Reginn (Old Norse: ᚱᛁᚼᛁᚾ/ᚱᛁᚽᛁᚿ [ˈreɣenː]; often anglicised as Regin or Regan), in Norse mythology, was the son of Hreiðmarr and foster father of Sigurðr. His brothers are Fáfnir and Ótr. When Loki mistakenly kills Ótr, Hreiðmarr demands to be repaid with the amount of gold it takes to fill Ótr's skin and cover the outside. Loki takes this gold from the dwarf Andvari, who curses it and especially the ring Andvaranaut. Fáfnir kills his father for this gold, but eventually becomes a greedy dragon. Reginn gets none of the gold, but he becomes smith to the king, and foster father to Sigurðr, teaching him many languages as well as sports, chess, and runes.
Reginn had all wisdom and deftness of hand. Of his two brothers, he has the ability to work iron as well as silver and gold and he makes many beautiful and useful things. While Sigurðr is living with Reginn, Reginn challenges Sigurðr's respect in the kingdom. He tells Sigurðr to ask for a horse. Sigurðr asks the advice of an old man in the forest, and the old man shows him how to get a horse that is descended from Sleipnir, the eight legged horse of Óðinn. Reginn continues to goad Sigurðr, this time into killing Reginn's brother Fáfnir. He offers to make a sword for Sigurðr, but Sigurd broke every sword Reginn forged for him by striking at an anvil. Sigurðr retrieves the broken pieces of his father Sigmundr's sword, Gramr, and brings them to Reginn. Reginn repairs the sword and gives it back to Sigurðr. When Sigurðr again tests the blade by striking the anvil, the anvil this time is split down to its base, and when Sigurðr places a piece of wool in a stream, the current pushing the wool against the sword was enough to cause the blade to cut it in two. Sigurðr is finally very pleased with Reginn's repaired weapon.
After using Gramr to kill Fáfnir, Sigurðr returns to ask Reginn what to do. Reginn instructs him to roast the heart of Fáfnir, his brother, and let him eat it. As juice from the dragon's heart foams out, Sigurðr tests it with his finger to see if it is done cooking. As the blood touches his tongue, Sigurðr understands the speech of birds, who warn him that Reginn intends to kill him. Before he lets any of this happen, Sigurðr first wields Gramr and cuts off Reginn's head.
The Norwegian Þiðreks saga relates a slightly different tale, with Reginn as the dragon and Mímir as his brother and foster father to Sigurðr.
In the operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, by Richard Wagner, the role of Reginn is played by the Nibelung dwarf Mime, brother of Alberich (the Nibelung who forged the cursed ring out of the Rhinegold). Except for the change in name, probably inspired by the Thidrekssaga, the story of Reginn, Sigurðr and Fafner in Wagner's opera Siegfried follows closely the text of the Eddas. However, in this version Mime is unable to reforge the sword Nothung, since only one who doesn't know fear - such as Siegfried - can do so.
Reginn the Dvergr[]
In the Poetic Edda (Völuspá 12), the Dvergatal lists Reginn as a Dvergr (Norse dwarf).
Among the heroic lays of the Poetic Edda (Reginsmál, aka Sigurðarkviða Fáfnisbana Önnur) says:
- Reginn the son of Hreiðmarr .. was the most skillful of men, and a Dvergr of size. He was wise, dark, and versed in magic.
- Reginn .. var hverjum manni hagari ok dvergr of vöxt. Hann var vitr, grimmr, ok fjölkunnigr.
The Prose Edda (Skáldskaparmál 46) identifies the father of Reginn as Hreiðmarr, and his brothers Fáfnir and Ótr.
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| Dvergar | |
|---|---|
| Dvergar | Alvíss • Andvari • Billingr • Brokkr • Dáinn • Durinn • Dúrnir • Dvalinn • Eitri (Sindri) • Fáfnir • Fjalarr and Galarr • Gandálfr • Hreiðmarr • Litr • Mótsognir • Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri • Ótr • Reginn • Sons of Ívaldi |