[Contents]HELREITH BRYNHILDARBrynhild’s Hell-Ride[Contents]Introductory NoteThe littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).[Contents]After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442][Contents]NOTES[443]Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447][Contents]DRAP NIFLUNGAThe Slaying of The Niflungs[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.[Contents][448]Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447][Contents]NOTE[448]Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450][Contents]GUTHRUNARKVITHA II, EN FORNAThe Second, or Old, Lay of Guthrun[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.[Contents]King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450][Contents]NOTES[451]Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
[Contents]HELREITH BRYNHILDARBrynhild’s Hell-Ride[Contents]Introductory NoteThe littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).[Contents]After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442][Contents]NOTES[443]Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447][Contents]DRAP NIFLUNGAThe Slaying of The Niflungs[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.[Contents][448]Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447][Contents]NOTE[448]Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450][Contents]GUTHRUNARKVITHA II, EN FORNAThe Second, or Old, Lay of Guthrun[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.[Contents]King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450][Contents]NOTES[451]Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
[Contents]HELREITH BRYNHILDARBrynhild’s Hell-Ride[Contents]Introductory NoteThe littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).[Contents]After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442][Contents]NOTES[443]Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447]
HELREITH BRYNHILDARBrynhild’s Hell-Ride
[Contents]Introductory NoteThe littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).[Contents]After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442][Contents]NOTES[443]Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447]
[Contents]Introductory NoteThe littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).
Introductory Note
The littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).
The littleHelreith Brynhildarimmediately follows the “short” Sigurth lay in theCodex Regius, being linked to it by the brief prose note; the heading, “Brynhild’s Ride on Hel-Way,” stands just before the first stanza. The entire poem, with the exception of stanza 6, is likewise quoted in theNornageststhattr. Outside of one stanza (No. 11), which is a fairly obvious interpolation, the poem possesses an extraordinary degree of dramatic unity, and, certain pedantic commentators notwithstanding, it is one of the most vivid and powerful in the whole collection. None the less, it has been extensively argued that parts of it belonged originally to the so-calledSigrdrifumol. That it stands in close relation to this poem is evident enough, but it is difficult to believe that such a masterpiece of dramatic poetry was ever the result of mere compilation. It seems more reasonable to regard theHelreith, with the exception of stanza 11 and allowing for the loss of two lines from stanza 6, as a complete and carefully constructed unit, based undoubtedly on older poems, but none the less an artistic creation in itself.
The poem is generally dated as late as the eleventh century, and the concluding stanza betrays Christian influence almost unmistakably. It shows the confusion of traditions manifest in all the later poems; for example, Brynhild is here not only a Valkyrie but also a swan-maiden. Only three stanzas have any reference to the Guthrun-Gunnar part of the story; otherwise the poem is concerned solely with the episode of Sigurth’s finding the sleeping Valkyrie. Late as it is, therefore, it is essentially a Norse creation, involving very few of the details of the German cycle (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).
[Contents]After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442]
After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”Brynhild spake:3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”The giantess spake:4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”Brynhild spake:5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”[442]
After the death of Brynhild there were made two bale-fires, the one for Sigurth, and that burned first, and on the other was Brynhild burned, and she was on a[443]wagon which was covered with a rich cloth. Thus it is told, that Brynhild went in the wagon on Hel-way, and passed by a house where dwelt a certain giantess. The giantess spake:
1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,Than another’s husband | here to follow.
1.“Thou shalt not further | forward fare,
My dwelling ribbed | with rocks across;
More seemly it were | at thy weaving to stay,
Than another’s husband | here to follow.
2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,Fickle of heart, | in this my house?Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”
2.“What wouldst thou have | from Valland here,
Fickle of heart, | in this my house?
Gold-goddess, now, | if thou wouldst know,
Heroes’ blood | from thy hands hast washed.”
Brynhild spake:
3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,Though to battle once | I was wont to go;Better than thou | I shall seem to be,When men us two | shall truly know.”
3.“Chide me not, woman | from rocky walls,
Though to battle once | I was wont to go;
Better than thou | I shall seem to be,
When men us two | shall truly know.”
The giantess spake:
4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]For the worst of evils | born in the world;To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,And laid their lofty | house full low.”
4.“Thou wast, Brynhild, | Buthli’s daughter,[444]
For the worst of evils | born in the world;
To death thou hast given | Gjuki’s children,
And laid their lofty | house full low.”
Brynhild spake:
5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,Witless one, | if know thou wiltHow the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to beJoyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.
5.“Truth from the wagon | here I tell thee,
Witless one, | if know thou wilt
How the heirs of Gjuki | gave me to be
Joyless ever, | a breaker of oaths.
