SASA Master Class: Shieldmaidens and Cursed Swords: The Saga of Hervor and Heidrek

It was the sharpest of swords and each time it was drawn it shone like a sunbeam. Never could it be borne without killing a man, and with warm blood it would always be sheathed.” In this masterclass, we’re off to meet the cursed sword Thyfing, the berserker Angantyr, his fearless daughter Hervor and grandson Heidrek who engages in a majestic riddle game with none other than Odin. Classified as a “legendary saga” and written in medieval Iceland, the story blends rich supernatural lore with potential historical memory e.g. in the shape of the wars of the Goths and Huns. Translated by Christopher Tolkien in 1960, this lesser known story of might and magic, bloodshed and tragedy, ended up in his father’s cauldron of inspiration for LOTR. All the more reason to get some insight into it, alongside its reflection of the ways medieval Icelanders related to the distant past.