Based on Viking Age poems The Saga of the Volsungs" combines mythology legend & sheer human drama. At its heart are the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer who acquires magical knowledge from one of Odins Valkyries. Yet it is also set in a very human world incorporating strands from the oral narratives of the fourth & fifth centuries when Attila the Hun & other warriors fought on the northern frontiers of the Roman Empire. One of the great books of world literature the saga is an unforgettable tale of princely jealousy unrequited love greed & vengeance. With its cursed treasure of the Rhine sword reforged & magic ring of power it was a major influence for writers including William Morris & J. R. R. Tolkein & for Wagners Ring cycle."