History Literature / TheSagaOfTheVolsungs

* WreckedWeapon: In the battle with King Lyngvi, Sigmund's sword (which he had received from Odin earlier) breaks on Odin's spear when the latter appears in Lyngvi's ranks, thus causing Sigmund to be killed.

* CoolHorse: The stallion Grani, claimed to be a descendant of Odin's own horse Sleipnir.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Sigmund and Sinfjötli escape from the gravemound by using Sigmund's sword to saw through a massive stone slab. Later, Sigurd tests the same blade, reforged into the sword Gram, on an anvil, and slices it in two.

* AnimalTalk: While Sigmund and Sinfjotli are transformed into wolves by two enchanted wolfskins, they can no longer talk but only howl like wolves, yet they understand each other. It is not mentioned whether they can understand ''other'' wolves.
* {{Animorphism}}: Sigmund and Sinfjotli are temporarily transformed into wolves by two cursed wolfskins.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Sigmund and Sinfjotli escape from the gravemound by using Sigmund's sword to saw through a massive stone slab. Later, Sigurd tests the same blade, reforged into the sword Gram, on an anvil, and slices it in two.

* BondVillainStupidity: Siggeir has the sons of Volsung [[ChainedToARock abandoned in the woods]] to perish. This gives Sigmund the opportunity to escape. Apparently Siggeir has [[IdiotBall learned nothing]] from this, as he makes the same mistake again when he has Sigmund and Sinfjotli walled up in a gravemound alive.

* BrotherSisterIncest: Signy in disguise consciously sleeps with her brother Sigmund to conceive Sinfjotli.
* BuriedAlive: King Siggeir has Sigmund and Sinfjotli entombed alive in a gravemound. It doesn't stick.

* CursedWithAwesome: Sigmund and Sinfjotli think the wolf-curse is kinda cool. Only when Sinfjotli is wounded Sigmund feels being wolves is a disadvantage, as not having hands makes it much more difficult to tend Sinfjotli's wound.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The author must have been well aware of the shock value of such scenes as Brynhild ordering {{human sacrifice}}s for Sigurd's funeral, Signy making Sigmund and Sinfjotli kill her own children, and Gudrun killing her sons by Atli and serving their cooked hearts to their father.

* ForcedTransformation: When Sigmund and Sinfjotli cover themselves in the wolfskins they robbed from two outlaws, they are transformed into werewolves.

* GoldFever: As prophecied by Andvari (and later by Fafnir), the cursed gold hoard of Andvari frequently causes bloodshed:

* {{Outlaw}}: Sigi is outlawed in his home country for the murder of Bredi the thrall; Sigmund and Sinfjotli live as outlaws in Gautland for years until they take revenge on Siggeir.
* PerfectPoison: After drinking the poisoned cup given to him by Borghild, Sinfjotli drops dead instantly (though it deserves mention that he sensed the poison because it made the ale cloudy).

* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Two times Sinfjotli declines the poisoned cup offered to him by his stepmother Borghild. The third time, he drinks it, even though he knows it is poisoned. It looks like he was [[DeathSeeker tired running.]]

* TykeBomb: Sinfjotli is conceived and raised for no other reason than to exact vengeance on Siggeir.

* VolleyingInsults: Between Sinfjotli and the coast guard Granmar.

In the early 13th century, the ''Völsunga saga'' was [[AdaptationalExpansion adapted and expanded]] into the ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'' by an anonymous author. Despite having been written down earlier, it contains anachronistic alterations not present in the versions recorded in the ''Völsunga saga'' and ''Literature/TheEddas'', which are thought to preserve earlier elements of the story. In 1888, Creator/WilliamMorris made a translation that can be read [[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Volsungs here.]]

Creator/JRRTolkien also adapted much of it into a novel-length epic poem called ''The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún'', taking a bit of creative license to fit the tone of [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium his own legendarium]].

* BalefulPolymorph: When Sigmund and Sinfjotli cover themselves in the wolfskins they robbed from two outlaws, they are transformed into werewolves.

* PyrrhicVillainy: Despite everything Grimhild undertakes to increase the power of the Gjukungs, her deceptive schemes only lead to disaster, and in fact result in the Gjukungs' extermination in the end.

* DevilInDisguise: The old man appears in the battle of Sigmund with King Lyngvi and causes Sigmund's sword to break is Odin.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Atli is none other than UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun, and has received a HistoricalVillainUpgrade relative to his portrayal as Etzel in the ''Literature/Nibelungenlied''.

* ArtShift: Chapter XXII abandons the terse and plot-driven Norse saga style and switches to a much more florid and exuberant style to hold forth at length about Sigurd's attire, virtues, and general heroism. Then, the narrative shifts back to the old tyle. The reason is that the chapter is a translation from a German manuscript on Siegfried, which was borrowed into the saga with few changes.

** Helgi's sons are never named nor mentioned more than once. By Sigurd's time, it seems that all the other Volsungs have died (except [[RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons Aslaug]]). But if that's true, then how did the children die?

** Helgi's sons are never named nor mentioned more than once. By Sigurd's time, it seems that all the other Volsungs have died (except [[RagnarLothbrokandHisSons Aslaug]]). But if that's true, then how did the children die?

** Helgi's sons are never named nor mentioned more than once. By Sigurd's time, it seems that all the other Volsungs have died (except [[RagnarLothbrokAndHisSons Aslaug]]). But if that's true, then how did the children die?

** Helgi's sons are never named nor mentioned more than once. By Sigurd's time, it seems that all the other Volsungs have died (except [[RagnarLothbrokAndHisSons Aslaug). But if that's true, then how did the children die?

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There was a [[ArtifactOfDoom cursed ring called Andvaranaut]] somewhere. Wait, where did it get?