GUTHRUNARHVOT

[Contents]GUTHRUNARHVOTGuthrun’s Inciting[Contents]Introductory NoteThe two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.[Contents]Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536][Contents]NOTES[538]Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545][Contents]HAMTHESMOLThe Ballad of Hamther[Contents]Introductory NoteTheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.[Contents][546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545][Contents]NOTES[546]1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

[Contents]GUTHRUNARHVOTGuthrun’s Inciting[Contents]Introductory NoteThe two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.[Contents]Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536][Contents]NOTES[538]Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545][Contents]HAMTHESMOLThe Ballad of Hamther[Contents]Introductory NoteTheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.[Contents][546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545][Contents]NOTES[546]1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

[Contents]GUTHRUNARHVOTGuthrun’s Inciting[Contents]Introductory NoteThe two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.[Contents]Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536][Contents]NOTES[538]Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545]

GUTHRUNARHVOTGuthrun’s Inciting

[Contents]Introductory NoteThe two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.[Contents]Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536][Contents]NOTES[538]Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545]

[Contents]Introductory NoteThe two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.

Introductory Note

The two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.

The two concluding poems in theCodex Regius, theGuthrunarhvot(Guthrun’s Inciting) and theHamthesmol(The Ballad of Hamther), belong to a narrative cycle connected with those of Sigurth, the Burgundians, and Atli (cf.Gripisspo, introductory note) by only the slenderest of threads. Of the three early historical kings who gradually assumed a dominant place in Germanic legend, Ermanarich, king of the East Goths in the middle of the fourth century, was actually the least important, even though Jordanes, the sixth century author ofDe Rebus Getecis, compared him to Alexander the Great. Memories of his cruelty and of his tragic death, however, persisted along with the real glories of Theoderich, a century and a half later, and of the conquests of Attila, whose lifetime approximately bridged the gap between Ermanarich’s death and Theoderich’s birth.

Chief among the popular tales of Ermanarich’s cruelty was one concerning the death of a certain Sunilda or Sanielh, whom, according to Jordanes, he caused to be torn asunder by wild horses because of her husband’s treachery. Her brothers, Sarus and Ammius, seeking to avenge her, wounded but failed to kill Ermanarich. In this story is the root of the two Norse poems included in theCodex Regius. Sunilda easily became the wife as well as the victim of the tyrant, and, by the process of legend-blending so frequently observed, the story was connected with the more famous one of the Nibelungs by making her the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. To account for her brothers, a third husband had to be found for Guthrun; the Sarus and Ammius of Jordanes are obviously the Sorli and Hamther, sons of Guthrun and Jonak, of the Norse poems. The blending of the Sigurth and Ermanarich legends probably, though not certainly, took place before the story reached the North, in other words before the end of the eighth century.

Regarding the exact status of theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmolthere has been a great deal of discussion. That they are closely related is obvious; indeed the first parts of the two poems are nearly identical in content and occasionally so in actual diction. The annotator, in his concluding prose note, refers to[537]the second poem as the “old” ballad of Hamther, wherefore it has been assumed by some critics that the composer of theGuthrunarhvotused theHamthesmol, approximately as it now stands, as the source of part of his material. The extantHamthesmol, however, is almost certainly a patchwork; part of it is in Fornyrthislag (cf. Introduction), including most of the stanzas paralleled in theGuthrunarhvot, and likewise the stanza followed directly by the reference to the “old” ballad, while the rest is in Malahattr. The most reasonable theory, therefore, is that there existed an old ballad of Hamther, all in Fornyrthislag, from which the composer of theGuthrunarhvotborrowed a few stanzas as the introduction for his poem, and which the composer of the extant, or “new,”Hamthesmollikewise used, though far more clumsily.

The title “Guthrunarhvot,” which appears in theCodex Regius, really applies only to stanzas 1–8, all presumably borrowed from the “old” ballad of Hamther. The rest of the poem is simply another Guthrun lament, following the tradition exemplified by the first and second Guthrun lays; it is possible, indeed, that it is made up of fragments of two separate laments, one (stanzas 9–18) involving the story of Svanhild’s death, and the other (stanzas 19–21) coming from an otherwise lost version of the story in which Guthrun closely follows Sigurth and Brynhild in death. In any event the present title is really a misnomer; the poet, who presumably was an eleventh century Icelander, used the episode of Guthrun’s inciting her sons to vengeance for the slaying of Svanhild simply as an introduction to his main subject, the last lament of the unhappy queen.

