Há muitos anos, J. R. R. Tolkien compôs a sua própria versão, agora publicada pela primeira vez, da grande lenda da antiguidade nórdica, em dois poemas intimamente relacionados, a que deu os títulos de «O Lai dos Volsungos» e «O Lai de Gudrún».
Em «O Lai dos Volsungos » conta-se a história do grande herói Sigurd, o assassino de Fáfnir, o mais famoso dos dragões, de cujo tesouro se apoderou, o despertar da Valquíria Brynhild que dormia rodeada por uma muralha de chamas e o noivado dos dois. Após a chegada de Sigurd à corte dos grandes príncipes Niflungos (ou Nibelungos), o herói desperta o amor mas também o ódio da feiticeira dos Niflungos, versada nas artes mágicas. Em «O Lai de Gudrún» é contado o seu destino depois da morte de Sigurd, o casamento, contra a sua vontade, com Atli (ou Átila), governante dos Hunos, o assassinato dos seus irmãos, os senhores Niflungos, e a sua vingança hedionda.

3/31/22

Another December, another Tolkien finished off my TBR! I had a lot more fun with last year’s Sir Gawain than I had with attempts to read more of the expanded Middle Earth stories, so this year I picked this collection which focuses on Tolkien’s adaptation of two Norse poems: the legends of Sigurd and Gudrun. Both of these poems are at least vaguely familiar to anyone who has dealt with Norse legends previously, but I found it fun reading Tolkien’s versions as his language is accessible, readable, and imbues the stories with a sense of gravity and adventure that is necessary in any retelling of these sorts of epic stories. As explained in the introductory material, the plot of the poems is less important than the feeling that they inspire, and it is that which Tolkien does so well. He explores themes of character, politics, and Norse society, all wrapped up in a mythological frame that is impossible not to be drawn into - even if we can’t remember all the small details of each poem. Much of the book was taken up with explanatory material, which was useful in getting a broader sense of the epic poems as a whole and making sense of the publication. Tolkien’s son Christopher, the editor, makes it clear that the poems are not finished (though relatively polished) pieces ready for publication, but they show Tolkien’s deep interest in the Nordic cultures and mythology that went to so much inspire his own writing which gives readers a deeper understanding of where his stories came from. Even if one can’t be bothered with all of Tolkien’s writing (and I admittedly am not a fan of the Hobbit nor of the expanded Middle Earth stories), the book still serves as an interesting version of some of the Norse myths and legends. ( )

Mostly Christopher Tolkien's background and context to his father's versions of these two lays. Fine, but fairly forgettable. ( )

A good read, but only because I knew the story already having read [b:The Saga of the Volsungs|593109|The Saga of the Volsungs|Anonymous|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327881867s/593109.jpg|180373] immediately before it. I fear it may be a bit obtuse for anyone who comes at it freshly.

I especially enjoyed Tolkien's careful attention to the meter and alliteration. Christopher Tolkien provides a brief introduction about the meter (and other considerations); however, a bit longer introduction can be found in Tolkien's essay "On Translating Beowulf" in [b:The Monsters and the Critics and other Essays|7339|The Monsters And The Critics And Other Essays|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327944948s/7339.jpg|2964050]. ( )