to the palace the
brave little troop fell into Siggeir's ambush, and, although they
fought with heroic courage, they were so borne down by the superior
number of their foes that Volsung was slain and all his sons were
made captive. The young men were led bound into the presence of the
cowardly Siggeir, who had taken no part in the fight, and Sigmund
was forced to relinquish his precious sword, after which he and his
brothers were condemned to death.

Signy, hearing the cruel sentence, vainly interceded for her brothers:
all she could obtain by her prayers and entreaties was that they should
be chained to a fallen oak in the forest, to perish of hunger and
thirst if the wild beasts should spare them. Then, lest she should
visit and succour her brothers, Siggeir confined his wife in the
palace, where she was closely guarded night and day.

Every morning early Siggeir himself sent a messenger into the forest
to see whether the Volsungs were still living, and every morning
the man returned saying a monster had come during the night and had
devoured one of the princes, leaving nothing but his bones. At last,
when none but Sigmund remained alive, Signy thought of a plan, and
she prevailed on one of her servants to carry some honey into the
forest and smear it over her brother's face and mouth.

When the wild beast came that night, attracted by the smell of the
honey, it licked Sigmund's face, and even thrust its tongue into
his mouth. Clinching his teeth upon it, Sigmund, weak and wounded
as he was, held on to the animal, and in its frantic struggles his
bonds gave way, and he succeeded in slaying the prowling beast who
had devoured his brothers. Then he vanished into the forest, where
he remained concealed until the king's messenger had come as usual,
and until Signy, released from captivity, came speeding to the forest
to weep over her kinsmen's remains.

Seeing her intense grief, and knowing that she had not participated
in Siggeir's cruelty, Sigmund stole out of his place of concealment
and comforted her as best he could. Together they then buried the
whitening bones, and Sigmund registered a solemn oath to avenge
his family's wrongs. This vow was fully approved by Signy, who,
however, bade her brother bide a favourable time, promising to send
him aid. Then the brother and sister sadly parted, she to return to
her distasteful palace home, and he to a remote part of the forest,
where he built a tiny hut and plied the