The text of the poem inRegiusis by no means in good shape, and editorial emendations have been many and varied, particularly in interchanging lines between theGuthrunarhvotand theHamthesmol. TheVolsungasagaparaphrases the poem with such fidelity as to prove that it lay before the compilers of the saga approximately in its present form.

[Contents]Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536]

Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.[542]13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.[544]20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.[536]

Guthrun went forth to the sea after she had slain Atli. She went out into the sea and fain would drown herself, but she could not sink. The waves bore her across the[538]fjord to the land of King Jonak; he took her as wife; their sons were Sorli and Erp and Hamther. There was brought up Svanhild, Sigurth’s daughter; she was married to the mighty Jormunrek. With him was Bikki, who counselled that Randver, the king’s son, should have her. This Bikki told to the king. The king had Randver hanged, and Svanhild trodden to death under horses’ feet. And when Guthrun learned this, she spake with her sons.[539]

1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fightDid Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.

1.A word-strife I learned,   |   most woeful of all,

A speech from the fullness   |   of sorrow spoken,

When fierce of heart   |   her sons to the fight

Did Guthrun whet   |   with words full grim.

2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?Since Jormunrek   |   your sister youngBeneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,(White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)

2.“Why sit ye idle,   |   why sleep out your lives,

Why grieve ye not   |   in gladness to speak?

Since Jormunrek   |   your sister young

Beneath the hoofs   |   of horses hath trodden,

(White and black   |   on the battle-way,

Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.)

3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would haveIf brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”

3.“Not like are ye   |   to Gunnar of yore,

Nor have ye hearts   |   such as Hogni’s was;

Vengeance for her   |   ye soon would have

If brave ye were   |   as my brothers of old,

Or hard your hearts   |   as the Hunnish kings’.”

4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with bloodOf thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.

4.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:

“Little the deed   |   of Hogni didst love,[540]

When Sigurth they wakened   |   from his sleep;

Thy bed-covers white   |   were red with blood

Of thy husband, drenched   |   with gore from his heart.

5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;Else yet might we all   |   on JormunrekTogether our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.

5.“Bloody revenge   |   didst have for thy brothers,

Evil and sore,   |   when thy sons didst slay;

Else yet might we all   |   on Jormunrek

Together our sister’s   |   slaying avenge.

6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”

6.“.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

The gear of the Hunnish   |   kings now give us!

Thou hast whetted us so   |   to the battle of swords.”

7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.

7.Laughing did Guthrun   |   go to her chamber,

The helms of the kings   |   from the cupboards she took,

And mail-coats broad,   |   to her sons she bore them;

On their horses’ backs   |   the heroes leaped.

8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]“Homeward no more   |   his mother to seeComes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”

8.Then Hamther spake,   |   the high of heart:[541]

“Homeward no more   |   his mother to see

Comes the spear-god, fallen   |   mid Gothic folk;

One death-draught thou   |   for us all shalt drink,

For Svanhild then   |   and thy sons as well.”

9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the taleOf her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.

9.Weeping Guthrun,   |   Gjuki’s daughter,

Went sadly before   |   the gate to sit,

And with tear-stained cheeks   |   to tell the tale

Of her mighty griefs,   |   so many in kind.

10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.

10.“Three home-fires knew I,   |   three hearths I knew,

Home was I brought   |   by husbands three;

But Sigurth only   |   of all was dear,

He whom my brothers   |   brought to his death.

11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yetWhen the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.

11.“A greater sorrow   |   I saw not nor knew,

Yet more it seemed   |   I must suffer yet

When the princes great   |   to Atli gave me.

12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;For my woes requital   |   I might not winTill off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.

12.“The brave boys I summoned   |   to secret speech;

For my woes requital   |   I might not win

Till off the heads   |   of the Hniflungs I hewed.

[542]

13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full soreFor the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.