6.“Hild the helmed | in HlymdalirThey named me of old, | all they who knew me.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
6.“Hild the helmed | in Hlymdalir
They named me of old, | all they who knew me.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes boreOf the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,When oaths I yielded | the king so young.
7.“The monarch bold | the swan-robes bore
Of the sisters eight | beneath an oak;[445]
Twelve winters I was, | if know thou wilt,
When oaths I yielded | the king so young.
8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.
8.“Next I let | the leader of Goths,
Hjalmgunnar the old, | go down to hell,
And victory brought | to Autha’s brother;
For this was Othin’s | anger mighty.
9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;He bade that my sleep | should broken beBy him who fear | had nowhere found.
9.“He beset me with shields | in Skatalund,
Red and white, | their rims o’erlapped;
He bade that my sleep | should broken be
By him who fear | had nowhere found.
10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;Across it he bade | the hero comeWho brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.
10.“He let round my hall, | that southward looked,
The branches’ foe | high-leaping burn;
Across it he bade | the hero come
Who brought me the gold | that Fafnir guarded.
11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;Best of all | he seemed to be,The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.
11.“On Grani rode | the giver of gold,[446]
Where my foster-father | ruled his folk;
Best of all | he seemed to be,
The prince of the Danes, | when the people met.
12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,As he my brother | born had been;Eight were the nights | when neither thereLoving hand | on the other laid.
12.“Happy we slept, | one bed we had,
As he my brother | born had been;
Eight were the nights | when neither there
Loving hand | on the other laid.
13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;Then did I hear | what I would were hid,That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.
13.“Yet Guthrun reproached me, | Gjuki’s daughter,
That I in Sigurth’s | arms had slept;
Then did I hear | what I would were hid,
That they had betrayed me | in taking a mate.
14.“Ever with grief | and all too longAre men and women | born in the world;But yet we shall live | our lives together,Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”
14.“Ever with grief | and all too long
Are men and women | born in the world;
But yet we shall live | our lives together,
Sigurth and I. | Sink down, Giantess!”
[442]
[Contents]NOTES[443]Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447]
NOTES[443]
[443]
Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447]
Prose.The prose follows the last stanza ofSigurtharkvitha en skammawithout break.Two bale-fires: this contradicts the statement made in the concluding stanzas ofSigurtharkvitha en skamma, that Sigurth and Brynhild were burned on the same pyre; there is no evidence that the annotator here had anything but his own mistaken imagination to go on.
2.Valland: this name (“Land of Slaughter”) is used elsewhere of mythical places; cf.Harbarthsljoth, 24, and prose introduction toVölundarkvitha; it may here not be a proper name at all.Gold-goddess: poetic circumlocution for “woman.”[444]
6.InRegiusthese two lines stand after stanza 7, but most editions place them as here. They are not quoted in theNornageststhattr. Presumably two lines, and perhaps more, have been lost. It has frequently been argued that all or part of the passage from stanza 6 through stanza 10 (6–10, 7–10 or 8–10) comes originally from the so-calledSigrdrifumol, where it would undoubtedly fit exceedingly well.Hild: a Valkyrie name meaning “Fighter” (cf.Voluspo, 31). In such compound names as Brynhild (“Fighter in Armor”) the first element was occasionally omitted.Hlymdalir(“Tumult-Dale”): a mythical name, merely signifying the place of battle as the home of Valkyries.
7.Regarding the identification of swan-maidens with Valkyries, and the manner in which men could get them in their power by stealing their swan-garments, cf.Völundarkvitha, introductory prose and note, where the same thing happens.The monarch: perhaps Agnar, brother of Autha, mentioned inSigrdrifumol(prose and quoted verse following stanza 4) as the warrior for[445]whose sake Brynhild defied Othin in slaying Hjalmgunnar.Eight: theNornageststhattrmanuscripts have “sisters of Atli” instead of “sisters eight.”
8.Hjalmgunnar: regarding this king of the Goths (the phrase means little) and his battle with Agnar, brother ofAutha, cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose after stanza 4. OneNornageststhattrmanuscript has “brother of the giantess” in place of “leader of Goths.”
9.Cf.Sigrdrifumol, prose introduction.Skatalund(“Warriors’ Grove”): a mythical name; elsewhere the place where Brynhild lay is called Hindarfjoll.
10.Branches’ foe: fire. Regarding the treasure cf.Fafnismol.
11.This stanza is presumably an interpolation, reflecting a different version of the story, wherein Sigurth meets Brynhild at the home of her brother-in-law and foster-father, Heimir (cf.[446]Gripisspo, 19 and 27).Grani: Sigurth’s horse.Danes: nowhere else does Sigurth appear in this capacity. Perhaps this is a curious relic of the Helgi tradition.
