The Little Boat That Carried the Dead

What happened to the boat carrying the body?

Sigmund's son Sinfjotli killed a rival who had sought the same woman's hand in marriage. The man was the brother of Sinfjotli's stepmother, Borghild. At the funeral feast, Borghild offered Sinfjotli a poisoned drink.

Sinfjotli noticed the poison. His father Sigmund could drink poison without being harmed, so he drank the first cup and the next in his son's place. But the 3rd time, Sinfjotli drank it himself. He died on the spot.

Sigmund carried the body a long way. At a narrow inlet, he met a man in a little boat. The man offered to take him across, but the body alone filled the boat. He told Sigmund to walk around the head of the inlet. Then he pushed off and vanished.

Later, Sigmund married another woman. Their son was Sigurd. Fragments of the Edda also includes a scene in which Sigmund and Sinfjotli use all their strength to cut through a great stone slab with a sword.

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