Fafnir is a dragon who comes to us from Icelandic and Germanic folk tales, a character who really defines what dragons are in European lore: greedy, murdering, poisonous.
The older tale is Iceland’s Volsunga Saga, from the 13th Century. In this tale, Fafnir was a dwarf . His father was Hreidmar, and he had two brothers, Otr and Regin. Odin and Loki killed an otter, not knowing it was Otr in disguise. Hreidmar then held Odin hostage until Loki brought the otter’s skin filled with gold, as a fine for the killing. To get his revenge, Loki made sure to include several pieces that had been cursed to ensure the death of the owner.
Sure enough, Fafnir killed Hreidmar to get the gold for himself. He took it into the wilderness and assumed the form of a dragon to guard it better. He also breathed poison into the surrounding countryside, to keep outsiders away.
Regin, who apparently was just as greedy but not as brave, bided his time. He had a foster-son named Sigurd who he tempted with tales of the dragon’s gold. Regin showed Sigurd how to hide in a pit or trench under a trail where Fafnir would pass, and stab him from below. Regin said he only wanted Fafnir’s heart, cooked, and Sigurd could have the gold. But as Fafnir lay dying, he told Sigurd that Regin would betray him.
Sigurd didn’t believe it, but as he cooked Fafnir’s heart, he ate a few bites. This allowed him to understand the language of birds, and can you guess what the birds were gossiping about? Right! Sigurd and Regin fought, and Sigurd killed Regin with the same sword that had ended Fafnir’s life. Thus Fafnir was avenged on his brother.
Cooking and eating a dragon heart? And people say soap operas are over-the top!
Incidentally, another version of this story is in Rickard Wagner’s opera, The Ring of the Nibelungen. Some names have changed there (Fafnir is spelled Fafner) and he was a giant rather than a dwarf. As part of the ransom, Loki brought a magic helmet called Tarnhelm, and this is what Fafner used to transform himself into a dragon.
That’s really cool stuff. I see shadows of Middle-Earth, how Tolkien was influenced by the older Icelandic legends. Pretty cool.
I agree that elements of the Sigurd saga have a lot in common with Tolkein’s Silmarillion saga. And it’s really interesting that Fafnir, unlike lots of legendary dragons, started out as a person and changed his form voluntarily.