was her skin as the froth of sea waves, and her opening eyes were as blue as a mountain lake.

"Who waketh me?" she asked, low and soft as in a dream. "Is it thou, Siegfried, son of Sigmund, slayer 5 of Fafnir?"

"It is I," he answered, "tell me thy name."

"I am Brynhild, Valkyr (war maiden) of Odin. Me he sends forth when men strive in battle. And I give victory to some, according as he commands, and I bear 10 the brave men who are slain to the city of the gods. But I was disobedient to his word, and gave victory to one whom he did not favor. Therefore he cast a deep sleep upon me, and placed me within this circle of fire. And this punishment is laid upon me, that never more 15 shall I choose the slain; that now I am mortal and must

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suffer woe, even as the children of men; that I shall wed but a mortal and bear the bitter things of life. But this have I vowed since I must wed- I will lay my hand only in that of a man who knows no fear."

"Surely," said Siegfried, "thou art both fair and wise. Tell me of wisdom and love during this day that I may spend with thee." And Brynhild told him of the secret wisdom of the gods and of many things hidden from men. Through this and through his knowledge of bird-speech 25 became Siegfried wise above all men.

Now, when the day was ended, the Volsung stood before the Valkyr, and in his deep voice, like unto the

music of a mountain torrent, said: "I am he that knoweth no fear. I swear that thou, Brynhild, art near to my heart, and none will I wed but thee."

Then she answered, "Thee do I choose before all the sons of men, O Siegfried."

So he set upon her finger the red-gold ring of Andvari. And thus began the Valkyr's sorrow; yet, having the love of the best of the Volsungs, she would not change it for mortal joy.

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Now when the new day was come, Siegfried arose and 10 clad him in the golden armor of the Hoard, whereon was drawn the image of that dragon which he slew, and upon his red-gold hair he set the helmet with its dragon crest.

"Fair love!" he said, kissing Brynhild between the eyes, "I must go forth to do the deeds that await me 15 and to meet the fate that is set. Yet ere long will I seek thee in thy sister's home."

But Brynhild sorrowed and answered low, "Woe is me, my hero; for thee and me will be no bridal until our death-day join us. Thou wilt wed a daughter of the 20 Southland folk. We must go our ways apart."

Then Siegfried laughed and kissed her, saying: "Sweetheart, thou art sad at our parting. Thou, daughter of the gods, knowest full well that what will be must be, and naught can mortals change when the 25 fates have spoken.'

M

KATHERINE F. BOULT: Heroes of the Norselands.

HELPS TO STUDY

Brynhild's sorrowful prophecy came true. Siegfried's journeys carried him to the great city of Worms in the Rhineland, where dwelt the white-armed Gudrun and her brother Gunner, who possessed the golden Hoard of the Nibelungs. Siegfried married Gudrun, and Brynhild, in revenge, plotted his death. While the hero was drinking at a spring, Hagen stole up behind and struck him on the one spot between his shoulders where the dead leaf had lodged when Fafnir's blood had gushed over him. So died Siegfried, but the golden Hoard that Hagen coveted was given back to the Rhine Maidens. It is said that their songs may even now be heard as they float about in the river guarding the treasure of Siegfried.

1. What happened when Siegfried grew tired of peace? 2. What warning did Regin give him? 3. Tell the story of his slaying the dragon. 4. Who aided Siegfried? 5. What fresh warning about the Rhine gold did Siegfried receive from Fafnir? 6. What was Siegfried's opinion about gold? 7. Tell how and why Siegfried killed Regin in his sleep. 8. What other advice did the woodpeckers give? 9. Did the gold belong to Siegfried? 10. Describe Brynhild's castle. 11. Why had she been changed from a goddess to a human being? 12. Point out the words that show she did not enjoy the change. 13. Which was wiser, she or

Siegfried? 14. Why was she both sad and glad?

15. What is the end of the story of Siegfried and Brynhild? 16. How was the prophecy about the Rhine gold fulfilled? 17. Why was it just that all who took possession of the gold were punished?

For Study with the Glossary. Brynhild (brinʼhild), venom, hoard, atonement, hie, visor, Valkyr, fates.

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY

We have read some of the stories of ancient Greece and Rome as well as several Bible stories and various myths of old Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Germany. We have now come to a later time. Western Europe has adopted the religion of Christ, and tribes have be- 5 come nations ruled by kings. There is still a great deal of war, some of it noble and some of it base. There were many people, particularly in the Church, who longed to make fighting less frequent and men more just and gentle. In that way chivalry arose.

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The idea of chivalry came to England from France, and it was natural that the French word, chivalry, should come too. It means knighthood. A knight is not the same as a noble. A man could be born a duke or an earl, but he could not be born a knight. 15 Even a king had to show himself worthy before he could become a knight, and a man of humble birth might be dubbed a knight if he performed a valiant deed.

As a knight was a Christian soldier, he had higher ideals of thinking and acting than other soldiers. He 20 must not only be ready to defend the Church and his country by arms, but he must also stand up for the right, do justice, and protect the weak and helpless.

He must never lie or break his promise. His manners must be gentle and courteous, and he must be generous to those below him in rank. Although these ideals were not practiced by all knights, nevertheless chiv5 alry did much to make the nations more civilized; and although the age of chivalry has long passed away, we still value the same ideals. We still admire people who are brave, whose word can be trusted, who do justice and protect the weak, and who have

10 courteous manners.

A knight was educated in a special way. We have an example in the history of Chevalier Bayard (Bä yär'), who lived at the same time as Columbus and who is known in history as the Chevalier sans peur et sans 15 reproche (the knight without fear and without reproach).

At thirteen, when he was a slim black-eyed boy just out of the schoolroom, he entreated his father to let him bear arms for France, as his ancestors had done for hundreds of years. So it was decided that he 20 should be sent to a great duke to become a page in his household. His mother packed his linen in a little trunk, and weeping, bade him pray to God night and morning, avoid envy, hatred, and lying, and comfort widows and orphans; and his uncle, a bishop, 25 gave him a spirited horse and clothing suitable for a page. The first time he mounted his horse he managed it like a man of thirty, and he waited at the duke's