13.“To the sea I went,   |   my heart full sore

For the Norns, whose wrath   |   I would now escape;

But the lofty billows   |   bore me undrowned,

Till to land I came,   |   so I longer must live.

14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.

14.“Then to the bed—   |   of old was it better!—

Of a King of the folk   |   a third time I came;

Boys I bore   |   his heirs to be,

Heirs so young,   |   the sons of Jonak.

15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hallAs the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.

15.“But round Svanhild   |   handmaidens sat,

She was dearest ever   |   of all my children;

So did Svanhild   |   seem in my hall

As the ray of the sun   |   is fair to see.

16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it wasWhen Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were troddenIn the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.

16.“Gold I gave her   |   and garments bright,

Ere I let her go   |   to the Gothic folk;

Of my heavy woes   |   the hardest it was

When Svanhild’s tresses   |   fair were trodden

In the mire by hoofs   |   of horses wild.

17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heartThere crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.

17.“The sorest it was   |   when Sigurth mine[543]

On his couch, of victory   |   robbed, they killed;

And grimmest of all   |   when to Gunnar’s heart

There crept the bright-hued   |   crawling snakes.

18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heartFrom the living breast   |   of the king so brave;Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ..  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

18.“And keenest of all   |   when they cut the heart

From the living breast   |   of the king so brave;

Many woes I remember,   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;Here there sits not   |   son or daughterWho yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.

19.“Bridle, Sigurth,   |   thy steed so black,

Hither let run   |   thy swift-faring horse;

Here there sits not   |   son or daughter

Who yet to Guthrun   |   gifts shall give.

[544]

20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,When together both   |   on the bed we sat,That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst comeFrom hell and I   |   from earth to thee.

20.“Remember, Sigurth,   |   what once we said,

When together both   |   on the bed we sat,

That mightily thou   |   to me wouldst come

From hell and I   |   from earth to thee.

21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”

21.“Pile ye up, jarls,   |   the pyre of oak,

Make it the highest   |   a hero e’er had;

Let the fire burn   |   my grief-filled breast,

My sore-pressed heart,   |   till my sorrows melt.”

22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,And less the woes   |   of women become,Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.

22.May nobles all   |   less sorrow know,

And less the woes   |   of women become,

Since the tale of this   |   lament is told.

[536]

[Contents]NOTES[538]Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545]

NOTES[538]

[538]

Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545]

Prose.In the manuscript the prose is headed “Of Guthrun,” the title “Guthrunarhvot” preceding stanza 1. The prose introduction is used both by Snorri (Skaldskaparmal, chapter 42) and in theVolsungasaga. It would be interesting to know on what the annotator based this note, for neither Bikki nor Randver is mentioned by name in either theGuthrunarhvotor theHamthesmol. On the prose notes in general, cf.Reginsmol, introductory note.Guthrun: on the slaying of Atli by his wife, Guthrun, Sigurth’s widow, cf.Atlamol, 83–86 and notes.Jonak: a Northern addition to the legend, introduced to account for Svanhild’s half-brothers; the name is apparently of Slavic origin.Sorli,Erp, andHamther: Sorli and Hamther are the Sarus and Ammius of the Jordanes story (cf. introductory note). TheVolsungasagafollows this note in making Erp likewise a son of Guthrun, but in theHamthesmolhe is a son of Jonak by another wife.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Jormunrek(Ermanarich): cf. introductory note.Bikki: the Sifka or Sibicho of the Gothic legends of Ermanarich, whose evil counsel always brings trouble.Randver: in theVolsungasagaJormunrek sends his son Randver with Bikki to seek Svanhild’s hand. On the voyage home Bikki says to Randver: “It were right for you to have so fair a wife, and not such an old man.” Randver was much pleased with this advice, “and he spake to her with gladness, and she to him.” Thus the story becomes near of kin to those of Tristan and Iseult and Paolo and Francesca. According to theVolsungasaga, Bikki told Ermanarich that a guilty love existed between his son and his young wife, and presumably the annotator here meant as much by his vague “this.”[539]

1.The poet’s introduction of himself in this stanza is a fairly certain indication of the relative lateness of the poem.

