Misfortune and greed surround the accidental death of Fafnir's brother Otr at the hands of Loki. Upon learning of the death of Otr, Hreiðmarr and his sons captured Loki and his companions Odin and Hœnir demanding compensation for his death.
Loki was sent to procure vast amounts of gold from the land of the Black Elves, where he forcefully acquired a ring from the dwarf Andvari. Reluctant to give up the ring, Andvari placed a curse upon the ring before handing it over to Loki, saying the ring would be the ruin of anyone who should come into possession of it.
The curse would take hold of Fafnir and his brother Reginn who in an attempt to have all the gold for themselves, killed their father Hreiðmarr. Unsurprisingly the two brothers then turned against each other, however Reginn knew he could not best his brother knowing he was the strongest of the three and possessed the power of the fabled Helm of Awe. Using the help of the hero Sigurd, Reginn was able to have Fafnir killed then follow through with the second part of his plan; to kill Sigurd and have all the treasure to himself. Unfortunately for Reginn, Sigurd caught on to the plan and managed to kill Reginn before being attacked.
With both brothers now killed, Sigurd took as much of the treasure as he could back home with him to his family....which regrettably also included the cursed ring...
The Helm of Awe symbolizes Invincibility, Strength, Protection and Power. It is one of the most powerful yet mysterious symbols in Norse mythology.
Eight arms that look like spiked tridents defend a central point against all forces that surround it - it is an overpowering symbol that was meant to strike fear upon enemies.
"The Helm of Awe
I wore before the sons of men
In defense of my treasure;
Amongst all, I alone was strong,
I thought to myself,
For I found no power a match for my own."
- The Poetic Edda. Fáfnismál, stanza 16.
Size guide - How to determine your ring size:
Use a tape or cord, wrap it around your finger and mark the end point.
Simply use a ruler to determine the circumference.
Use the chart below to determine your size.
| US Size |
Circumference (inches)
|
Circumference (mm)
|
| 7 |
2.15" |
54.5 |
| 8 |
2.25" |
57.2 |
| 9 |
2.35" |
59.7 |
| 10 |
2.45" |
62.3 |
| 11 |
2.56" |
65.0 |
| 12 |
2.66" |
67.5 |
| 13 |
2.76" |
70.2 |
