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Fáfnir

Fáfnir, also spelled Fafnir in some traditions, is a dragon in Norse mythology prominent in the Völsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. He is associated with a hoard of gold and a ring that originate from Andvari the dwarf, and the treasure is said to carry a curse that brings doom to its possessors. The story places Fáfnir as a creature driven by greed to guard the wealth, which he acquires after the theft or seizure of the hoard.

In the myth, Fáfnir’s hoard is tied to the gold of Andvari. Regin, a smith who plays

Fáfnir’s death is a central episode in the Völsung narrative, illustrating themes of greed, fate, and the

a
key
role
in
the
saga,
guides
the
hero
Sigurd
in
the
task
of
slaying
Fáfnir.
Sigurd
kills
the
dragon
with
a
sword
forged
by
Regin,
stabbing
it
in
the
heart
as
the
dragon
lies
coiled
around
the
treasure.
After
slaying
Fáfnir,
Sigurd
tastes
the
dragon’s
blood
and
gains
the
ability
to
understand
the
speech
of
birds,
a
divinatory
gift
that
aids
him
in
the
pursuit
of
the
treasure
and
the
subsequent
events
of
the
legend.
Sigurd
then
claims
the
hoard.
peril
of
excessive
wealth.
The
tale
is
referenced
in
various
medieval
Icelandic
sources
and
later
adapted
in
other
literary
traditions.
In
broader
Western
myth,
the
figure
of
Fáfnir
(often
rendered
as
Fafnir)
influenced
later
dragon-slaying
motifs
and
appears
in
adaptations
such
as
Richard
Wagner’s
Ring
Cycle,
where
the
dragon
is
a
key
element
of
the
same
legendary
lineage.