12.Eight nights: elsewhere (cf.Gripisspo, 42) the time is stated as three nights, not eight. There is a confusion of traditions here, as inGripisspo. In the version of the story wherein Sigurth met Brynhild before he encountered the Gjukungs, Sigurth was bound by no oaths, and the union was completed; it is only in the alternative version that the episode of the sword laid between the two occurs.
14.The idea apparently conveyed in the concluding lines, that Sigurth and Brynhild will be together in some future life, is utterly out of keeping with the Norse pagan traditions, and the whole stanza indicates the influence of Christianity.[447]
[Contents]DRAP NIFLUNGAThe Slaying of The Niflungs[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.[Contents][448]Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447][Contents]NOTE[448]Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450]
DRAP NIFLUNGAThe Slaying of The Niflungs
[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.[Contents][448]Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447][Contents]NOTE[448]Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450]
[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.
Introductory Note
It has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.
It has been already pointed out (introductory note toReginsmol) that the compiler of the Eddic collection had clearly undertaken to formulate a coherent narrative of the entire Sigurth cycle, piecing together the various poems by means of prose narrative links. To some extent these links were based on traditions existing outside of the lays themselves, but in the main the material was gathered from the contents of the poems. The short prose passage entitledDrap Niflunga, which in theCodex Regiusimmediately follows theHelreith Brynhildar, is just such a narrative link, and scarcely deserves a special heading, but as nearly all editions separate it from the preceding and following poems, I have followed their example.
With Sigurth and Brynhild both dead, the story turns to the slaying of the sons of Gjuki by Atli, Guthrun’s second husband, and to a few subsequent incidents, mostly late incorporations from other narrative cycles, including the tragic death of Svanhild, daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun and wife of Jormunrek (Ermanarich), and the exploits of Hamther, son of Guthrun and her third husband, Jonak. These stories are told, or outlined, in the two Atli lays, the second and third Guthrun lays, theOddrunargratr, theGuthrunarhvot, and theHamthesmol. Had the compiler seen fit to put the Atli lays immediately after theHelreith Brynhildar, he would have needed only a very brief transitional note to make the course of the story clear, but as the second Guthrun lay, the next poem in the collection, is a lament following the death of Guthrun’s brothers, some sort of a narrative bridge was manifestly needed.
Drap Niflungais based entirely on the poems which follow it in the collection, with no use of extraneous material. The part of the story which it summarizes belongs to the semi-historical Burgundian tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo), in many respects parallel to the familiar narrative of theNibelungenlied, and, except in minor details, showing few essentially Northern additions. Sigurth is scarcely mentioned, and the outstanding episode is the slaying of Gunnar and Hogni, following their journey to Atli’s home.
[Contents][448]Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447]
[448]
[448]
Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447]
Gunnar and Hogni then took all the gold that Fafnir had had. There was strife between the Gjukungs and Atli, for he held the Gjukungs guilty of Brynhild’s death. It was agreed that they should give him Guthrun as wife, and they gave her a draught of forgetfulness to drink before she would consent to be wedded to Atli. The sons of Atli were Erp and Eitil, and Svanhild was the daughter of Sigurth and Guthrun. King Atli invited Gunnar and Hogni to come to him, and sent as messenger Vingi or Knefröth. Guthrun was aware of treachery, and sent with him a message in runes that they should not come, and as a token she sent to Hogni the ring Andvaranaut and tied a wolf’s hair in it. Gunnar had sought Oddrun, Atli’s sister, for his wife, but had her not; then he married Glaumvor, and Hogni’s wife was[449]Kostbera; their sons were Solar and Snævar and Gjuki. And when the Gjukungs came to Atli, then Guthrun besought her sons to plead for the lives of both the Gjukungs, but they would not do it. Hogni’s heart was cut out, and Gunnar was cast into the serpent’s den. He smote on the harp and put the serpents to sleep, but an adder stung him in the liver.[447]
[Contents]NOTE[448]Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450]
NOTE[448]
[448]
Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450]
Prose.Niflungs: regarding the mistaken application of this name to the sons of Gjuki, who were Burgundians, cf.Brot, 17 and note.Draught of forgetfulness: according to theVolsungasagaGrimhild, Guthrun’s mother, administered this, just as she did the similar draught which made Sigurth forget Brynhild.Erp and Eitil: Guthrun kills her two sons by Atli as part of her revenge; the annotator here explains her act further by saying that Guthrun asked her sons to intercede with their father in favor of Guthrun’s brothers, but that they refused, a detail which he appears to have invented, as it is found nowhere else.Svanhild: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 54 and note.Vingi or Knefröth:Atlakvitha(stanza 1) calls the messenger Knefröth;Atlamol(stanza 4) speaks of two messengers, but names only one of them, Vingi. The annotator has here tried, unsuccessfully, to combine the two accounts.Andvaranaut: regarding the origin of Andvari’s ring cf.Reginsmol, prose after stanzas 4 and 5 and notes; Sigurth gave the ring to Guthrun. Here again the annotator is combining two stories; inAtlakvitha(stanza 8) Guthrun sends a ring (not Andvaranaut) with a wolf’s hair; inAtlamol(stanza 4) she sends a message written[449]in runes. The messenger obscures these runes, and Kostbera, Hogni’s wife, who attempts to decipher them, is not clear as to their meaning, though she suspects danger.Oddrun: cf.Sigurtharkvitha en skamma, 57 and note.Glaumvor: almost nothing is told of Gunnar’s second wife, though she appears frequently in theAtlamol.Kostbera(or Bera), Hogni’s wife, is known only as skilled in runes. Her brother was Orkning. The sons of Hogni and Kostbera, according to theAtlamol(stanza 28), wereSolarandSnævar; the third son,Gjuki, named after his grandfather, seems to be an invention of the annotator’s.Adder: according toOddrunargratr(stanza 30) Atli’s mother assumed this form in order to complete her son’s vengeance.[450]
