Gram (mythology)

Not to be confused with the creature known as Garmr or Garm.
"Balmung" redirects here. For the character from the ".hack" franchise, see Balmung (.hack).
A depiction of Sigurd with Gram on the Ramsund carving, dated to around the year 1030

In Norse mythology, Gram (Old Norse Gramr, meaning "Wrath"),[1] also known as Balmung or Nothung, is the sword that Sigurd used to kill the dragon Fafnir.[2] It is primarily used by the Völsungs in the Volsunga Saga. However, it is also seen in other legends, such as the Thidrekssaga in which it is wielded by Hildebrand.

Depending on the story and source material, Gram may have other names. In The Nibelungenlied it is named Balmung.[3] In Richard Wagner's work, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), it is referred to as Nothung ([ˈnoːtʊŋ], "child of need.")[4]

  1. ^ Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. pp. 59–60. ISBN 0-304-34520-2.
  2. ^ Sigurd—ein Held des Mittelalters (Edgar Haimerl)
  3. ^ The Nibelungenlied – A Prose Translation. Translated by Armour, Margaret. London: JM Dent. 1934 [c. 1200]. Retrieved 2019-04-26 – via Project Gutenberg.
  4. ^ Cord, W. O. (1989:22). The Teutonic Mythology of Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung". United Kingdom: E. Mellen Press.