The king of the Goths asked King Volsung, favored of Odin, for his daughter Sigurny as his wife. Now King Volsung’s house was built around a large tree, named the Branstock, and at the wedding feast an old man with an eye-patch wearing a grey cloak came in an plunged a sword into the tree, saying that whoever could pull it out would have a fine blade. The king of the Goths wanted to prove himself and was wroth when he could not pull out the sword. After everyone else had tried, Volsung’s son Sigmund easily pulled the blade out.

Siggeir, the king of the Goths was jealous, and invited the Volsungs to visit him, which King Volsung accepted. Sigurny had a premonition that Siggeir was planning something and asked her father not to come, but he said that he had given his word and in any case what should make him afraid? So a month later the Volsungs traveled to Siggeir’s kingdom, where he attacked them. They put up a good fight, but Volsung was killed and his sons were captured. Sigurny asked Siggeir not to kill them at once, so he shackled them to a large log out side, and each night two wolves came and ate two of them. On the last night Sigmund put his arm in the wolf’s mouth and her bite broke his shackle, then he did the same with his other arm. Sigurny, on hearing of the deaths of the Volsung son’s wailed and went and found Sigmund in the forest.

Sigmund lived in the forest, and when her sons were old enough, she sent them to Sigmund to see if he could raise them and use them to bring revenge on her husband for killing her family. Sigmund found each of the sons cowards and killed them. Then Sigurny had a sorceress change bodies with her (swap their bodily forms, not swap the actual bodies), went to Sigmund’s cave and asked to stay the night. He agreed, and then later asked her to sleep with him, which she acquiesced to. She slept with him three nights, and then returned to her husband and had to sorceress switch their bodies back. She became pregnant, gave birth to a son, and when he was old enough sent him to Sigmund. Unlike the other sons, who were afraid of the adder in the flour jar, Sinfiotli just kneaded it into the dough.

Sigmund trained Sinfiotli, but they found an abandoned house with two wolf-skins. Their minds became cloudy, and they put on wolf-skins, which were cursed and they became wolves. One day some men attacked them and almost killed Sinfiotli. Sigmund forgot himself, and bit Sinfiotli on the throat and killed him. After he realized what had happened and was sorrowing, he saw a weasel bit its mate on the head, killing her. It went into the brush and came back with a leaf, which it placed on the wound and she came back to life. Sigmund did the same thing and Sinfiotli recovered. The spell had abated for a time, so they took the skins off. Then Sigmund explained how Sinfiotli’s (supposed) father had killed his family, and Sinfiotli desired to help him avenge his family.

So they slipped into Siggeir’s house and hid behind some barrels in the storeroom. But two of Sigurny’s young children accidentally discovered them, and an alarm was raised. Sigurny came to them, and Sigmund says he would not kill her children, but Sinfiotli kills them right there. Then they were captured by Siggeir’s men. Siggeir took them outside and had his thralls build a barrow over them, separating them with a large stone. Before they were done, Sigurny bribed the thralls to put a package of straw in Sinfiotli’s side. He discovered it was the Sigmund’s sword, and he called to Sigmund joyfully. He used the sword to pierce the stone, and the two of them sawed through the stone, exited the barrow, and went back to the house. They set fire to the house and stood at the entrance, refusing to allow anyone to leave. Then Sigmund called the women to come out and he let them go. Sigurny also came, and Sigmund wanted her to come out, but she said that time had changed her and she had become accustomed to being by her husband’s side. So she said good-bye and went back inside. Thus Sigmund was avenged for the killing of his family.

Sigmund and Sinfiotli went and took back their ancestral home. Sigmund married Borghild, daughter of King Godred. Now Sinfiotli went abroad to make a name for himself, and it happened that he partnered with Godred in battle. Sinfiotli told Godred to divide the spoils, which he did very unfairly. Sinfiotli laughed, but his men were insulted. So Sinfiotli offered to duel Godred for the honor of his men, and it turned out that Godred was the lesser and died. Borghild got angry when she found out and demanded Sinfiotli be put out of the house. Sigmund offered her a large weregild, which she pretended to accept, but then she offered poisoned wine to Sinfiotli and he died. Sigmund drove her out, and followed his son’s beir, where he saw an old man in a grey cloak wearing an eye-patch who offered to ferry it across the river; afterwards he and the boat disappeared.