[Contents]GUTHRUNARKVITHA II, EN FORNAThe Second, or Old, Lay of Guthrun[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.[Contents]King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450][Contents]NOTES[451]Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
GUTHRUNARKVITHA II, EN FORNAThe Second, or Old, Lay of Guthrun
[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.[Contents]King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450][Contents]NOTES[451]Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
[Contents]Introductory NoteIt has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.
Introductory Note
It has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.
It has already been pointed out (introductory note toGuthrunarkvitha I) that the tradition of Guthrun’s lament was known wherever the Sigurth story existed, and that this lament was probably one of the earliest parts of the legend to assume verse form. Whether it reached the North as verse cannot, of course, be determined, but it is at least possible that this was the case, and in any event it is clear that by the tenth and eleventh centuries there were a number of Norse poems with Guthrun’s lament as the central theme. Two of these are included in the Eddic collection, the second one being unquestionably much the older. It is evidently the poem referred to by the annotator in the prose note following theBrotas “the old Guthrun lay,” and its character and state of preservation have combined to lead most commentators to date it as early as the first half of the tenth century, whereasGuthrunarkvitha Ibelongs a hundred years later.
The poem has evidently been preserved in rather bad shape, with a number of serious omissions and some interpolations, but in just this form it lay before the compilers of theVolsungasaga, who paraphrased it faithfully, and quoted five of its stanzas. The interpolations are on the whole unimportant; the omissions, while they obscure the sense of certain passages, do not destroy the essential continuity of the poem, in which Guthrun reviews her sorrows from the death of Sigurth through the slaying of her brothers to Atli’s dreams foretelling the death of their sons. It is, indeed, the only Norse poem of the Sigurth cycle antedating the year 1000 which has come down to us in anything approaching complete form; theReginsmol,Fafnismol, andSigrdrifumolare all collections of fragments, only a short bit of the “long” Sigurth lay remains, and the others—Gripisspo,Guthrunarkvitha IandIII,Sigurtharkvitha en skamma,Helreith Brynhildar,Oddrunargratr,Guthrunarhvot,Hamthesmol, and the two Atli lays—are all generally dated from the eleventh and even the twelfth centuries.
An added reason for believing thatGuthrunarkvitha IItraces its origin back to a lament which reached the North[451]from Germany in verse form is the absence of most of the characteristic Norse additions to the narrative, except in minor details. Sigurth is slain in the forest, as “German men say” (cf.Brot, concluding prose); the urging of Guthrun by her mother and brothers to become Atli’s wife, the slaying of the Gjukungs (here only intimated, for at that point something seems to have been lost), and Guthrun’s prospective revenge on Atli, all belong directly to the German tradition (cf. introductory note toGripisspo).
In theCodex Regiusthe poem is entitled simplyGuthrunarkvitha; the numeral has been added in nearly all editions to distinguish this poem from the other two Guthrun lays, and the phrase “the old” is borrowed from the annotator’s comment in the prose note at the end of theBrot.
[Contents]King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450]
King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.[452]2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[453]7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[456]18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:[459]26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”Guthrun spake:28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”[460]Grimhild spake:29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”Guthrun spake:30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”Grimhild spake:31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”Guthrun spake:32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”[461]33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.* * * * * *38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.Atli spake:39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”[463]Guthrun spake:40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”Atli spake:41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”Guthrun spake:44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”Atli spake:45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .[450]
King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:
1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.
1.A maid of maids | my mother bore me,
Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,
Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,
Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.
[452]
2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sonsAs the leek grows green | above the grass,Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.
2.So Sigurth rose | o’er Gjuki’s sons
As the leek grows green | above the grass,
Or the stag o’er all | the beasts doth stand,
Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.
