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-inlaw never may we get again; bethink thee how good it is to have such a brother-inlaw, 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 doing

More 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 h............