Which Norse hero killed the dragon Fáfnir?
Answer
Sigurd
Which Norse hero killed the dragon Fáfnir? Sigurd killed the dragon Fáfnir in Norse heroic legend.
In the Völsunga saga and related Eddic poems, Sigurd is raised under the guidance of the smith Regin. Regin tells him about a cursed treasure hoard guarded by Fáfnir, who transformed into a dragon after taking the gold. Sigurd receives the sword Gram and travels to Gnita-Heath to confront the creature.
Rather than attacking from above, Sigurd digs a pit along Fáfnir’s route and stabs him through the heart from underneath. Afterward, Sigurd cooks the dragon’s heart for Regin, burns his finger, and tastes the blood. This gives him the ability to understand birds, who warn him that Regin plans to betray him.
Sigurd is the Scandinavian form of the hero better known in German tradition as Siegfried. He is also called Fáfnir’s bane or the Dragon Slayer. Beowulf is another famous dragon-fighting hero, but he kills a different dragon and dies from his wounds.