Chapter XXX

Of the Slaying of Sigurd Fafnir’s-bane

Thereafter Brynhild went out, and sat under her bower-wall, and had many words of wailing to say, and still she cried that all things were loathsome to her, both land and lordship alike, so she might not have Sigurd.

But therewith came Gunnar to her yet again, and Brynhild spake, “Thou shalt lose both realm and wealth, and thy life and me, for I shall fare home to my kin, and abide there in sorrow, unless thou slayest Sigurd and his son; never nourish thou a wolfcub.”

Gunnar grew sick at heart thereat, and might nowise see what fearful thing lay beneath it all; he was bound to Sigurd by oath, and this way and that way swung the heart within him; but at the last he bethought him of the measureless shame if his wife went from him, and he said within himself, “Brynhild is better to me than all things else, and the fairest woman of all women, and I will lay down my life rather than lose the love of her.” And herewith he called to him his brother and spake,—

“Trouble is heavy on me,” and he tells him that he must needs slay Sigurd, for that he has failed him where in he trusted him; “so let us be lords of the gold and the realm withal.”

Hogni answers, “Ill it behoves us to break our oaths with wrack and wrong, and withal great aid we have in him; no kings shall be as great as we, if so be the King of the Hun-folk may live; such another brother-in-law never may we get again; bethink thee how good it is to have such a brother-in-law, and such sons to our sister! But well I see how things stand, for this has Brynhild stirred thee up to, and surely shall her counsel drag us into huge shame and scathe.”

Gunnar says, “Yet shall it be brought about: and, lo, a rede thereto;—let us egg on our brother Guttorm to the deed; he is young, and of little knowledge, and is clean out of all the oaths moreover.”

“Ah, set about in ill wise,” says Hogni, “and though indeed it may well be compassed, a due reward shall we gain for the bewrayal of such a man as is Sigurd.”

Gunnar says, “Sigurd shall die, or I shall die.”

And therewith he bids Brynhild arise and be glad at heart: so she arose, and still ever she said that Gunnar should come no more into her bed till the deed was done.

So the brothers fall to talk, and Gunnar says that it is a deed well worthy of death, that taking of Brynhild’s maidenhead; “So come now, let us prick on Guttorm to do the deed.”

Therewith they call him to them, and offer him gold and great dominion, as they well have might to do. Yea, and they took a certain worm and somewhat of wolf’s flesh and let seethe them together, and gave him to eat of the same, even as the singer sings—

“Fish of the wild-wood,Worm smooth crawling,With wolf-meat mingled,They minced for Guttorm;Then in the beaker,In the wine his mouth knew,They set it, still doingMore deeds of wizards.

Wherefore with the eating of this meat he grew so wild and eager, and with all things about him, and with the heavy words of Grimhild, that he gave his word to do the deed; and mighty honour they promised him in reward thereof.

But of these evil wiles naught at all knew Sigurd, for he might not deal with his shapen fate, nor the measure of his life-days, neither deemed he that he was worthy of such things at their hands.

So Guttorm went in to Sigurd the next morning as he lay upon his bed, yet durst he not do aught against him, but shrank back out again; yea, and even so he fared a second time, for so bright and eager were the eyes of Sigurd that few durst look upon him. But the third time he went in, and there lay Sigurd asleep; then Guttorm drew his sword and thrust Sigurd through in such wise that the sword point smote into the bed beneath him; then Sigurd awoke with that wound, and Guttorm gat him unto the door; but therewith Sigurd caught up the sword Gram, and cast it after him, and it smote him on the back, and struck him asunder in the midst, so that the feet of him fell one way, and the head and hands back into the chamber.

Now Gudrun lay asleep on Sigurd’s bosom, but she woke up unto woe that may not be told of, all swimming in the blood of him, and in such wise did she bewail her with weeping and words of sorrow, that Sigurd rose up on the bolster, and spake.

“Weep not,” said he, “for thy brothers live for thy delight; but a young son have I, too young to be ware of his foes; and an ill turn have these played against their own fortune; for never will they get a mightier brother-in-law to ride abroad with them; nay, nor a better son to their sister, than this one, if he may grow to man’s estate. Lo, now is that come to pass which was foretold me long ago, but from mine eyes has it been hidden, for none may fight against his fate and prevail. Behold this has Brynhild brought to pass, even she who loves me before all men; but this may I swear, that never have I wrought ill to Gunnar, but rather have ever held fast to my oath with him, nor was I ever too much a friend to his wife. And now if I had been forewarned, and had been afoot with my weapons, then should many a man have lost his life or ever I had fallen, and all those brethren should have been slain, and a harder work would the slaying of me have been than the slaying of the mightiest bull or the mightiest boar of the wild-wood.”

And even therewithal life left the King; but Gudrun moaned and drew a weary breath, and Brynhild heard it, and laughed when she heard her moaning.

Then said Gunnar, “Thou laughest not because thy heart-roots are gladdened, or else why doth thy visage wax so wan? Sure an evil creature thou art; most like thou art nigh to thy death! Lo now, how meet would it be for thee to behold thy brother Atli slain before thine eyes, and that thou shouldst stand over him dead; whereas we must needs now stand over our brother-in-law in such a case, our brother-in-law and our brother’s bane.”

She answered, “None need mock at the measure of slaughter being unfulfilled; yet heedeth not Atli your wrath or your threats; yea, he shall live longer than ye, and be a mightier man.”

