Then Sigurd remembered how the story went that somewhere , far away , there was a beautiful lady enchanted . She was under a spell , so that she must always sleep in a castle surrounded by flaming fire ; there she must sleep for ever till there came a knight who would ride through the fire and waken her . There he determined to go , but first he rode right down the horrible trail of Fafnir . And Fafnir had lived in a cave with iron doors , a cave dug deep down in the earth , and full of gold bracelets , and crowns , and rings ; and there , too , Sigurd found the Helm of Dread , a golden helmet , and whoever wears it is invisible . All these he piled on the back of the good horse Grani , and then he rode south to Hindfell . Now it was night , and on the crest of the hill Sigurd saw a red fire blazing up into the sky , and within the flame a castle , and a banner on the topmost tower . Then he set the horse Grani at the fire , and he leaped through it lightly , as if it had been through the heather . So Sigurd went within the castle door , and there he saw someone sleeping , clad all in armour . Then he took the helmet off the head of the sleeper , and behold , she was a most beautiful lady . And she wakened and said , ` Ah ! is it Sigurd , Sigmund 's son , who has broken the curse , and comes here to waken me at last ? ' This curse came upon her when the thorn of the tree of sleep ran into her hand long ago as a punishment because she had displeased Odin the God . Long ago , too , she had vowed never to marry a man who knew fear , and dared not ride through the fence of flaming fire . For she was a warrior maid herself , and went armed into the battle like a man . But now she and Sigurd loved each other , and promised to be true to each other , and he gave her a ring , and it was the last ring taken from the dwarf Andvari . Then Sigurd rode away , and he came to the house of a King who had a fair daughter . Her name was Gudrun , and her mother was a witch . Now Gudrun fell in love with Sigurd , but he was always talking of Brynhild , how beautiful she was and how dear . So one day Gudrun 's witch mother put poppy and forgetful drugs in a magical cup , and bade Sigurd drink to her health , and he drank , and instantly he forgot poor Brynhild and he loved Gudrun , and they were married with great rejoicings . Now the witch , the mother of Gudrun , wanted her son Gunnar to marry Brynhild , and she bade him ride out with Sigurd and go and woo her .
So forth they rode to her father 's house , XXXXX Brynhild had quite gone out of Sigurd 's mind by reason of the witch 's wine , but she remembered him and loved him still .
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