J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a fascinating creation by the great author of The Lord of the Rings, written before his well-known works and long forgotten and unpublished until recently, preserved only in manuscript form within a family archive.
Drawing on the most famous Germanic legend—one that also inspired Richard Wagner’s greatest operas—Tolkien recounts, in his distinctive style and with incomparable language, the adventures of Sigurd, the dragon-slaying hero, and his tragic relationship with two powerful and beautiful women: the Valkyrie Brynhild and Princess Gudrún.
It is a tale of gods and warriors, fierce battles, passionate love, and family tragedy, one that is sure to delight both devoted readers of the Professor and those encountering his work for the first time.
With a bilingual presentation of the lays, both in English and in their Greek metrical rendering, accompanied by introductions and commentary based on the lectures and academic studies of the professor, and with explanatory notes by his son Christopher, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún offers a striking presentation of the myths and heroic traditions of the distant North. It stands alongside the finest known works of the great author J. R. R. Tolkien and reflects the editorial contribution of Christopher Tolkien.
