - Christopher Tolkien
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Add this copy of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún to cart. $12.97, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2010 by William Morrow & Company.
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JohnL
Jan 17, 2010
Successful retelling of Old Norse story
Tolkein?s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun is a retelling of an Old Norse story that also forms the basis for Wagner?s Ring cycle (in this Sigurd and Gudrun are Siegfreid and Gutrune). Tolkein took the story from two sources: various poems in a manuscript called The Poetic Edda and the Volsunga Saga. The poems directly inspired the form of this poem, which is made up of stanzas of alliterative verse in an episodic and lyrical, rather than continuous, narrative.
The poems of the The Poetic Edda have various differing versions of the story and Tolkein chose from them one version to follow through. The Poetic Edda is also missing the central part of the story which Tolken then takes from the Volsunga Saga. Others will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that of this poem about 30% is direct translation from the Old Norse and 70% is Tolkein, either paraphrasing or inventing.
The volume also contains copious background notes by Tolkein?s son Christopher, which quote various writing of Tolkein, including his useful description of Old English alliterative verse and metre.
I thought that Tolkein?s poem was very effective, and it is difficult to say where the Old Norse ends and Tolkein begins without consulting the notes, which is a mark of its quality. Only in a few places did the poem sound more C20 than C11 to me. I think that no-one will come away disappointed from this volume and it will be appreciated by poetry readers, Tolkein enthusiasts and Old Norse aficionados in equal measure.