3.Till my brothers let me | no longer haveThe best of heroes | my husband to be;Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.
3.Till my brothers let me | no longer have
The best of heroes | my husband to be;
Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,
Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.
4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.
4.From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,
But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;
Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,
Wont the warrior’s | weight to bear.
5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,The steed knew well | his master was slain.
5.Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,
With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;
The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,
The steed knew well | his master was slain.
6.Long I waited | and pondered wellEre ever the king | for tidings I asked.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
6.Long I waited | and pondered well
Ere ever the king | for tidings I asked.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
[453]
7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni toldThe news full sore | of Sigurth slain:“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.
7.His head bowed Gunnar, | but Hogni told
The news full sore | of Sigurth slain:
“Hewed to death | at our hands he lies,
Gotthorm’s slayer, | given to wolves.
8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;The eagles cry | as food they crave,And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”
8.“On the southern road | thou shalt Sigurth see,
Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry;
The eagles cry | as food they crave,
And about thy husband | wolves are howling.”
9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horrorLet me hear, | all joyless left?Ravens yet | thy heart shall rendIn a land that never | thou hast known.”
9.“Why dost thou, Hogni, | such a horror
Let me hear, | all joyless left?
Ravens yet | thy heart shall rend
In a land that never | thou hast known.”
10.Few the words | of Hogni were,Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall beIf the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”
10.Few the words | of Hogni were,
Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow:
“Greater, Guthrun, | thy grief shall be
If the ravens so | my heart shall rend.”
11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]Nor wailing went, | as other women,(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).
11.From him who spake | I turned me soon,
In the woods to find | what the wolves had left;
Tears I had not, | nor wrung my hands,[454]
Nor wailing went, | as other women,
(When by Sigurth | slain I sat).
12.Never so black | had seemed the nightAs when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
12.Never so black | had seemed the night
As when in sorrow | by Sigurth I sat;
The wolves . . . . | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .Best of all | methought ’twould beIf I my life | could only lose,Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.
13.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
Best of all | methought ’twould be
If I my life | could only lose,
Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.
14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.
14.From the mountain forth | five days I fared,
Till Hoalf’s hall | so high I saw;[455]
Seven half-years | with Thora I stayed,
Hokon’s daughter, | in Denmark then.
15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,Southern halls | and Danish swans;On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).
15.With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy,
Southern halls | and Danish swans;
On the tapestry wove we | warrior’s deeds,
And the hero’s thanes | on our handiwork;
(Flashing shields | and fighters armed,
Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).
16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;On board we wove | the warriors faring,Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.
16.Sigmund’s ship | by the land was sailing,
Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks;
On board we wove | the warriors faring,
Sigar and Siggeir, | south to Fjon.
17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
17.Then Grimhild asked, | the Gothic queen,
Whether willingly | would I . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
[456]
18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and calledHer sons to ask, | with stern resolve,Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.
18.Her needlework cast she | aside, and called
Her sons to ask, | with stern resolve,
Who amends to their sister | would make for her son,
Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.
19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;Then would she know | who now would go,The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).
19.Ready was Gunnar | gold to give,
Amends for my hurt, | and Hogni too;
Then would she know | who now would go,
The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness,
(The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly,
And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).
20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]In like princes | came they all,The long-beard men, | with mantles red,Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.
20.(Valdar, king | of the Danes, was come,
With Jarizleif, Eymoth, | and Jarizskar).[457]
In like princes | came they all,
The long-beard men, | with mantles red,
Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms,
Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.
21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,Comfort so | for my sorrows greatTo bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.
21.Each to give me | gifts was fain,
Gifts to give, | and goodly speech,
Comfort so | for my sorrows great
To bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.
22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]For mingled therein | was magic earth,Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.
22.A draught did Grimhild | give me to drink,
Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares;[458]
For mingled therein | was magic earth,
Ice-cold sea, | and the blood of swine.
23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,Written and reddened, | I could not read them;A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.
23.In the cup were runes | of every kind,
Written and reddened, | I could not read them;
A heather-fish | from the Haddings’ land,
An ear uncut, | and the entrails of beasts.
24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.
24.Much evil was brewed | within the beer,
Blossoms of trees, | and acorns burned,
Dew of the hearth, | and holy entrails,
The liver of swine,— | all grief to allay.
25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,Ere she herself | to speak began:
25.Then I forgot, | when the draught they gave me,
There in the hall, | my husband’s slaying;
On their knees the kings | all three did kneel,
Ere she herself | to speak began:
[459]
26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,The wealth that once | thy father’s was,Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,And the hangings all | that the monarch had.
26.“Guthrun, gold | to thee I give,
The wealth that once | thy father’s was,
Rings to have, | and Hlothver’s halls,
And the hangings all | that the monarch had.
