Sigar

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The name Sigar can refer to four people in

Helgi Hjörvarðsson in the eddic lay Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar. The other two appear as the villainous members of the same clan
in several sources.

Icelandic sources

.

[...] the ninth, Sigarr, whence come the Siklings: that is the house of Siggeirr, who was son-in-law of Völsungr,--and the house of Sigarr, who hanged Hagbardr.[1]

In Hversu Noregr byggðist, it is given in more detail that Sigar the elder had two sons, Sigmund and Siggeir who killed Völsung. Sigmund had the son Sigar the younger, who killed Hagbard.

It is told in the Völsunga saga that Sigar the younger was in a feud with Hagbard and Haki and his sons. He had kidnapped one of Haki's daughters and murdered a second:

"Good talk," says

Brynhild says, "The sons of Haki, and Hagbard withal; they brought to pass many a deed of fame in the warfare." Gudrun answers, "Great men certes, and of noble fame! Yet Sigar took their one sister, and burned the other, house and all; and they may be called slow to revenge the deed; why didst thou not name my brethren who are held to be the first of men as at this time?"[2]

Sigar the younger is also mentioned in Háleygjatal (as quoted in Ynglinga saga), where a gallows is referred to as "Sigar's steed" (Sigars jó):

En Guðlaugr
grimman tamdi
við ofrkapp
austrkonunga
Sigars jó,
er synir Yngva
menglötuð
við meið reiddu.
Og náreiðr
á nesi drúpir
vingameiðr,
þar er víkur deilir,
þar er fjölkunnt
um fylkis hreyr
steini merkt,
Straumeyjarnes.[3][4]
By the fierce East-kings' cruel pride,
Gudlog must on the wild horse ride --
The wildest horse you e'er did see:
'Tis Sigur's steed -- the gallows tree.
At Stromones the tree did grow,
Where Gudlog's corpse waves on the bough.
A high stone stands on Stromo's heath,
To tell the gallant hero's death.[5][6]

Gesta Danorum

In Gesta Danorum (book 7), Saxo tells that Sigar had a daughter named Signy. Sigar was in a feud with Haki's brother Hagbard, but was informed by Signy's handmaid, that Hagbard had a secret love affair with Signy. Sigar decided to hang Hagbard, who, however, managed to inform Signy of this. Signy set her house on fire and succumbed in the flames while Hagbard executed himself in the gallows. Sigar tried in vain to save both Hagbard and Signy but failed. His only consolation was to bury the treacherous maid alive.

Gesta Danorum disagrees with the other sources by presenting Sigar as the son of

Geatish king
who became the king of Denmark.

References

  1. ^ CyberSamurai Encyclopedia of Norse Mythology: Prose Edda - Skáldskaparmál (English) Archived 2006-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Eirikr Magnusson
    .
  3. ^ Háleygjatal
  4. ^ "Ynglinga saga at Norrøne Tekster og Kvad". Archived from the original on 2005-12-31. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  5. ^ Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
  6. ^ Laing's translation at Northvegr Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
Legendary titles
Preceded by King of Denmark Succeeded by
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