Now thought Atli the King that he had gained
a mighty victory, and spake to Gudrun even as mocking her greatly, or
as making himself great before her. "Gudrun," saith he, "thus hast thou
lost thy brethren, and thy very self hast brought it about."
She answers, "In good liking livest thou, whereas thou
thrustest these slayings before me, but mayhappen thou wilt rue it,
when thou hast tried what is to come hereafter; and of all I have, the
longest-lived matter shall be the memory of thy cruel heart, nor shall
it go well with thee whiles I live."
He answered and said, "Let there be peace betwixt us;
I will atone for thy brethren with gold and dear-bought things, even
as thy heart may wish."
She answers, "Hard for a long while have I been in our
dealings together, and now I say, that while Hogni was yet alive thou
mightest have brought it to pass; but now mayest thou never atone for
my brethren in my heart; yet oft must we women be overborne by the might
of you men; and now are all my kindred dead and gone, and thou alone
art left to rule over me: wherefore now this is my counsel that we make
a great feast; wherein I will hold the funeral of my brother and of
thy kindred withal."
In such wise did she make herself soft and kind in words,
though far other things forsooth lay thereunder, but he hearkened to
her gladly, and trusted in her words, whereas she made herself sweet
of speech.
So Gudrun held the funeral feast for her brethren, and
King Atli for his men, and exceeding proud and great was this feast.
But Gudrun forgat not her woe, but brooded over it,
how she might work some mighty shame against the king; and at nightfall
she took to her the sons of King Atli and her as they played about the
floor; the younglings waxed heavy of cheer, and asked what she would
with them.
"Ask me not," she said; "ye shall die, the twain of
you!"
Then they answered, "Thou mayest do with thy children
even as thou wilt, nor shall any hinder thee, but shame there is to
thee in the doing of this deed."
Yet for all that she cut the throats of them.
Then the king asked where his sons were, and Gudrun
answered, "I will tell thee, and gladden thine heart by the telling;
lo now, thou didst make a great woe spring up for me in the slaying
of my brethren; now hearken and hear my rede and my deed; thou hast
lost thy sons, and their heads are become beakers on the board here,
and thou thyself hast drunken the blood of them blended with wine; and
their hearts I took and roasted them on a spit, and thou hast eaten
thereof."
King Atli answered, "Grim art thou in that thou hast
murdered thy sons, and given me their flesh to eat, and little space
passes betwixt ill deed of thine and ill deed."
Gudrun said, "My heart is set on the doing to thee of
as great shame as may be; never shall the measure ill be of full to
such a king as thou art."
The king said, "Worser deeds hast thou done than men
have to tell of, and great unwisdom is there in such fearful redes;
most meet art thou to be burned on bale when thou hast first been smitten
to death with stones, for in such wise wouldst thou have what thou hast
gone a weary way to seek."
She answered, "Thine own death thou foretellest, but
another death is fated for me."
And many other words they spake in their wrath.
Now Hogni had a son left alive, hight Niblung, and great
wrath of heart he bare against King Atli; and he did Gudrun to wit that
he would avenge his father. And she took his words well, and they fell
to counsel together thereover, and she said it would be great goodhap
if it might be brought about.
So on a night, when the king had drunken, he gat him
in bed, and when he was laid asleep, thither to him came Gudrun and
the son of Hogni.
Gudrun took a sword and thrust it through the breast
of King Atli, and they both of them set their hands to the deed, both
she and the son of Hogni.
Then Atli the king awoke with the wound, and cried out;
"No need of binding or salving here! -- who art thou who hast done the
deed?"
Gudrun says, "Somewhat have I, Gudrun, wrought therein,
and somewhat withal the son of Hogni."
Atli said, "Ill it beseemed to thee to do this, though
somewhat of wrong was between us; for thou wert wedded to me by the
rede of thy kin, and dower paid I for thee; yea, thirty goodly knights,
and seemly maidens, and many men besides; and yet wert thou not content,
but if thou should rule over the lands King Budli owned: and thy mother-in-law
full oft thou lettest sit a-weeping."
Gudrun said, "Many false words hast thou spoken, and
of naught I account them; oft, indeed, was I fell of mood, but much
didst thou add thereto. Full oft in this thy house did frays befall,
and kin fought kin, and friend fought friend, and made themselves big
one against the other; better days had I whenas I abode with Sigurd,
when we slew kings, and took their wealth to us, but gave peace to whomso
would, and the great men laid themselves under our hands, and might
we gave to him of them who would have it; then I lost him, and a little
thing was it that I should bear a widow's name, but the greatest of
griefs that I should come to thee -- I who had aforetime the noblest
of all kings, while for thee, thou never barest out of the battle aught
but the worser lot."
King Atli answered, "Naught true are thy words, nor
will this our speech better the lot of either of us, for all is fallen
now to naught; but now do to me in seemly wise, and array my dead corpse
in noble fashion."
"Yea, that will I," she says, "and let make for thee
a goodly grave, and build for thee a worthy abiding place of stone,
and wrap thee in fair linen, and care for all that needful is."
So therewithal he died, and she did according to her
word: and then they cast fire into the hall.
And when the folk and men of estate awoke amid that
dread and trouble, naught would they abide the fire, but smote each
the other down, and died in such wise; so there Atli the king, and all
his folk, ended their life-days. But Gudrun had no will to live longer
after this deed so wrought, but nevertheless her ending day was not
yet come upon her.
Now the Volsungs and the Giukings, as folk tell in tale,
have been the greatest-hearted and the mightiest of all men, as ye may
well behold written in the songs of old time.
But now with the tidings just told were these troubles
stayed.