Hogni spake and said, “Now hath come to pass the soothsaying of Brynhild; an ill work not to be atoned for.”

And Gudrun said, “My kinsmen have slain my husband; but ye, when ye next ride to the war and are come into the battle, then shall ye look about and see that Sigurd is neither on the right hand nor the left, and ye shall know that he was your good-hap and your strength; and if he had lived and had sons, then should ye have been strengthened by his offspring and his kin.”

CHAPTER XXXI. Of the Lamentation of Gudrun over Sigurd dead, as it is told told in ancient Songs. (1)

Gudrun of old daysDrew near to dyingAs she sat in sorrowOver Sigurd;Yet she sighed notNor smote hand on hand,Nor wailed she aughtAs other women.
Then went earls to her.Full of all wisdom,Fain help to dealTo her dreadful heart:Hushed was GudrunOf wail, or greeting,But with a heavy woeWas her heart a-breaking.
Bright and fairSat the great earls’ brides,Gold arrayedBefore Gudrun;Each told the taleOf her great trouble,The bitterest baleShe erst abode.
Then spake Giaflaug,Giuki’s sister:“Lo upon earthI live most lovelessWho of five matesMust see the ending,Of daughters twainAnd three sisters,Of brethren eight,And abide behind lonely.”
Naught gat GudrunOf wail and greeting,So heavy was sheFor her dead husband,So dreadful-heartedFor the King laid dead there.
Then spake HerborgQueen of Hunland—“Crueller taleHave I to tell of,Of my seven sonsDown in the Southlands,And the eighth man, my mate,Felled in the death-mead.
“Father and mother,And four brothers,On the wide seaThe winds and death played with;The billows beatOn the bulwark boards.
“Alone must I sing o’er them,Alone must I array them,Alone must my hands deal withTheir departing;And all this wasIn one season’s wearing,And none was leftFor love or solace.
“Then was I boundA prey of the battle,When that same seasonWore to its ending;As a tiring mayMust I bind the shoonOf the duke’s high dame,Every day at dawning.
“From her jealous hateGat I heavy mocking,Cruel lashesShe laid upon me,Never met IBetter masterOr mistress worserIn all the wide world.”
Naught gat GudrunOf wail or greeting,So heavy was sheFor her dead husband,So dreadful-heartedFor the King laid dead there.
Then spake Gullrond,Giuki’s daughter—“O foster-mother,Wise as thou mayst be,Naught canst thou betterThe young wife’s bale.”And she bade uncoverThe dead King’s corpse.
She swept the sheetAway from Sigurd,And turned his cheekTowards his wife’s knees—“Look on thy loved oneLay lips to his lips,E’en as thou wert clingingTo thy king alive yet!”
Once looked Gudrun—One look only,And saw her lord’s locksLying all bloody,The great man’s eyesGlazed and deadly,And his heart’s bulwarkBroken by sword-edge.
Back then sank Gudrun,Back on the bolster,Loosed was her head array,Red did her cheeks grow,And the rain-drops ranDown over her knees.
Then wept Gudrun,Giuki’s daughter,So that the tears flowedThrough the pillow;As the geese withalThat were in the homefield,The fair fowls the may owned,Fell a-screaming.
Then spake Gullrond,Giuki’s daughter—“Surely knew INo love like your loveAmong all men,On the mould abiding;Naught wouldst thou joy inWithout or within doors,O my sister,Save beside Sigurd.”
Then spake Gudrun,Giuki’s daughter—“Such was my SigurdAmong the sons of Giuki,As is the king leekO’er the low grass waxing,Or a bright stoneStrung on band,Or a pearl of priceOn a prince’s brow.
“Once was I countedBy the king’s warriorsHigher than anyOf Herjan’s mays;Now am I as littleAs the leaf may be,Amid wind-swept woodNow when dead he lieth.
I miss from my seat,I miss from my bed,My darling of sweet speech.Wrought the sons of Giuki,Wrought the sons of Giuki,This sore sorrow,Yea, for their sister,Most sore sorrow.
“So may your landsLie waste on all sides,As ye have brokenYour bounden oaths!Ne’er shalt thou, Gunnar,The gold have joy of;The dear-bought ringsShall drag thee to death,Whereon thou swarestOath unto Sigurd.
Ah, in the days by-goneGreat mirth in the homefieldWhen my SigurdSet saddle on Grani,And they went their waysFor the wooing of Brynhild!An ill day, an ill woman,And most ill hap!”
Then spake Brynhild,Budli’s daughter—“May the woman lackBoth love and children,Who gained greetingFor thee, O Gudrun!Who gave thee this morningMany words!”
Then spake Gullrond,Giuki’s daughter—“Hold peace of such wordsThou hated of all folk!The bane of brave menHast thou been ever,All waves of illWash over thy mind,To seven great kingsHast thou been a sore sorrow,And the death of good willTo wives and women.”
Then spake Brynhild,Budli’s daughter—“None but AtliBrought bale upon us,My very brotherBorn of Budli.
When we saw in the hallOf the Hunnish peopleThe gold a-gleamingOn the kingly Giukings;I have paid for that faringOft and full,And for the sightThat then I saw.”
By a pillar she stoodAnd strained its wood to her;From the eyes of Brynhild,Budli’s daughter,Flashed out fire,And she snorted forth venom,As the sore wounds she gazed onOf the dead-slain Sigurd.
ENDNOTES:(1) This chapter is the Eddaic poem, called the first Lay ofGudrun, inserted here by the translators.

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