A Norse version of the magic sword, similar in some ways to the Arthurian Excalibur. Odin, king of the Norse gods, while in the disguise of a beggar, pushed Gram into a tree. He said that whoever removed it could have it as a gift. The only person who could do so was the hero Sigmund, resulting in adventures and sorrows. Eventually, during a battle, Sigmund went up against an old man, again Odin in disguise. Odin smashed the sword, taking away its powers, allowing Sigmund to be defeated and mortally wounded. Before he dies, he tells his wife that she is pregnant and that their son would eventually take the shards of the sword and make a great weapon. The son is Sigurd, hero of the Volsung Saga.