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Tyrfing Cycle
The Tyrfing Cycle is a collection of legends united by the magic sword Tyrfing. Two of them are found in the Poetic Edda, and the Hervarar saga can be seen as a compilation of these legends.
Tyrfing Cycle - The forging and the curse
The first part deals with the forging of the sword Tyrfing by the Dwarves Durin and Dvalin. They are forced to do so by Svafrlami, the king of Gardariki, but in revenge they curse the sword so that it will kill a man every time it is unsheathed, cause three evil deeds and be the undoing of Svarflami.
Svarflami is killed in single combat with the beserker Arngrim, who takes the sword and gives it to his son Angantyr.
Volsung Cycle
Tyrfing Cycle - The Battle on Samsø
The second part deals with the legend of Hjalmar, Orvar-Odd and the duel on Samsø. Arngrim's twelve sons meet Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd in a duel, but the outnumbered heroes kill Arngrim's sons. However, Hjalmar has been wounded by Tyrfing and dies.
Tyrfing Cycle - Hervor
The third part deals with Angantyr's daughter Hervor and how she reclaims Tyrfing from her father's ghost. Later she marries and has the sons Angantyr and Heidrek.
Tyrfing Cycle - Heidrek
The fourth part deals with the saga of Heidrek the wise, the king of the Goths, and contains the riddles of Gestumblindi. If the killing of Hjalmar may be the sword's first evil deed, its second is the accidental slaying of Heidrek's brother Angantyr. The third and last evil deed is probably when Heidrek's slaves murder Heidrek during an expedition in the Carpathians.
Tyrfing Cycle - The Battle of the Goths and the Huns
The fifth part is about Heidrek's sons Angantyr and Hlöd and how Hlöd invades the land of the Goths with the Hunnish horde.
Tyrfing Cycle - The history of Sweden
The last part is about Swedish history and its line of Swedish kings from Ivar Vidfamne until king Philip Halstensson.
See also
Norse mythology
Category: Legends
Other related archivesAngantyr, Arngrim, Carpathians, Durin, Dvalin, Dwarves, Gardariki, Gestumblindi, Goths, Heidrek, Hervarar saga, Hervor, Hjalmar, Hlöd, Ivar Vidfamne, Legends, Norse mythology, Orvar-Odd, Philip Halstensson, Poetic Edda, Samsø, Svafrlami, Tyrfing, Volsung Cycle, magic sword
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Tyrfing Cycle", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
