Reginn

Regin is the cunning smith at the dark heart of the Volsung legend — Sigurd's foster-father, who reforges the broken sword Gram and goads the young hero to the deed that will make and doom him. Regin's motive is greed dressed as guidance: the dragon Fáfnir is his own brother, transformed by lust for the cursed gold into a serpent brooding on the hoard, and Regin wants Sigurd to kill him so that the gold — and the curse — will pass to Regin instead. He plays the wise mentor while plotting his pupil's murder once the dragon is dead. But Sigurd, tasting Fáfnir's blood, suddenly understands the speech of the birds, who warn him of Regin's treachery — and so the foster-father is killed by the very weapon he forged. Regin is the legend's portrait of the teacher who is the betrayer, the clever man undone by the greed he tried to hide behind wisdom.