A neighboring king had a beautiful daughter, whom Sigmund asked that he let him marry. There was another, nearer king who also wanted to marry her, so he gave her the decision, and she chose Sigmund because he and the Volsungs were well-reknowned. But the other king was jealous and attacked Sigmund. Sigmund and his men put up a good fight, even though they were outnumbered, with Sigmund himself keeping the enemy at bay by killing so many. But an old man, in a grey cloak wearing an eye-patch, blocked his advance with a rod upon which Sigmund’s sword broke, and then numbers proved their worth. Sigmund and his men were slain. But ships appeared off the coast and so the attackers fled. Sigmund’s wife Hiordis found Sigmund, who refused her offer of help saying it was his time to die, but that she should take the pieces of his sword. Hiordis met the arriving King Elf, pretending to be a servant girl and her servant the Queen, answered his request of where Sigmund’s gold was hid, and went home with him at his request. The king’s mother saw through Hiordis’ disguise—she acted too much like a queen, and the “queen” too much like a serving girl. Then the king asked her to marry him, which she said she would accept after the son Sigmund had fathered in her was born.

Life was well, and when her son Sigurd was old enough Hiordis sent him to be fostered by Regin the dwarf. Now Regin wanted to take vengeance on his brother, so as Sigurd grew older he began to goad him to action. First he suggested that someone of his station needed a horse, so Sigmund went home and asked for a horse, and King Elf said “take whichever one you wish”. When he went to the pasture in the mountains, and old man—with grey cloak and eye-patch—suggested he drive the horses into the flooding river. Only one horse made it across the river (a foal of Odin’s great eight-legged horse), named Greyfell, which Sigurd took.

Then Regin told how he was a dwarf, and not made by the gods as humans were. His father dwelled in a great house with golden eaves, etc. in the mountains. Odin and Loki were traveling, and Loki killed Regin’s brother, who often took an otter’s shape to go fishing, while he was in otter’s shape. Regin’s father trapped Odin and Loki and set the price of the weregild as the golden treasure of the dwarf Andvari. So Loki went and captured Andavari as he was fishing under a waterfall, and forced him to give up his gold, and even his ring which gave the Wise the power to acquire gold but to men it was a death and a curse. Loki took all gold and gave it to Regin’s father, who noticed the lack of the ring and forced Loki to give it up. Then Regin’s other brother, Fafnir, who was even more greedy than his father slew his father and drove Regin out. But Fafnir’s greed turned him into a fearsome dragon. Regin asked for Sigurd’s help in slaying Fafnir, and in return Sigurd would gain renown, as well as the golden treasure—which he noted “a treasure untold, that shall make thee more than the kings / thereof is the Helm of Aweing, the wonder of earthly things / and thereof is its very fellow, the Warcoat all of gold / that has not its like in the heavens, nor has the earth of its fellow told.”

Sigurd agreed, and asked Regin to make him a sword. When Sigurd saw it, he smote the sword on the anvil and it shattered, and he said that he required a better one. Regin labored long over the second sword, but Sigurd mocked his second attempt, which shattered, too. Then Sigurd gave him the pieces of his father’s sword and told him to make a sword for that. Regin grumbled over Sigurd’s high standards, but labored even longer, and the sword held. It even cut a hair pushed against the blade when held in the stream, so sharp was it. Sigurd took care of some vengeances, and then went with Regin to kill Fafnir.

After traveling through the wastes and the mountains, they came to Regin’s ancestral home on the Glittering Heath. The dragon had worn a deep groove in the ground where he went to the spring to drink. Regin advised Sigurd to dig a hole in the grove, hide in it, and stab the dragon underneath as he went by. As he dug, a one-eyed old man—in the usual attire—advised him to dig other holes so they would catch the dragon’s blood. Sigurd did this, and killed the dragon as it went past. Dying, the dragon said that the treasure was his for the taking, but warned him that it brought death. Sigurd said that he wasn’t worried, and besides he had to die some day and it was best to have wealth while he lived.

Then Regin told him to cut out the dragon’s heart and roast it, which Sigurd did while Regin slept. Sigurd burned his finger turning the heart, licked it to cool it, and was able to understand the tongue of birds. The birds near him were talking among themselves, saying that Sigurd should kill Regin instead of letting him kill Sigurd like he wanted, and then Sigurd could eat the heart and gain great wisdom. So Sigurd took their advice, killed Regin, and ate part of the heart, saving the rest. Then he put on the Helm of Aweing and the Hauberk of Gold, whose like is not on the earth, nor of its equal has been told. He loaded the treasure into two chests and put it on Greyfell, who seemed nothing hindered of the load.

