Ramsund Stone: Sigurd Dragon Slayer Legend Carved on Stone

Thanks for the carving on stones, we now have evidence what happened in the past as well as what it had in legends. In this blog post, we are to discuss the Ramsund stone - one of the pieces from Sigurd stones. The legend of Sigurd was vividly told on this stone. 

Ramsund Stone was not a runestone. Because instead of being carved on the stone, it was carved on the flat rock close to Ramsund located in Eskilstuna Municipality, Sweden. It was carved sometime around 1030.

Legend of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer on Ramsund stone

But before we jump into talking about what was carved on the stone, take a brief look at what it had in Sigurd's legend. 

Sigurd was the foster son of Regin a prince of Svartalfheim (Land of dwarf). Reginn had a brother whose name was Fafnir and their father was Hreimdmar King of Dwarf.

Yet, the King possessed the cursed gold which cursed anyone had the gold to finally meet their demise. The curse befell the dwarf's royal family when Fafnir killed the King and took the gold for himself. Fafnir brought the gold into the forest and there he turned into a dragon that guarded the hoard of gold. 

Sigurd the Dragon Slayer killed Fafnir under the order by his foster father

Regin ruled over the land of his father and fostered Sigurd whom he wanted to turn into his tool. Reginn was talented at crafting and he made Sigurd an almighty sword. When the time finally came, he ordered Sigurd to find and kill Fafnir and eat the dragon's heart. Sigurd never disappointed his father, killing Fafnir and cooking his heart.

When Sigurd was cooking the heart of the dragon, he licked his finger to make sure the food was overcooked or not. Coincidentally, he tasted the blood of the dragon on his finger which offered him the ability to understand the sound of birds. He listened to the songs of birds on the branches only to know that his foster father was planning to betray him and kill him. 

Without hesitation, Sigurd beheaded Reginn. before his foster father could do anything nasty to him. That's how the dwarf's royal family met their demise with the cursed gold. 

On the Ramsund stone, the legend was vividly portraited. 

1. Sigurd was licking his finger when he was cooking the heart of Fafnir. There, he was endowed with the ability to understand the sound of bird. 

2. The birds were talking about Regin who was about to betray his foster son with blade and blood. The birds said Regin would never keep his promise.

3. Regin was dead and lying beside was his head. Around his dead body were his smithing tools. The smithing tools according to the scholars were the evidence pointing that the lying body was Regin's.

4. The horse of Sigurd, whose name was Grani, was loaded with the cursed treasure.  

5. Sigurd killed the dragon Fafnir with the sword that was made by his foster father, Regin. 

6. The scholars believed that the four-legged creature was Otr who was another son of King Hremdmar, also the sibling of Fafnir and Regin. Otr was howling at the end of the story.