d the naked blade shone out
As high o'er his head he shook it: for the sword had come away
From the grip of the heart of the Branstock, as though all loose
it lay."

Nearly all present were gratified at the success of the young prince;
but Siggeir's heart was filled with envy, and he coveted possession of
the weapon. He offered to purchase it from his young brother-in-law,
but Sigmund refused to part with it at any price, declaring that it
was clear that the weapon had been intended for him to wear. This
refusal so offended Siggeir that he secretly resolved to exterminate
the proud Volsungs, and to secure the divine sword at the same time
that he indulged his hatred towards his new kinsmen.

Concealing his chagrin, however, he turned to Volsung and cordially
invited him to visit his court a month later, together with his sons
and kinsmen. The invitation was immediately accepted, and although
Signy, suspecting evil, secretly sought her father while her husband
slept, and implored him to retract his promise and stay at home,
he would not consent to withdraw his plighted word and so exhibit fear.

Siggeir's Treachery

A few weeks after the return of the bridal couple, therefore, Volsung's
well-manned vessels arrived within sight of Siggeir's shores. Signy
had been keeping anxious watch, and when she perceived them she
hastened down to the beach to implore her kinsmen not to land,
warning them that her husband had treacherously planned an ambush,
whence they could not escape alive. But Volsung and his sons, whom
no peril could daunt, calmly bade her return to her husband's palace,
and donning their arms they boldly set foot ashore.

"Then sweetly Volsung kissed her: 'Woe am I for thy sake,
But Earth the word hath hearkened, that yet unborn I spake;
How I ne'er would turn me backward from the sword or fire of bale;
--I have held that word till to-day, and to-day shall I change
the tale?
And look on these thy brethren, how goodly and great are they,
Wouldst thou have the maidens mock them, when this pain hath
passed away
And they sit at the feast hereafter, that they feared the deadly
stroke?
Let us do our day's work deftly for the praise and glory of folk;
And if the Norns will have it that the Volsung kin shall fail,
Yet I know of the deed that dies not, and the name that shall
ever avail.'"

It befell as Signy had said, for on their way