Returning down the mountains he saw a fortress which was empty, and going in, he found a woman asleep in war-gear. She didn’t awake at his call, so he cut off her war-gear, and as he did so she progressively awoke. He said he was Sigurd, come from slaying the dragon (the enemy of the gods) and gaining the ancient treasure. She said she was Brynhild, who had been a Valkyrie of Odin’s but she was cast out because she was not content to choose the slain for his war-host in Valhalla, but she chose to keep those with death-doom from the sword and to killed fated men. Sigurd loved her at first sight, and she was fain for him, so they pledged their troth to be married. But Brynhild wanted to spend some time in her family’s home in Lymdale until Spring. Sigurd put Andvari’s ring on her finger in pledge, and went off to gain renown, with the great horse Greyfell and his casks of gold as well, wearing the Helm of Aweing and the Hauberk of gold, whose like is not on the earth, nor of its equal has been told.

In the land of the Niblung’s, the king’s daughter, the white-armed Gudrun, had a dream where she saw a golden eagle come and perch on her should, and another like it. She went to her friend, Brynhild to ask the meaning of the dream. Byrnhild was afraid when she heard the dream, but she told Gudrun that she would marry the man Brynhild was in love with. Gudrun did not believe this, and returned home. Soon after Sigurd arrived at the Niblung hall, walking up in the Helm of Aweing and wearing the Hauberk of gold, the like of which is not on earth and of whose equal has not been told. And she desired him. Sigurd paid her no mind, but was a great help to the three Niblung sons, fighting with them against their enemies and winning peace, renown, and treasure. They Niblung sons swore brotherhood with Sigurd, mingling their blood with his. There was much feasting in the king’s dwelling, and all men rejoiced in Sigurd and spoke highly of him.

The Queen Grimhild saw her daughter’s desire, which was causing Gudrun great distress, and she had some store of magical knowledge. So one feast she offered a cup of wine to Sigurd (as was customary for the mother and daughters of a king to do for honored guests and men). But she had put ingredients in the wine to cause forgetfulness and used a cup with runes of forgetfulness. After Sigurd drank, he forgot his past and his love for Brynhild. But he became morose and angry, albeit it seemed to men that he was thoughtful and concerned after the general weal. Gudrun was white-armed and beautiful, but sorrowful, and Sigmund wanted to make her joyful. One thing led to another and soon they were married. Gudrun was great joyful, having got the husband she loved, who was the most renowned man and of whom great tales were certain to be told.

The king’s oldest son Gunnar was unmarried, and Grimheld thought it meet that her son should marry the most beautiful woman on earth, Brynhild, who dwelt in a dwelling surrounded by a wall of fire. Her father had she that she must marry, so she vowed she would only marry the man who could come through the fire, knowing that only Sigurd had the bravery and strength to do so. Sigurd by this time and remembered, but in answer to Grimhild’s request he said he would go with Gunnar and the other three sons to woo Brynhild. The four of them and their men rode all day to Lymdale, and Gunnar attempted to pass through the fire, but his horse would not do it. As his duty, he offered Gunnar to ride Greyfell, but Greyfell refused to budge. So Gunnar accused Sigurd of mocking him. Sigurd offered to let him wear his armor but the second son, Hogni had a better idea to preserve Gunnar’s honor, seeing that he could not pass the fire. Hogni used his mother’s spells to exchange the bodies of Gunnar and Sigurd. Then Sigurd steeling himself, rode through the fire, and, in Gunnar’s body, asked for Brynhild’s hand in marriage. She was a little confused, but agreed and gave “Gunnar” the ring Sigurd had given her. Then they went to bed for the night, but Sigurd put his sword in-between them. In the morning he rode back through the fire and exchanged bodies with Gunnar. A little while later Brynhild came to the Niblung residence, was married, and there was a great, multi-day feast.

