Borghild
Encyclopedia
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.
. 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.". 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." .
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
. 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?". 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.". 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 , 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.
References:
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, Borghild was the first wife of Sigmund
Sigmund
This article is about the mythological hero Sigmund; for other meanings see: Sigmund .In Norse mythology, Sigmund is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod...
. 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.
Volsungasaga
Borghild is the step-mother of SinfjotliSinfjötli
Sinfjötli or Fitela in Norse mythology was born out of the incestuous relationship between Sigmund and his sister Signy...
. 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.". 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
Sigmund
This article is about the mythological hero Sigmund; for other meanings see: Sigmund .In Norse mythology, Sigmund is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod...
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." .
Serving the drink was characteristic of the shieldmaiden
Shieldmaiden
A shieldmaiden was a woman who had chosen to fight as a warrior in Scandinavian folklore and mythology. They are often mentioned in sagas such as Hervarar saga and in Gesta Danorum. Shieldmaidens also appear in stories of other Germanic nations: Goths, Cimbri, and Marcomanni. The mythical Valkyries...
in the stories about Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
. 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?". 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.". 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.
See Also
- Volsungasaga
- VikingVikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
- SagaSagaSagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...
- SigurdSigurdSigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
- Helgi
- SinfjotliSinfjötliSinfjötli or Fitela in Norse mythology was born out of the incestuous relationship between Sigmund and his sister Signy...
- SigmundSigmundThis article is about the mythological hero Sigmund; for other meanings see: Sigmund .In Norse mythology, Sigmund is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod...
References:
- Saga of the Volsungs "The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer" with introduction and translation by Jesse Byock