27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”
27.“Hunnish women, | skilled in weaving,
Who gold make fair | to give thee joy,
And the wealth of Buthli | thine shall be,
Gold-decked one, | as Atli’s wife.”
Guthrun spake:
28.“A husband now | I will not have,Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;It beseems me not | with Buthli’s sonHappy to be, | and heirs to bear.”
28.“A husband now | I will not have,
Nor wife of Brynhild’s | brother be;
It beseems me not | with Buthli’s son
Happy to be, | and heirs to bear.”
[460]
Grimhild spake:
29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,Though the blame at first | with us hath been;Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”
29.“Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows,
Though the blame at first | with us hath been;
Happy shalt be | as if both still lived,
Sigurth and Sigmund, | if sons thou bearest.”
Guthrun spake:
30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,Since once the raven | and ravening wolfSigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”
30.“Grimhild, I may not | gladness find,
Nor hold forth hopes | to heroes now,
Since once the raven | and ravening wolf
Sigurth’s heart’s-blood | hungrily lapped.”
Grimhild spake:
31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler nowI have found for thee, | and foremost of all;Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”
31.“Noblest of birth | is the ruler now
I have found for thee, | and foremost of all;
Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast,
Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not.”
Guthrun spake:
32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to sendTo be a bride | of yon baneful race;On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”
32.“Seek not so eagerly | me to send
To be a bride | of yon baneful race;
On Gunnar first | his wrath shall fall,
And the heart will he tear | from Hogni’s breast.”
[461]
33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the wordsThat fate full sore | for her sons foretold,(And mighty woe | for them should work;)“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”
33.Weeping Grimhild | heard the words
That fate full sore | for her sons foretold,
(And mighty woe | for them should work;)
“Lands I give thee, | with all that live there,
(Vinbjorg is thine, | and Valbjorg too,)
Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter.”
34.So must I do | as the kings besought,And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.
34.So must I do | as the kings besought,
And against my will | for my kinsmen wed;
Ne’er with my husband | joy I had,
And my sons by my brothers’ | fate were saved not.
35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .I could not rest | till of life I had robbedThe warrior bold, | the maker of battles.
35.. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
I could not rest | till of life I had robbed
The warrior bold, | the maker of battles.
36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]And the foreign women | in wagons faring;A week through lands | so cold we went,And a second week | the waves we smote,(And a third through lands | that water lacked).
36.Soon on horseback | each hero was,[462]
And the foreign women | in wagons faring;
A week through lands | so cold we went,
And a second week | the waves we smote,
(And a third through lands | that water lacked).
37.The warders now | on the lofty wallsOpened the gates, | and in we rode.
37.The warders now | on the lofty walls
Opened the gates, | and in we rode.
* * * * * *
38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemedOf bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.
38.Atli woke me, | for ever I seemed
Of bitterness full | for my brothers’ death.
Atli spake:
39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked meWith visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”
39.“Now from sleep | the Norns have waked me
With visions of terror,— | to thee will I tell them;
Methought thou, Guthrun, | Gjuki’s daughter,
With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body.”
[463]
Guthrun spake:
40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall followAnd willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”
40.“Fire a dream | of steel shall follow
And willful pride | one of woman’s wrath;
A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee,
And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou art.”
Atli spake:
41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,That fain would I have | full high to grow;Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.
41.“Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping,
That fain would I have | full high to grow;
Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood,
They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.
42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,Eager for food, | to an evil house;I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.
42.“I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown,
Eager for food, | to an evil house;
I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate,
Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.
43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”
43.“Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed,
Loud in hunger | and pain they howled;
Their flesh methought | was eagles’ food,
And their bodies now | I needs must eat.”
Guthrun spake:
44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;Die they shall | ere day has dawned,A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”
44.“Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak,[464]
And off the heads | of beasts shall hew;
Die they shall | ere day has dawned,
A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them.”
Atli spake:
45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
45.“On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought,
Weary with woe,— | full well I remember.”
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
[450]
[Contents]NOTES[451]Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
NOTES[451]
[451]
Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.24.Dew of the hearth: soot.25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]
Prose.Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern. The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich, who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German tradition, replaced Theoderich’s actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i.e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is here said to have lost most of his men. The annotator found the material for this note inGuthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time whenGuthrunarkvitha II[452]was composed (early tenth century) it is probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem its setting.
2.Cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.
4.Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth’s death cf.Brot, concluding prose and note.Grani: cf.Brot, 7.
6.No gap indicated in the manuscript. Some editions combine these two lines with either stanza 5 or stanza 7.[453]
7.Gotthorm: from this it appears that in both versions of the death of Sigurth the mortally wounded hero killed his murderer, the younger brother of Gunnar and Hogni. The story of how Gotthorm was slain after killing Sigurth in his bed is told inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 22–23, and in theVolsungasaga.