But Gudrun and Brynhild were jealous of each other. One hot summer night Gunnar went out to pool in the river to cool herself and Brynhild was there. Mocking words were exchanged, each trying to claim that they had the more noble husband. But Gudrun held the trump card, which she foolishly played. Sigurd had given her the ring when he returned and had told her everything. Gudrun held up the ring to Byrnhild as the two women verbally spared in the cool night waters. She said that it was not Gunnar who passed through the fire, but Sigurd, and the ring was proof. Brynhild grew angry, for it meant that she had been deceived and her high sense of honor affronted, and she told Gudrun to say that she lied and it would all be well. But Gudrun foolishly persisted in her story. And much sorrow came of it.

The next morning Brynhild told Gunnar that she would not share a bed with him until her honor was avenged and Sigurd killed. Gunnar, now aware that the deception was known, had his honor at stake, too, plus the likely loss of his wife. Gunnar and Hogni had sworn brotherhood with Sigurd, but the third brother had been off adventuring and had not sworn brotherhood. Even so it was still tantamount to betraying Sigurd, and there was a tense day where all the men in the house sat silently on their seats in their respective rooms, while Gudrun went and to each one and implore them not to do this. And she implored Sigurd to do something, but he said that if things went as he expected, it would be over soon, and he was not afraid of death. In the evening, while Gudrun was asleep on Sigurd’s chest, the third brother came in to their bedroom to kill him, but Sigurd’s noble, sleeping countenance made him afraid and he left. A second time he came, and Sigurd’s waking eye made him afraid. A third time he came, and Sigurd’s sword, named Wrath, lay above him, and the brother came and swiftly plunged his sword into Sigurd’s chest. Just as swiftly Sigurd killed him with Wrath and he fell dead over the threshold as he tried to flee. Then Gudrun wailed loudly, yelled at her brothers when house woke, and left her ancestral hall to wander in the woods in despair. Brynhild, however, was not reconciled to Gunnar, and she stabbed herself. As her lifeblood drained out, she instructed her husband to put her on Sigurd’s funeral pyre, that she would be able to follow him in the afterlife and not lose track of him. This he did.

Notwithstanding the betrayal, the House of Niblung prospered, Gunnar remarried, and they had peace and wealth for many years. After some time, King Atli (Attila the Hun) sent to the Niblung’s asking for Gudrun’s hand in marriage, for she was renowned to be the most beautiful of women. This cause some consternation, because she had not been seen since Sigmund’s death, although there were sightings of her in the woods. Grimhild said that she had been found by the Queen of Thora and brought back to health and liveliness. Hogni, who understood men’s hearts said that no good would come of re-awakening Gudrun’s grief through their visit, but Grimhild said that King Atli’s sword was worse if they were to gainsay him. So they went to Queen Thora’s, and there was Gudrun on the high seat, and she asked them if Sigurd had come back from the dead, otherwise, why were they come? Hogni said that King Atli desired to wed her, but she was silent. Then her mother was angry and asked if she cared whether they all were killed by he sword, and offered her the cup of wine, in the goblet of forgetfulness. So Gudrun drank, and forgot many things, but not the grief over Sigmund.

After she was wedded and went to live in King Atli’s house, she realized that his house was full of strife and that he was greedy after gold. So she stirred up his heart with tales of the Ancient Treasure that now lay in the Niblung house. And he sent a messenger to invite the Niblungs to visit. He was received gladly and with feasting, although they were somewhat suspicious of his invitation. They asked what Gudrun thought of her family, and the messenger lied and said that every evening she looked out as the sunset, looking for the glint of the sun of the golden roof of her family’s hall. So they agreed to come. That night every wife had dreams that forebode badly, and they implored their husbands not to go, but each of them said that if they listened to all their wives fears they would never go anywhere. But early on the day they left, Hogni and some men took Sigurd’s treasure, the cursed gold, and dumped it all off a cliff into a deep pool in the river.

When they reached King Atli’s kingdom, no one was there to greet them, but unafraid, they beached their boats (which no one came to safegaurd, so they floated back out with the tide and were lost) and came to the empty castle. There they realized that the messenger had lied to them, so they killed him with an axe. Then they went in to the high hall, where Gudrun was sitting, alone and silent on the high seat, in an empty hall. Men came in from doors on the side and attacked the Niblung’s, whose great valor—especially the might of Gunnar and Hogni—piled up bodies. But a volley of arrows came from the windows, and more and more men, until they were overwhelmed and Gunnar and Hogni taken. All the while Gudrun watched sat on the high seat, watching silently.