2.Idle: a guess; a word is obviously missing in the original. The manuscript marks line 5 as beginning a new stanza, and lines 5–6 may well have been inserted from another part of the “old”Hamthesmol(cf.Hamthesmol, 3).

3.GunnarandHogni: cf.Drap Niflunga. Line 5 may be interpolated.Hunnish: here used, as often, merely as a generic term for all South Germanic peoples; the reference is to the Burgundian Gunnar and Hogni.

4.Hamther: some editions spell the name “Hamthir.”Sigurth, etc.: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. This stanza has been subjected to many conjectural rearrangements,[540]some editors adding two or three lines from theHamthesmol.

5.Bloody: a guess; a word in the original is clearly missing, and the same is true ofallin line 3.Thy sons: i.e., by killing her sons Erp and Eitil (cf.Atlamol, 72–74) Guthrun deprived Hamther, Sorli, and the second Erp of valuable allies in avenging Svanhild’s death.

6.The manuscript indicates no gap, but most editors assume the loss of one, two or even more lines before the two here given.

7.The manuscript indicates line 4 as beginning a new stanza.

8.Line 1, identical with line 1 of stanza 4, may be interpolated[541]here.Spear-god: warrior, i.e., Hamther himself. With this stanza the introductoryhvot(“inciting”) ends, and stanza 9 introduces the lament which forms the real body of the poem.

11.Line 1 in the original is of uncertain meaning. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1, and some completely reconstruct line 1 on the basis of a hypothetical second line.Princes: Gunnar and Hogni.

12.Some editors assume the loss of one line, or more, before line 1.Hniflungs: Erp and Eitil, the sons of Guthrun and Atli. On the application of the name Niflung (or, as later spelt,[542]Hniflung) to the descendants of Gjuki, Guthrun’s father, cf.Brot, 17, note.

13.Norns: the fates; cf.Voluspo, 8 and note.

14.The manuscript omits the first half of line 4.

16.Some editors assume a gap of two lines after line 2, and make a separate stanza of lines 3–5; Gering adds a sixth line of his own coining, while Grundtvig inserts one between lines 3 and 4. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.

17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza (cf. note on stanza 16). Stanzas 17 and 18 are very likely[543]later interpolations, although the compilers of theVolsungasagaknew them as they stand here. The whole passage depends on the shades of difference in the meanings of the various superlatives:harþastr, “hardest”;sárastr, “sorest”;grimmastr, “grimmest,” andhvassastr, “keenest.”Snakes: cf.Drap Niflunga.

18.The king: Hogni; cf.Atlakvitha, 25. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Most editors agree that there is a more or less extensive gap after stanza 18, and some of them contend that the original ending of the poem is lost, stanzas 19–21 coming from a different poem, probably a lament closely following Sigurth’s death.

19.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza, and it immediately follows the fragmentary line 3 of stanza 18. The resemblance between stanzas 19–21 and stanzas 64–69 ofSigurtharkvitha en skammasuggests that, in some otherwise lost version of the story, Guthrun, like Brynhild, sought to die soon after Sigurth’s death.Thy steed: Guthrun’s appeal to the dead Sigurth to ride back to earth to meet her is reminiscent of the episode related inHelgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 39–48. The promise mentioned in stanza 20 is spoken of elsewhere only in theVolsungasagaparaphrase of this passage.[544]

21.Perhaps something has been lost between stanzas 20 and 21, or possibly stanza 21, while belonging originally to the same poem as stanzas 19 and 20, did not directly follow them.Sore-pressed: a guess; a word seems to have been omitted in the original.

22.Words of the poet’s, like stanza 1, and perhaps constituting a later addition. Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3. The meaning, of course, is that the poet hopes the story of Guthrun’s woes will make all other troubles seem light by comparison.[545]

[Contents]HAMTHESMOLThe Ballad of Hamther[Contents]Introductory NoteTheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.[Contents][546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545][Contents]NOTES[546]1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

HAMTHESMOLThe Ballad of Hamther

[Contents]Introductory NoteTheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.[Contents][546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545][Contents]NOTES[546]1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

[Contents]Introductory NoteTheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.

Introductory Note

TheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.

