Citation: Tyrfingr

Tags: Magic weapon
Named weapon

Description:

Tyrfingr is a sword in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (LINK), the saga of Hervör and Heiðrekr, a legendary saga. This saga contains several poems which are theorized to have been composed separately and added in to some versions of the saga; these are Hervararkviða (LINK), more famously known as 'The Waking of Angantyr'), Hlóðskviða (referred to as the Battle of the Goths and the Huns), and the riddle's of Gestumblindi (LINK), which mention Tyrfingr. Another legendary saga, Örvar-Odds saga (LINK), also mentions Tyrfingr, as likewise Örvar-Oddr (LINK) and Hjálmar (LINK) are mentioned in Hervarar saga. Tyrfingr was made by two dwarfs, Dvalinn and Dulinn (or Durinn), after Svafrlami (Sigrlami in some versions), king of Garðaríki (the Old Norse term for Kievan Rus'), caught them outside of their stone (dwarfs generally live in subterranean places in Old Norse literature, even inside of boulders) and blocked their way back in, sword drawn. In order to ransom their lives and their way back into their stone, they agree to forge a wondrous sword for King Svafrlami, who asked that "the guard and boss shall be of gold, and the grip too. It will bite iron like cloth and never rust. It will bring victory in battles and single combats for all who bear it" (Peter Tunstall's translation, 2005 LINK). When the king returns at the appointed time to pick up the sword, before disappearing back into the stone, Dvalinn lays this curse upon it: "“May your sword, Sigrlami, be a man’s bane each time it is drawn and may three vile deeds be done with that sword. It will also be your death.” Svafrlami names the sword Tyrfingr, and it was sharper than any other sword, and when it was drawn, it shone like a sunbeam. One possible meaning for this name is tied to its shining brilliance, and is based on the word tyrfi, which was a type of fir tree thick with resin and excellent for making fire; in other words, the sword's name maybe means "torch" or "fire-brand" (Cleasby-Vigfusson, entries for "Tyrfingr" and "tyrfi"). As Dvalinn's curse requires, it can only be sheathed when warm blood is still on its blade, and further, any wound, big or small, dealt by Tyrfingr will cause the death of that person.