Gunnar and Hogni fell heir to all Sigurd’s treasures after his death. Atli, Brynhild’s brother, maintaining that the two men had caused the death of Brynhild, threatened them with war. Peace was nevertheless established between them on such terms that Atli was to have Gudrun as his wife. Shortly after the death of Sigurd, Gudrun had given birth to a daughter, whom she had named Svanhild and with whom she had fled to Denmark, where for seven half years she took refuge with Thora, daughter of Hakon. Gudrun’s mother Grimhild and her brothers now journeyed to Denmark for the purpose of persuading her to marry Atli, but she curtly refused; Grimhild then gave her a drink of forgetfulness and so gained her consent.
With Atli, Gudrun had two sons, named Erp and Eitil. Atli, moved by a desire to secure the rich possessions of his brothers-in-law, sent his crafty servant Vingi, also called Knefrœd, to invite them to a festival. Gudrun, however, knowing that some treachery lay at the bottom, charged the messenger to carry with him warning runes which she had cut for her brothers and at the same time to deliver to them a ring to which she had bound a wolf’s hair. On the way Vingi read the runes and altered them so that they bore a contrary message and gave them over thus changed to Gunnar and Hogni. The two brothers made a great banquet and promised to proceed without delay to take part in Atli’s festival. But during the night, when all men had gone to bed, Kostbera, the cunning wife of Hogni, looked at the runes and saw that at first something else had been written there than was now to be read. She told Hogni what she had found, but he put no faith in her words. Glaumvor, Gunnar’s wife, the same night, dreamed foreboding dreams, and she likewise warned her husband against undertaking the journey; notwithstanding he held to his purpose as stoutly as his brother, and so they set forth on their visit to Atli’s court. Yet before leaving home they hid Fafnir’s gold in the river Rhine. As they neared Atli’s court, he came out to meet them in hostile array; a stubborn battle took place, in which the Niflungs defended themselves bravely, but at last they were overpowered and both brothers were taken prisoner. Atli came to Gunnar, who was sitting apart from his brother, and tried to get him to say where the hoard was hidden. Gunnar answered: “Not until Hogni’s heart shall lie in my hand, bleeding, cut from the hero’s breast.” Atli went away and caused a thrall’s heart to be cut from his body; but when Gunnar saw it he said: “This is the heart of Hjalli, the weakling, quite unlike the heart of the hero Hogni; as much as it trembles lying there on the platter, it trembled twice as much in the breast of the thrall.” Atli now caused Hogni’s heart to be cut out in earnest, but he only laughed as the knife drew near his heart. When they brought this heart to Gunnar, he knew it to be his brother’s; “but,” he said, “I alone now know where the gold lies hidden, and the river Rhine shall rule over the hoard.” No one ever afterward uncovered Fafnir’s gold, and so Atli’s treachery was bootless. In his wrath he threw Gunnar, whose hands were bound, into a den of serpents. Gudrun sent her brother a harp, on which he played so wondrous well with his toes that no man had ever before heard the like. All of the serpents fell into a doze but one; this one gnawed its way into his breast and struck its fangs into his heart.
When Gudrun heard of the death of her brothers, she gave no sign; she let it appear as if she accepted Atli’s offer of renewed amity and the wergild he paid for the lives of the slain. She held a funeral feast for her brothers, but in her heart she meditated grim revenge. First of all she killed the two small sons she had by Atli, made drinking vessels from their skulls, and gave the king wine to drink from them, in which was blended the blood of the children; she gave him also their hearts to eat. Afterward she told him all that she had done, and he was filled with sorrow for the death of his sons and with fear for her surpassing cruelty. But she went still farther in exacting vengeance. Together with a young son and heir of Hogni she went by night to Atli’s bedside and thrust a sword into the king’s breast, her brother’s son helping her. Atli waked from his sleep at the stroke; and before he died, man and wife held discourse together. Gudrun declared that she had never been able to love him, that she had lived happier days with Sigurd, the greater hero, and yet that she would give him befitting funeral obsequies. And she kept her promise. But she set fire to Atli’s hall; and so his men too went to their death.
With Atli, Gudrun had two sons, named Erp and Eitil. Atli, moved by a desire to secure the rich possessions of his brothers-in-law, sent his crafty servant Vingi, also called Knefrœd, to invite them to a festival. Gudrun, however, knowing that some treachery lay at the bottom, charged the messenger to carry with him warning runes which she had cut for her brothers and at the same time to deliver to them a ring to which she had bound a wolf’s hair. On the way Vingi read the runes and altered them so that they bore a contrary message and gave them over thus changed to Gunnar and Hogni. The two brothers made a great banquet and promised to proceed without delay to take part in Atli’s festival. But during the night, when all men had gone to bed, Kostbera, the cunning wife of Hogni, looked at the runes and saw that at first something else had been written there than was now to be read. She told Hogni what she had found, but he put no faith in her words. Glaumvor, Gunnar’s wife, the same night, dreamed foreboding dreams, and she likewise warned her husband against undertaking the journey; notwithstanding he held to his purpose as stoutly as his brother, and so they set forth on their visit to Atli’s court. Yet before leaving home they hid Fafnir’s gold in the river Rhine. As they neared Atli’s court, he came out to meet them in hostile array; a stubborn battle took place, in which the Niflungs defended themselves bravely, but at last they were overpowered and both brothers were taken prisoner. Atli came to Gunnar, who was sitting apart from his brother, and tried to get him to say where the hoard was hidden. Gunnar answered: “Not until Hogni’s heart shall lie in my hand, bleeding, cut from the hero’s breast.” Atli went away and caused a thrall’s heart to be cut from his body; but when Gunnar saw it he said: “This is the heart of Hjalli, the weakling, quite unlike the heart of the hero Hogni; as much as it trembles lying there on the platter, it trembled twice as much in the breast of the thrall.” Atli now caused Hogni’s heart to be cut out in earnest, but he only laughed as the knife drew near his heart. When they brought this heart to Gunnar, he knew it to be his brother’s; “but,” he said, “I alone now know where the gold lies hidden, and the river Rhine shall rule over the hoard.” No one ever afterward uncovered Fafnir’s gold, and so Atli’s treachery was bootless. In his wrath he threw Gunnar, whose hands were bound, into a den of serpents. Gudrun sent her brother a harp, on which he played so wondrous well with his toes that no man had ever before heard the like. All of the serpents fell into a doze but one; this one gnawed its way into his breast and struck its fangs into his heart.
When Gudrun heard of the death of her brothers, she gave no sign; she let it appear as if she accepted Atli’s offer of renewed amity and the wergild he paid for the lives of the slain. She held a funeral feast for her brothers, but in her heart she meditated grim revenge. First of all she killed the two small sons she had by Atli, made drinking vessels from their skulls, and gave the king wine to drink from them, in which was blended the blood of the children; she gave him also their hearts to eat. Afterward she told him all that she had done, and he was filled with sorrow for the death of his sons and with fear for her surpassing cruelty. But she went still farther in exacting vengeance. Together with a young son and heir of Hogni she went by night to Atli’s bedside and thrust a sword into the king’s breast, her brother’s son helping her. Atli waked from his sleep at the stroke; and before he died, man and wife held discourse together. Gudrun declared that she had never been able to love him, that she had lived happier days with Sigurd, the greater hero, and yet that she would give him befitting funeral obsequies. And she kept her promise. But she set fire to Atli’s hall; and so his men too went to their death.
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