Editing Völsunga saga (section)

==Themes==
===Odin and the supernatural===
Throughout the saga, elements of the supernatural are interwoven into the narrative. One recurring theme is the periodic appearance of [[Odin]], the foremost among Norse deities, associated with "war, wisdom, ecstasy, and poetry".{{sfn|Byock|1990|p=111}} He is typically depicted as a mysterious, hooded old man with one eye.{{sfn|Byock|1990}}{{page needed|date=December 2014}}

Odin appears a number of times to assist characters with his magic and powers. At the start of the saga, he guides his son [[Sigi]] out of the underworld.{{sfn|Morris|Magnússon|1870|loc=Ch.1}} He also sends a wish maiden to Sigi's son [[Rerir]] with an enchanted apple that finally allowed Rerir and his wife to have a child.{{sfn|Byock|1990|pp=35–36}} Later, he appears as an old, one-eyed stranger and sticks his sword into the tree [[Barnstokkr]] during a feast at the palace of King [[Völsung]], declaring that "he who draws this sword out of the trunk shall receive it from me as a gift, and he himself shall prove that he has never carried a better sword than this one", which King Völsung's son [[Sigmund]] does.{{sfn|Byock|1990|p= 38}}

Odin also directly intervenes during key points in the narrative. During a battle, Odin, again in the guise of an old, one-eyed man, breaks Sigmund's sword, turning the tide of the battle and ultimately leading to his death.{{sfn|Byock|1990|p= 53}} He also stabs Brynhild with a sleeping thorn and curses her never to win another battle as an act of revenge for killing Hjalmgunnar, a rival king to whom Odin had promised victory.{{sfn|Byock|1990|p= 67}}

===The ring Andvaranaut===
In the latter half of the saga the ring [[Andvaranaut]] serves as a connection and explanation for the characters' troubles. [[Loki]] killed [[Ótr]], the son of Hreidmar. As compensation for Ótr's death, Loki coerced a dwarf named [[Andvari]] into repaying the debt with gold. Andvari tried to hold onto one gold ring and when Loki forced him to give it up Andvari cursed the ring, saying, "This ring... and indeed the entire treasure, will be the death of whoever owns it." This plays out as one character after another is killed soon after they receive the ring.  Ótr's brother [[Fáfnir]] killed his father in order to get the ring and then turned into a dragon to protect it. Sigurd then kills Fáfnir, taking the ring and giving it to Brynhild. The ring is then brought into Queen [[Grimhild]]'s family after her children marry Sigurd and Brynhild.  The story of the Andvaranaut is thought to have been one of the texts that inspired [[J.R.R Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4z4i78 |title=Clash of the Gods-Tolkien's Monsters – video dailymotion |website=Dailymotion |date=26 October 2016 |access-date=2 December 2019 |archive-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423145818/https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4z4i78?retry |url-status=live }}</ref>