Siegmund

Siegmund was the king of the Netherlands. Siegmund was the husband of Sieglind (Sisibe or Hjordis), and the father of Siegfired. Siegmund ruled in the city of Xanten, as his capital.

Siegmund did not like his son's plan to woo Kriemhild of Burgundy, but the old king was resigned to his son's desire. Yet, when Siegfried married her, Siegmund loved Kriemhild as if she were his own daughter, when she was living in Xanten. Siegmund became the grandfather of Gunther II.

Siegmund mourned his son's death. Kriemhild prevented fighting between Siegmund and her brothers. Kriemhild promised her father-in-law that she would avenge Siegfried's death. Siegmund tried to persuade Kriemhild to return with him, rather than stay with the very people who had plotted and murdered his son and her husband, but she refused on the ground that she had no blood relatives in the Netherlands. However, she gave her son to Siegmund to raise and rule after the old king.

In Norse myths, he was called Sigmund and he was the son of Volsung. Signy was his twin sister, and they appeared in the first part of the saga. Sigmund became the father of Sinfjotli by his sister Signy; Helgi and Hamund by Borghild; and Sigurd by Hjordis.

Sigmund played a significant role in the Volsunga Saga. Sigmund drew the sword from the tree, Branstock; avenging his father and brothers' death in Gothland; banishing his wife Borghild for the death of Sinfjotli; and his death in the war against the Hundings (sons of Hunding).

Sigmund (Siegmund) died before Sigurd (Siegfried) was born, but in the Nibelungenlied, he outlived his son. See Sigmund in the Norse Heroes and Sigmund and Signy in the Volsunga Saga, for more details.