King Atli held a great feast, and after keeping his feet on Gunnar’s throat during the meal, he raised him up and told him that if he would tell where the ancient gold was he could go free. He nobly refused. Then Atli had servants go to Hogni and cut out his heart, but they could not bring themselves to do it and cut out the heart of a servant. Gunnar laughed when he saw the heart quaking, for his brother’s heart was steadfast. So Atli sent them back and this time they came back with Hogni’s heart, which as calm and unyielding as he had been in life. But still Gunnar refused to tell them where the gold was. Then they took Gunnar to a pit in the desert filled with adders and threw him in, and also threw in his harp. Gunnar played the harp so beautifully that they said there was none like him, and the adders were quiet. All except the oldest and biggest, which bit him. Then they went back and reported his death to Atli and Gudrun. Just before dawn she awoke, went to the hall, and set it on fire. The sleeping men of King Atli woke up in fright and cut each other down in their confusion. And so Gudrun was avenged on both her family and King Atli. Then she went to the cliff that overlooked the sea and she threw herself off the cliff into the arms of the sea.

Morris’ version of the Volsunga Saga is a loose translation into an epic poem (with rhyme!) which highlights the poetic aspects of the story. Morris does a good job of variation with his rhymes while keeping the grammar reasonable and keeping the story moving. The Icelandic sagas have a similar quality to the Old Testament stories: both are fairly spartan in telling, and neither explicitly tells what point the reader is to draw from the story. Morris emphasizes the consequences of breaking an oath. Despite the fact that Sigmund broke his oath unwillingly, it nonetheless ruined the lives of his beloved, Brynhild, his wife, Gudrun, and, of course, it led to his own death. Likewise, the Niblung brother’s betrayal of their oath of brotherhood to Sigmund by killing him, leads to the destruction of the entire family.

It is possible to read Gudrun’s treachery in leading her brothers into a trap as simply the revenge of an angry woman. However, from a Norse perspective, her brothers betrayed their oath of brotherhood to Gudrun’s husband, so not only did they incur bloodguilt from arranging Sigmund’s killing (although they specifically had the third brother, who was out of the kingdom seeking his fortune and did not swear the oath, to avoid technically breaking the oath), but they also dishonored Gudrun both by breaking their oath to her husband and by killing her husband. So by Norse standards, killing them to settle the bloodguilt is acceptable. Her methods, however were underhanded, and while a number of sagas resolve the bloodfeud through underhanded killings, in general the sentiment expressed in the sagas is that this was seen as, maybe acceptable, but not an honorable resolution. In Morris’ version, though, the saga begins with deception destroying the Volsung family, and ends with deception destroying the last Volsung heir’s adopted family. Furthermore, I believe that King Atli (Attila the Hun) was related to the Goth King Siggeir, so Gudrun unwittingly engineers the destruction of the Goths for their bloodguilt in betraying the Volsungs to death.

The original saga, is, of course, spartan prose, while the Icelandic verses in the Poetic Edda are presumably alliterative poetry (assuming that Anglo-Saxon poetry is strongly similar to Icelandic poetry, given both their descents from Norse culture), so any rhyming translation will of necessity take some liberties. One of these is that Morris expands the emotional experience of the characters. For the most part, however, Morris keeps to the saga. His main story-telling choices are removing the first part of the saga and changing Gudrun into someone vengeful. In the removed first part, King Volsung and his wife cannot have children, and Odin in the form of a crow drops an apple—an aphrodisiac—into Volsung’s lap and he and his wife eat it and conceive. Instead, Morris notes occasionally that the Volsung family is favored of Odin, which does not seem to match the family’s fortunes. In the saga, Gudrun feels more like a pawn in geopolitical politics. She is not happy about her mother coming to retrieve her from self-imposed exile, but she was obligated to because her mother was stronger. She also does not want to marry King Atli at all because she sees that he is not honorable and he fills his household with strife, but she is forced to because her mother does not want him to attack them if they refuse. King Atli is the one who betrays the Niblungs, and Gudrun, in fact, sends a secret message to her family saying that his messenger intends treachery, but the messenger writes over her writing and changes the meaning. After he kills her brothers, she kills the sons she had with Atli, and then after one of her family expresses desire for revenge, she kills Atli himself and burns down his house. (But not before having a very frank discussion with him as he is dying, in true saga fashion where the characters are transparent with each other about how they feel and why they are doing something.) Then she marries another king, but is killed along the way and everyone dies.

