The Nibelunggold

One day when Odin, Hoenir and Loki was out walking they passed the rapid Frananger. In it swam a huge otter. The aesirs were hungry so they catched the otter and ate him and the salomon, the otter had just swallowed. What they didn't knew was that the otter was the giant Hreidmar's son, Otter in ottershape. When they had finished their meal they kept walking and came to Hreidmar's farm. They asked him if they could spend the night there and showed him the beautiful otterskin. Hreidmar, who saw it was the skin of his son, got very angry and told his servants to chain the gods. He demanded that they should get him so much gold that he could fill the otterskin and cover it's outside. Then Loki went back to the rapid Frananger where he knew the dwarf Andvari guarded the famous Nibelunggold. Loki forced Andvari to give him the golden treasure. When Andvari told Loki that there was no more gold in the water, Loki saw something that was shining at the bottom. It was the magic ring Andvaranut, which Andvari really liked and had planned to keep for himself. When Andvari gave the ring to Loki he spoke a curse to it, that no one of it's future owners would live. Loki went back to Hreidmar and the gods started to fill the skin. After a few minutes it was covered all over, except for a whisker. Hreidmar told them that even that little thing had to be covered and Odin took the ring Andvaranut out of his pocket. He was angry, because he had really wanted to take that ring home. The aesirs were now allowed to go home and the same night one of Hreidmar's sons, Fafni, killed his father to get the ring. Fafni put the treasure in a cave on the Gnitaheden and turned himself into a snake, guarding it. He stayed there, close to his gold and his ring, until the curse reached even him, and he got murdered by Sigurd Fafnisbari.

Related links: Andvaranut Andvari Fafni Frananger Gnitaheden Hoenir Hreidmar Loki Nibelunggold Odin Otter