Uploaded October 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Otter’s Ransom is the beginning of one of the most important and tragic story cycles in Norse mythology. In this video, the focus is on how the killing of the otter leads to the creation of the cursed Rhinegold and sets the events in motion that will eventually give rise to Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.

The story explains why gold becomes known as Otter’s Ransom, how Loki becomes involved, and how greed, vengeance, and fate are woven into the origins of the Rhinegold. These events form the foundation for the later legends surrounding Fáfnir, Regin, and Sigurd.

This video is based on Skáldskaparmál, part of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, one of the main written sources for Norse mythology.

This is Part 1 of a series and should be watched together with the later parts for full context.

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