Interestingly, neither version really seems to emphasize the role in while the Niblung matron, Grimhild played. Her magic caused all the problems, by causing Sigmund to forget his oath, and then her instigation of her son, the king, to marry Brynhild, which Sigmund must abet to avoid dishonoring the king, ensured the destruction. Morris glosses over her role, just relating the facts of what Grimhild did, while playing up the emotions and actions of the others. The original saga is clearer that she has some responsibility, but no consequences ever happen to her directly. So is matronly manipulation and magic to be avoided, or is the whole thing just a tragedy? Unclear.

Another point which seems unclear is that, according to the introduction to the sagas I read earlier, the role of prophecy is to highlight the how the character responds to the situation. Since the audience already knows what will happen, it signals that the purpose of the story is the choices of the character. In this saga, Byrnhild knows that Gudrun will marry her beloved, and even tells her as much. Now Sigmund does not know this, but he clearly dies with honor. He understands that he broke his oath even though it was not his fault and tries to work things out with Brynhild. When that fails, he sees that his death is inevitable, faces it with courage, and even manages to kill his attacker in heroic fashion, by throwing his sword so quickly and skillfully that it cuts the attacker in half as he leaves the room, despite Sigmund having been mortally wounded. In contrast, the third Niblung brother, the one who killed him, did not have the courage to do it the first two times he tried. Similarly, the older two brothers broke their oath to him, although, one can understand that they are in an difficult predicament: the king deceived his wife and now she knows and is demanding compensation for it (the death of Sigmund, who was the one who actually acted out the deceit). But Brynhild, the focus of the prophecy, seems to act dishonorably. She refuses to work things out with Sigmund, threatens to basically leave her husband unless he kills Sigmund, and then when he does what she asked, she kills herself to join him in the afterlife. It seems that she did not learn her lesson when Odin dismissed her from her service as a Valkyrie, because she still is deciding who shall die (instead of letting Odin choose). She cannot accept the situation and must manipulate it to get what she wants, even though it results in death and destruction for everyone concerned. Gudrun is the other participant in the prophecy, but it she did not believe it, and it seems like her actions are not the focus. Still, it is clear that her jealousy of Brynhild and her desire for status cause her to foolishly collapse the strategic ambiguity of Brynhild’s situation, obstinately refusing Brynhild’s entreaty not to. Once Brynhild knows for sure that she has been deceived, then she must take action to avoid dishonor, something which seems to have gone over Gudrun’s head. (For which I do not fault her; at her age I would probably have done the same as she did.) Unlike Brynhild, however, Gudrun seems to have acted honorably. In Morris’ version her vengeance is within bloodfeud rules, and in the saga version she avenged Atli’s bloodguilt (and he admitted that she had a point).

Morris thought that this was one of the great stories of humanity and wrote this version to bring out its greatness. In the latter he certainly succeed. In the former, it is at least easy to see why he thought this was a great story. It has all the human emotions: the courageous quest for greatness, the celebration of victory, perseverance through difficulty, love, jealousy, deceit, a manipulative mother, betrayal, revenge, fear, the uncertainty of what action to take knowing that there is no good option, courageous acceptance of death, despair, grief, greed (Fafnir’s desire for gold, which is also how Gudrun motivates Atli to deceive her family). However, I part company with Morris in a similar fashion as the author of Beowulf. The whole story is tragic but offers no hope. The saga unwittingly illustrates the Apostle Paul’s point in Romans 1, and shows humanity’s descent from a family gifted by Odin that ends up destroying three great Houses by relentless sin of pretty much all involved. It is this disaster of enslavement to sin that Christ’s death on the cross breaks us free from. The author of Beowulf observes this, with a skillful telling of a heroic tale while at the same time demonstrating how relying on a Great Man (in this case, Beowulf the hero, to protect them from the bloodfeuds) is futile and how an ethic of unforgiveness via bloodfeud is destructive. The saga offers none of this, except perhaps as an exemplar to avoid. Still, Morris has a very literary and poetic version of the story which is well worth reading.

A nice translation of the original saga can be found here as a PDF.
Morris’ poetic translation can be found at Project Gutenberg.