These Songs from the Elder Edda we will now briefly compare with
the prose of the Volsung Story, premising that these are the only
metrical sources existing of those from which the Sagaman told
his tale.
Except for the short snatch on p. 24 (1) of our translation,
nothing is now left of these till we come to the episode of Helgi
Hundings-bane, Sigurd's half-brother; there are two songs left
relating to this, from which the prose is put together; to a
certain extent they cover the same ground; but the latter half of
the second is, wisely 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".
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