TheHamthesmol, the concluding poem in theCodex Regius, is on the whole the worst preserved of all the poems in the collection. The origin of the story, the relation of theHamthesmolto theGuthrunarhvot, and of both poems to the hypothetical “old”Hamthesmol, are outlined in the introductory note to theGuthrunarhvot. TheHamthesmolas we have it is certainly not the “old” poem of that name; indeed it is so pronounced a patchwork that it can hardly be regarded as a coherent poem at all. Some of the stanzas are in Fornyrthislag, some are in Malahattr, one (stanza 29) appears to be in Ljothahattr, and in many cases the words can be adapted to any known metrical form only by liberal emendation. That any one should have deliberately composed such a poem seems quite incredible, and it is far more likely that some eleventh century narrator constructed a poem about the death of Hamther and Sorli by piecing together various fragments, and possibly adding a number of Malahattr stanzas of his own.

It has been argued, and with apparently sound logic, that our extantHamthesmoloriginated in Greenland, along with theAtlamol. In any case, it can hardly have been put together before the latter part of the eleventh century, although the “old”Hamthesmolundoubtedly long antedates this period. Many editors have attempted to pick out the parts of the extant poem which were borrowed from this older lay, but the condition of the text is such that it is by no means clear even what stanzas are in Fornyrthislag and what in Malahattr. Many editors, likewise, indicate gaps and omissions, but it seems doubtful whether the extantHamthesmolever had a really consecutive quality, its component fragments having apparently been strung together with little regard for continuity. The notes indicate some of the more important editorial suggestions, but make no attempt to cover all of them, and the metrical form of the translation is often based on mere guesswork as to the character of the original lines and stanzas. Despite the chaotic state of the text, however, the underlying narrative is reasonably clear, and the story can be followed with no great difficulty.

[Contents][546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545]

[546]1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.[547]5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”[549]11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.[552]20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”[554]

[546]

1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;In early morn   |   awake for menThe evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.

1.Great the evils   |   once that grew,

With the dawning sad   |   of the sorrow of elves;

In early morn   |   awake for men

The evils that grief   |   to each shall bring.

2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,So that little there is   |   that is half as old,Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whettedHer sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.

2.Not now, nor yet   |   of yesterday was it,

Long the time   |   that since hath lapsed,

So that little there is   |   that is half as old,

Since Guthrun, daughter   |   of Gjuki, whetted

Her sons so young   |   to Svanhild’s vengeance.

3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,White and black   |   on the battle-way,Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.

3.“The sister ye had   |   was Svanhild called,

And her did Jormunrek   |   trample with horses,

White and black   |   on the battle-way,

Gray, road-wonted,   |   the steeds of the Goths.

4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.

4.“Little the kings   |   of the folk are ye like,

For now ye are living   |   alone of my race.

[547]

5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the treeWhen the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”

5.“Lonely am I   |   as the forest aspen,

Of kindred bare   |   as the fir of its boughs,

My joys are all lost   |   as the leaves of the tree

When the scather of twigs   |   from the warm day turns.”

6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed giveWhen they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.

6.Then Hamther spake forth,   |   the high of heart:

“Small praise didst thou, Guthrun,   |   to Hogni’s deed give

When they wakened thy Sigurth   |   from out of his sleep,

Thou didst sit on the bed   |   while his slayers laughed.

7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were redFrom his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.

7.“Thy bed-covers white   |   with blood were red

From his wounds, and with gore   |   of thy husband were wet;[548]

So Sigurth was slain,   |   by his corpse didst thou sit,

And of gladness didst think not:   |   ’twas Gunnar’s doing.

8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of ErpAnd the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting swordThat another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”

8.“Thou wouldst strike at Atli   |   by the slaying of Erp

And the killing of Eitil;   |   thine own grief was worse;

So should each one wield   |   the wound-biting sword

That another it slays   |   but smites not himself.”

9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?

9.Then did Sorli speak out,   |   for wise was he ever:

“With my mother I never   |   a quarrel will make;

Full little in speaking   |   methinks ye both lack;

What askest thou, Guthrun,   |   that will give thee no tears?

10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”

10.“For thy brothers dost weep,   |   and thy boys so sweet,

Thy kinsmen in birth   |   on the battlefield slain;

Now, Guthrun, as well   |   for us both shalt thou weep,

We sit doomed on our steeds,   |   and far hence shall we die.”