11.On lines 3–4 cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, 1. Line 5 is probably spurious.[454]
12.Many editions make one stanza of stanzas 12 and 13, reconstructing line 3; the manuscript shows no gap. Bugge fills out the stanza thus: “The wolves were howling | on all the ways, / The eagles cried | as their food they craved.”
13.Cf. note on preceding stanza. Grundtvig suggests as a first line: “Long did I bide, | my brothers awaiting.” Many editors reject line 4.
14.The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with lines 1–2 of stanza 15.Hoalf(or Half): Gering thinks this Danish king may be identical with Alf, son of King Hjalprek, and second husband of Hjordis, Sigurth’s mother (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotlaand note), but the name was a common one.ThoraandHokonhave not been identified (cf.Guthrunarkvitha I, concluding prose, which is clearly based on this stanza). A Thora appears inHyndluljoth, 18, as the wife of Dag, one of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the most famous of Denmark’s mythical kings, and one of her sons is Alf (Hoalf?).[455]
15.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Some editors combine lines 5–6 with lines 1–2 of stanza 16, while others mark them as interpolated.
16.Some editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza 17.Sigmund: Sigurth’s father, who here appears as a sea-rover in Guthrun’s tapestry.Sigar: named inFornaldar sögurII, 10, as the father ofSiggeir, the latter being the husband of Sigmund’s twin sister, Signy (cf.Fra Dautha Sinfjotla).Fjon: this name, referring to the Danish island of Fünen, is taken from theVolsungasagaparaphrase as better fitting the Danish setting of the stanza than the name inRegius, which is “Fife” (Scotland).
17.No gap is indicated in the manuscript, and most editions combine these two lines either with lines 3–4 of stanza 16, with lines 1–2 of stanza 18, or with the whole of stanza 18. Line 2[456]has been filled out in various ways. TheVolsungasagaparaphrase indicates that these two lines are the remains of a full stanza, the prose passage running: “Now Guthrun was somewhat comforted of her sorrows. Then Grimhild learned where Guthrun was now dwelling.” The first two lines may be the ones missing.Gothic: the term “Goth” was used in the North without much discrimination to apply to all south-Germanic peoples. InGripisspo, 35, Gunnar, Grimhild’s son, appears as “lord of the Goths.”
18.The manuscript marks line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. Grimhild is eager to have amends made to Guthrun for the slaying of Sigurth and their son, Sigmund, because Atli has threatened war if he cannot have Guthrun for his wife.
19.Lines 5–6 are almost certainly interpolations, made by a scribe with a very vague understanding of the meaning of the stanza, which refers simply to the journey of the Gjukungs to bring their sister home from Denmark.
20.Lines 1–2 are probably interpolated, though theVolsungasagaincludes the names. Some one apparently attempted to[457]supply the names of Atli’s messengers, the “long-beard men” of line 4, who have come to ask for Guthrun’s hand. Some commentators assume, as theVolsungasagadoes, that these messengers went with the Gjukungs to Denmark in search of Guthrun, but it seems more likely that a transitional stanza has dropped out after stanza 19, and that Guthrun received Atli’s emissaries in her brothers’ home.Long-beards: the word may actually mean Langobards or Lombards, but, if it does, it is presumably without any specific significance here. Certainly the names in the interpolated two lines do not fit either Lombards or Huns, for Valdar is identified as a Dane, and Jarizleif and Jarizskar are apparently Slavic. The manuscript indicates line 5 as beginning a new stanza.
21.Each: the reference is presumably to Gunnar and Hogni, and perhaps also Grimhild. I suspect that this stanza belongs before stanza 20.
22.Stanzas 22–25 describe the draught of forgetfulness which Grimhild gives Guthrun, just as she gave one to Sigurth (in one version of the story) to make him forget Brynhild. The draught does not seem to work despite Guthrun’s statement in stanza 25 (cf. stanza 30), for which reason Vigfusson, not unwisely, places stanzas 22–25 after stanza 34.Blood of swine: cf.Hyndluljoth, 39 and note.[458]
23.TheVolsungasagaquotes stanzas 23–24.Heather-fish: a snake.Haddings’ land: the world of the dead, so called because, according to Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish king Hadingus once visited it. It is possible that the comma should follow “heather-fish,” making the “ear uncut” (of grain) come from the world of the dead.
24.Dew of the hearth: soot.
