In Norse mythology, Borghild was the first wife of Sigmund. She bore him two sons, Hamund and Helgi. She is the personification of the evening mist, or perhaps the moon, who kills the light of day.
Borghild is the step-mother of Sinfjotli. Sinfjotli "saw a lovely woman and strongly desired to have her. The brother of Borghild , the wife of King Sigmund, had also asked for her hand."[1]. Sinfjotli fought the brother in a contest to win the maiden's hand, and Sinfjotli won. He became very famous. When he came home, he told his father Sigmund what had happened. Sigmund then told Borghild, and Borghild wanted Sinfjotli to leave the kingdom for killing her brother. Sigmund defended Sinfjotli, but offered to pay Borghild compensation. This was a generous offer, similar to Hrafnkel's offer to Thorbjorn for the death of Einar in Hrafnkel's Saga. Borghild, however, was not placated by this and said "You shall decide, sir, as is fitting." [2].
Borghild then arranged a funeral feast for her brother, and she served the drink.
Serving the drink was characteristic of the shieldmaiden in the stories about Valhalla [3]. She tells Sinfjotli to drink, but he says it is poisined, and Sigmund takes it instead. Borghild makes fun of Sinfjotli saying, "Why should other men drink ale for you?"[4]. She then orders him to drink a second time, but Sinfjotli won't and Signmund drinks it again. Borghild dares him a third time, saying that he should "drain it, if he had the heart of a Volsung."[5]. Sigmund is drunk at this point and isn't thinking clearly, so he also bids Sinfjotli to drink. Sinfjotli drank it and died. Sigmund was furious that his wife killed his son, so he drove Borghild out of the kingdom. Borghild died shortly after that.
The reason why Borghild's poison worked on Sinfjotli and not Sigmund was because of the Volsung blood. According to legend, the Volsung family decended from Odin [6], and were therefore part god. Sigmund had more god-like blood in him than Sinfjotli, so Sigmund could withstand the poison, and Sinfjotli could not.
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