J. F. Campbell Collection > Völsunga saga

PREFACE. vii
as we think, left untouched by the Sagaman, as
its interest is of itself too great not to encumber
the progress of the main story ; for the sake of
its wonderful beauty however, we could not refrain
from rendering it, and it will be found first among
the metrical translations that form the second
part of this book.
Of the next part of the Saga, the deaths of
Sinfjotli and Sigmund, and the journey of Queen
Hjordis to the court of King Alf, there is no trace
left of any metrical origin ; but we meet the Edda
once more where Regin tells the tale of his kin to
Sigurd, and where Sigurd defeats and slays the
sons of Hunding : this lay is known as the Lay of
Regin.
The short chap. xvi. is abbreviated from a
long poem called the Prophecy of Gripir (the
Grifir of the Saga), where the whole story to come
is told with some detail, and which certainly, if
drawn out at length into the prose, would have
forestalled the interest of the tale.
In the slaying of the Dragon the Saga adheres
very closely to the Lay of Fafnir ; for the in-
sertion of the song of the birds to Sigurd the
present translators are responsible.