Signy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Antarctic island of Signy, one of the South Orkneys, click here.
| Volsung Cycle |
|---|
| Volsunga saga |
| Poetic Edda |
| Norna-Gests þáttr |
| Artifacts |
| Andvarinaut |
| Gram |
| Dwarves |
| Andvari |
| Hreidmar |
| Otr |
| Regin |
| Dragon |
| Fafnir |
| People |
| Volsung |
| Sigmund |
| Signy |
| Sinfjötli |
| Helgi Hundingsbane |
| Sigurd |
| Brynhild |
| Gudrun |
| Attila |
| Gunnar |
| Locations |
| Gautland |
| Hunaland |
| Related |
| Nibelungenlied |
| Hagbard and Signy |
Signy is the name of two heroines in two connected legends from Scandinavian mythology which were very popular in medieval Scandinavia. Both appear in the Völsunga saga, which was adapted into other works such as Wagner's Ring, including its famous opera The Valkyrie.
The first Signy was the daughter of king Völsung. She was married to the villainous Geatish king Siggeir who has her whole family murdered, except for her brother Sigmund. She saves her brother, has an incestuous affair with him and bears the son Sinfjötli. She burnt herself to death with her hated husband.
The second Signy is the daughter of king Siggeir's nephew Sigar. She fell in love with the sea-king Hagbard, and promised him that she would not live if he died. They were discovered and Hagbard was sentenced to be hanged. Hagbard managed to signal this to Signy who set her house on fire and died in the flames whereupon Hagbard hanged himself in the gallows, see Hagbard and Signy for more.
A third Signy is the daughter of a witch named Grid in Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra. They are both delivered from a curse by a young man named Illugi.
A fourth Signy was Hroðgar's sister in Skjöldunga saga and Hrólfr Kraki's saga. She is unnamed in Beowulf.