[549]

11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of GothsBe bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”

11.Then the fame-glad one—   |   on the steps she was—

The slender-fingered,   |   spake with her son:

“Ye shall danger have   |   if counsel ye heed not;

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

By two heroes alone   |   shall two hundred of Goths

Be bound or be slain   |   in the lofty-walled burg.”

12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.

12.From the courtyard they fared,   |   and fury they breathed;

The youths swiftly went   |   o’er the mountain wet,

On their Hunnish steeds,   |   death’s vengeance to have.

13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550].  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”

13.On the way they found   |   the man so wise;[550]

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   |   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

“What help from the weakling   |   brown may we have?”

14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aidAs help one foot   |   from the other has.”

14.So answered them   |   their half-brother then:

“So well may I   |   my kinsmen aid

As help one foot   |   from the other has.”

15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”

15.“How may a foot   |   its fellow aid,

Or a flesh-grown hand   |   another help?”

16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”A bastard they   |   the bold one called.

16.Then Erp spake forth,   |   his words were few,

As haughty he sat   |   on his horse’s back:[551]

“To the timid ’tis ill   |   the way to tell.”

A bastard they   |   the bold one called.

17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.

17.From their sheaths they drew   |   their shining swords,

Their blades, to the giantess   |   joy to give;

By a third they lessened   |   the might that was theirs,

The fighter young   |   to earth they felled.

18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.

18.Their cloaks they shook,   |   their swords they sheathed,

The high-born men   |   wrapped their mantles close.

19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.

19.On their road they fared   |   and an ill way found,

And their sister’s son   |   on a tree they saw,

On the wind-cold wolf-tree   |   west of the hall,

And cranes’-bait crawled;   |   none would care to linger.

[552]

20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.

20.In the hall was din,   |   the men drank deep,

And the horses’ hoofs   |   could no one hear,

Till the warrior hardy   |   sounded his horn.

21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek toldHow warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”

21.Men came and the tale   |   to Jormunrek told

How warriors helmed   |   without they beheld:

“Take counsel wise,   |   for brave ones are come,

Of mighty men   |   thou the sister didst murder.”

22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.

22.Then Jormunrek laughed,   |   his hand laid on his beard,

His arms, for with wine   |   he was warlike, he called for;

He shook his brown locks,   |   on his white shield he looked,

And raised high the cup   |   of gold in his hand.

23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to beholdHamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”

23.“Happy, methinks,   |   were I to behold

Hamther and Sorli   |   here in my hall;[553]

The men would I bind   |   with strings of bows,

And Gjuki’s heirs   |   on the gallows hang.”

24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.

24.In the hall was clamor,   |   the cups were shattered,

Men stood in blood   |   from the breasts of the Goths.

25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”

25.Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart:

“Thou soughtest, Jormunrek,   |   us to see,

Sons of one mother   |   seeking thy dwelling;

Thou seest thy hands,   |   thy feet thou beholdest,

Jormunrek, flung   |   in the fire so hot.”

26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”

26.Then roared the king,   |   of the race of the gods,

Bold in his armor,   |   as roars a bear:

“Stone ye the men   |   that steel will bite not,

Sword nor spear,   |   the sons of Jonak.”

[554]

Sorli spake:27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”Hamther spake:28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545]

Sorli spake:

27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”

27.“Ill didst win, brother,   |   when the bag thou didst open,

Oft from that bag   |   came baleful counsel;

Heart hast thou, Hamther,   |   if knowledge thou hadst!

A man without wisdom   |   is lacking in much.”

Hamther spake:

28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove meThe hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.

28.“His head were now off   |   if Erp were living,

The brother so keen   |   whom we killed on our road,

The warrior noble,—   |   ’twas the Norns that drove me

The hero to slay   |   who in fight should be holy.

29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us notAmongst ourselves to strive,[555]Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished wereIn greed mid wastes so grim.

29.“In fashion of wolves   |   it befits us not

Amongst ourselves to strive,[555]

Like the hounds of the Norns,   |   that nourished were

In greed mid wastes so grim.