25.In the manuscript, and in some editions, the first line is in the third person plural: “Then they forgot, | when the draught they had drunk.” The second line in the original is manifestly in bad shape, and has been variously emended.I forgot: this emendation is doubtful, in view of stanza 30, but cf. note to stanza 22.The kings all three: probably Atli’s emissaries, though the interpolated lines of stanza 20 name four of them. I suspect that line 4 is wrong, and should read: “Ere he himself (Atli) | to speak began.” Certainly stanzas 26–27[459]fit Atli much better than they do Grimhild, and there is nothing unreasonable in Atli’s having come in person, along with his tributary kings, to seek Guthrun’s hand. However, the “three kings” may not be Atli’s followers at all, but Gunnar, Hogni, and the unnamed third brother possibly referred to inSigurtharkvitha en skamma, 18.
26.Thy father’s: So the manuscript, in which case the reference is obviously to Gjuki. But some editions omit the “thy,” and if Atli, and not Grimhild, is speaking (cf. note on stanza 25), the reference may be, as in line 3 of stanza 27, to the wealth of Atli’s father, Buthli.Hlothver: the northern form of the Frankish name Chlodowech (Ludwig), but who this Hlothver was, beyond the fact that he was evidently a Frankish king, is uncertain. If Atli is speaking, he is presumably a Frankish ruler whose land Atli and his Huns have conquered.
27.Cf. note on stanza 25 as to the probable speaker.
28.In stanzas 28–32 the dialogue, in alternate stanzas, is clearly between Guthrun and her mother, Grimhild, though the manuscript does not indicate the speakers.[460]
29.Sigmund: son of Sigurth and Guthrun, killed at Brynhild’s behest.
30.This stanza presents a strong argument for transposing the description of the draught of forgetfulness (stanzas 22–24 and lines 1–2 of stanza 25) to follow stanza 33.Raven, etc.: the original is somewhat obscure, and the line may refer simply to the “corpse-eating raven.”
32.In the manuscript this stanza is immediately followed by the two lines which here, following Bugge’s suggestion, appear[461]as stanza 35. In lines 3–4 Guthrun foretells what will (and actually does) happen if she is forced to become Atli’s wife. If stanza 35 really belongs here, it continues the prophesy to the effect that Guthrun will have no rest till she has avenged her brothers’ death.
33.Very likely the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 4 as beginning a new stanza. On the other hand, lines 3 and 5 may be interpolations.VinbjorgandValbjorg: apparently imaginary place-names.
34.The kings: presumably Gunnar and Hogni.My sons: regarding Guthrun’s slaying of her two sons by Atli, Erp and Eitil, cf.Drap Niflunga, note.
35.In the manuscript this stanza follows stanza 32. The loss of two lines, to the effect that “Ill was that marriage for my brothers, and ill for Atli himself,” and the transposition of the remaining two lines to this point, are indicated in a number of editions.The warrior, etc.: Atli, whom Guthrun kills.[462]
36.The stanza describes the journey to Atli’s home, and sundry unsuccessful efforts have been made to follow the travellers through Germany and down the Danube.Foreign women: slaves. Line 5, which the manuscript marks as beginning a stanza, is probably spurious.
37.After these two lines there appears to be a considerable gap, the lost stanzas giving Guthrun’s story of the slaying of her brothers. It is possible that stanzas 38–45 came originally from another poem, dealing with Atli’s dream, and were here substituted for the original conclusion of Guthrun’s lament. Many editions combine stanzas 37 and 38, or combine stanza 38 (the manuscript marks line 1 as beginning a stanza) with lines 1–2 of stanza 39.
39.The manuscript indicates line 3 as the beginning of a stanza. The manuscript and most editions do not indicate the speakers in this and the following stanzas.[463]
40.Guthrun, somewhat obscurely, interprets Atli’s first dream (stanza 39) to mean that she will cure him of an abscess by cauterizing it. Her interpretation is, of course, intended merely to blind him to her purpose.
41.In stanzas 41–43 Atli’s dreams forecast the death of his two sons, whose flesh Guthrun gives him to eat (cf.Atlakvitha, 39, andAtlamol, 78).
44.This stanza is evidently Guthrun’s intentionally cryptic[464]interpretation of Atli’s dreams, but the meaning of the original is more than doubtful. The word here rendered “sacrifice” may mean “sea-catch,” and the one rendered “beasts” may mean “whales.” None of the attempted emendations have rendered the stanza really intelligible, but it appears to mean that Atli will soon make a sacrifice of beasts at night, and give their bodies to the people. Guthrun of course has in mind the slaying of his two sons.
45.With these two lines the poem abruptly ends; some editors assign the speech to Atli (I think rightly), others to Guthrun. Ettmüller combines the lines with stanza 38. Whether stanzas 38–45 originally belonged to Guthrun’s lament, or were interpolated here in place of the lost conclusion of that poem from another one dealing with Atli’s dreams (cf. note on stanza 37), it is clear that the end has been lost.[465]