30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we standBy our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”

30.“We have greatly fought,   |   o’er the Goths do we stand

By our blades laid low,   |   like eagles on branches;

Great our fame though we die   |   today or tomorrow;

None outlives the night   |   when the Norns have spoken.”

31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.

31.Then Sorli beside   |   the gable sank,

And Hamther fell   |   at the back of the house.

This is called the old ballad of Hamther.[545]

[Contents]NOTES[546]1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

NOTES[546]

[546]

1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

1.This stanza looks like a later interpolation from a totally unrelated source.Sorrow of elves: the sun; cf.Alvissmol, 16 and note.

2.Some editors regard lines 1–2 as interpolated, while others question line 3.Guthrun, etc.: regarding the marriage of Jonak and Guthrun (daughter of Gjuki, sister of Gunnar and Hogni, and widow first of Sigurth and then of Atli), and the sons of this marriage, Hamther and Sorli (but not Erp), cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory prose and note.

3.SvanhildandJormunrek: regarding the manner in which Jormunrek (Ermanarich) married Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun, and afterwards had her trodden to death by horses, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note. Lines 3–4 are identical with lines 5–6 ofGuthrunarhvot, 2.

4.These two lines may be all that is left of a four-line stanza.[547]The manuscript and many editions combine them with stanza 5, while a few place them after stanza 5 as a separate stanza, reversing the order of the two lines.Kings of the folk: Guthrun’s brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, slain by Atli.

5.Cf. note on stanza 4; the manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Scather of twigs: poetic circumlocution for the wind (cf.Skaldskaparmal, chapter 27), though some editors think the phrase here means the sun. Some editors assume a more or less extensive gap between stanzas 5 and 6.

6.Lines 1–3 are nearly identical with lines 1–3 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. On the death ofSigurthcf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 21–24, andBrot, concluding prose. The wordthyin line 3 is omitted in the original.

7.Lines 1–2 are nearly identical with lines 4–5 ofGuthrunarhvot, 4. The manuscript, followed by many editions, indicates line 3 and not line 1 as beginning a stanza.[548]

8.Some editors regard this stanza as interpolated.ErpandEitil: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her sons by Atli, cf.Atlamol, 72–75. The Erp here referred to is not to be confused with the Erp, son of Jonak, who appears in stanza 13. The whole of stanza 8 is in doubtful shape, and many emendations have been suggested.

10.Some editors assign this speech to Hamther.Brothers: Gunnar and Hogni.Boys: Erp and Eitil.[549]

11.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 21, and some editors take the word here rendered “fame-glad one” (hróþrglǫþ) to be a proper name (Jormunrek’s mother or his concubine). TheVolsungasaga, however, indicates that Guthrun at this point “had so fashioned their war-gear that iron would not bite into it, and she bade them to have nought to do with stones or other heavy things, and told them that it would be ill for them if they did not do as she said.” The substance of this counsel may well have been conveyed in a passage lost after line 3, though the manuscript indicates no gap. It is by being stoned that Hamther and Sorli are killed (stanza 26). On the other hand, the second part of line 3 may possibly mean “if silent ye are not,” in which case the advice relates to Hamther’s speech to Jormunrek and Sorli’s reproach to him thereupon (stanzas 25 and 27).Steps: the word in the original is doubtful. Line 3 is thoroughly obscure. Some editors make a separate stanza of lines 3–5, while others question line 5.

12.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 1. In several editions lines 2–3 are placed after line 2 of stanza 18.Hunnish: the word meant little more than “German”; cf.Guthrunarhvot, 3 and note.[550]

13.In the manuscript these two lines follow stanza 16; some editors insert them in place of lines 2–3 of stanza 11. The manuscript indicates no gap.The man so wise: Erp, here represented as a son of Jonak but not of Guthrun, and hence a half-brother of Hamther and Sorli. There is nothing further to indicate whether or not he was born out of wedlock, as intimated in stanza 16. Some editors assign line 3 to Hamther, and some to Sorli.

14.The stanza is obviously defective. Many editors add Erp’s name in line 1, and insert between lines 2 and 3 a line based on stanza 15 and theVolsungasagaparaphrase: “As a flesh-grown hand   |   another helps.” In theVolsungasaga, after Erp’s death, Hamther stumbles and saves himself from falling with his hand, whereupon he says: “Erp spake truly; I had fallen had I not braced myself with my hand.” Soon thereafter Sorli has a like experience, one foot slipping but the other saving him from a fall. “Then they said that they had done ill to Erp, their brother.”

15.Many editions attach these two lines to stanza 14, while a few assume the loss of two lines.

16.In the manuscript this stanza stands between stanzas 12 and 13. Some editors make line 4 a part of Erp’s speech.[551]

17.The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.The giantess: presumably the reference is to Hel, goddess of the dead, but the phrase is doubtful.

18.In the manuscript these two lines are followed by stanza 19 with no indication of a break. Some editions insert here lines 2–3 of stanza 12, while others assume the loss of two or more lines.

19.Cf. note on stanza 18.Ill way: very likely the road leading through the gate of Jormunrek’s town at which Svanhild was trampled to death.Sister’s son: many editors change the text to read “stepson,” for the reference is certainly to Randver, son of Jormunrek, hanged by his father on Bikki’s advice (cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note).Wolf-tree: the gallows, the wolf being symbolical of outlaws.Cranes’-bait: presumably either snakes or worms, but the passage is doubtful.[552]

20.Many editors assume the loss of a line after line 3.The warrior: presumably a warder or watchman, but the reference may be to Hamther himself.

21.The word here renderedmen(line 1) is missing in the original, involving a metrical error, and various words have been suggested.

22.Line 2 in the original is thoroughly obscure; some editors directly reverse the meaning here indicated by giving the line a negative force, while others completely alter the phrase rendered “his arms he called for” into one meaning “he stroked his cheeks.”

23.Gjuki’s heirs: the original has “the well-born of Gjuki,” and some editors have changed the proper name to Guthrun, but the phrase apparently refers to Hamther and Sorli as Gjuki’s grandsons. In the manuscript this stanza is followed by stanza 11,[553]and such editors as have retained this arrangement have had to resort to varied and complex explanations to account for it.

24.Editors have made various efforts to reconstruct a four-line stanza out of these two lines, in some cases with the help of lines borrowed from the puzzling stanza 11 (cf. note on stanza 23). Line 2 in the original is doubtful.

25.Some editors mark line 1 as an interpolation. The manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. As in the story told by Jordanes, Hamther and Sorli succeed in wounding Jormunrek (here they cut off his hands and feet), but do not kill him.

26.The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as beginning a stanza.Of the race of the gods: the reference here is apparently to Jormunrek, but in theVolsungasagathe advice to kill Hamther and Sorli with stones, since iron will not wound them (cf. note on stanza 11), comes from Othin, who enters the hall as an old man with one eye.[554]

27.In the manuscript this stanza is introduced by the same line as stanza 25: “Then did Hamther speak forth,   |   the haughty of heart,” but the speaker in this case must be Sorli and not Hamther. Some editors, however, give lines 1–2 to Hamther and lines 3–4 to Sorli.Bag: i.e., Hamther’s mouth; cf. note on stanza 11. The manuscript indicates line 3 as beginning a new stanza.

28.Most editors regard stanzas 28–30 as a speech by Hamther, but the manuscript does not indicate the speaker, and some editors assign one or two of the stanzas to Sorli. Lines 1–2 are quoted in theVolsungasaga. The manuscript does not indicate line 1 as beginning a stanza.Erp: Hamther means that while the two brothers had succeeded only in wounding Jormunrek, Erp, if he had been with them, would have killed him. Lines 3–4 may be a later interpolation.Norns: the fates; the word used in the original means the goddesses of ill fortune.[555]

29.This is almost certainly an interpolated Ljothahattr stanza, though some editors have tried to expand it into the Fornyrthislag form.Hounds of the Norns: wolves.

30.Some editors assume a gap after this stanza.

31.Apparently a fragment of a stanza from the “old”Hamthesmolto which the annotator’s concluding prose note refers. Some editors assume the loss of two lines after line 2.

Prose.Regarding the “old”Hamthesmol, cf.Guthrunarhvot, introductory note.[557]

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