Guthrun, Gjuki's daughter, avenged her brothers, as has become well known. She slew first Atli's sons,
and thereafter she slew Atli, and burned the hall with his whole company. Concerning this was the following poem made:
1. Atli sent | of old to Gunnar
A keen-witted rider, | Knefröth did men call him;
To Gjuki's home came he | and to Gunnar's dwelling,
With benches round the hearth, | and to the beer so sweet.
2. Then the followers, hiding | their falseness, all drank
Their wine in the war-hall, | of the Huns' wrath wary;
And Knefröth spake loudly, | his words were crafty,
The hero from the south, | on the high bench sitting:
3. "Now Atli has sent me | his errand to ride,
On my bit-champing steed | through Myrkwood the secret,
To bid You, Gunnar, | to his benches to come,
With helms round the hearth, | and Atli's home seek.
4. "Shields shall ye choose there, | and shafts made of ash-wood,
Gold-adorned helmets, | and slaves out of Hunland,
Silver-gilt saddle-cloths, | shirts of bright scarlet,
With lances and spears too, | and bit-champing steeds.
5. "The field shall be given you | of wide Gnitaheith,
With loud-ringing lances, | and stems gold-o'er-laid,
Treasures full huge, | and the home of Danp,
And the mighty forest | that Myrkwood is called."
[Prose. On the marriage of Guthrun to Atli at the instigation of her brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, and on the slaying of Atli and his two sons, Erp
and Eitil, cf. Drap Niflunga and note.
1. Line 1 apparently is in Fornyrthislag. Knefröth (the name is spelt in various ways, and its meaning is uncertain): in the Atlamol (stanza 4)
there are two messengers, one named Vingi and the other unnamed; the annotator combines the two versions in the Drap Niflunga. Benches, etc.: the
adjective rendered "round the hearth," which etymologically it ought to mean, is made obscure by its application to "helmets" in stanzas 3 and 17.
2. Falseness: i.e., Gunnar's followers concealed their fear and hatred of the Huns at the feast; but the word may mean "fear of treachery."
War-hall: the word used is "Valhall," the name of Othin's hall of slain warriors.
3. Myrkwood the secret (the adjective is literally "unknown") the which divided Atli's realm from that of the Gjukungs; cf. Oddrunargratr, 23 and
note. Around the hearth: the adjective is the same one which is applied to "benches" in stanza 1 (cf. note); it may be an error here, or it may
possibly have the force of "of your followers," i.e., Gunnar is to arm the men of his household (those who are round his hearth) for the journey.
4. Slaves, etc.: some editions have "swords in plenty." Scarlet: the word apparently means "slaughter-red," "blood-red," but it may mean something
entirely different.
5. Gnitaheith: here the dragon Fafnir had his lair (cf. Gripisspo, 11). Sigurth doubtless owned it after Fafnir's death, and the Gjukungs after
they had killed Sigurth. Possibly they had given it to Atli in recompense for the death of his sister, Brynhild, and he now offered to restore it
to them, or--as seems more likely--the poet was not very clear about its ownership himself. Stems: i.e., the gilded stems of ships, carved like
dragons,--an evident northern touch, if the word is correct, which is by no means certain . Danp: this name was early applied to a mythical Danish
king (cf. Rigsthula, 49 and note) but it may have been fabricated by error out of the word "Danparstaþir" (the phrase here used is "staþi Danpar"),
used in the Hervararsaga of a field of battle between the Goths and the Huns, and quite possibly referring to the region of the Dnieper. The name seems
to have clung to the Atli tradition long after it had lost all definite significance. Myrkwood: cf. note on stanza 3.]
|
|
Guðrún Gjúkadóttir hefndi bræðra sinna, svá sem frægt er orðit. Hon drap fyrst sonu Atla, en eftir drap
hon Atla ok brenndi höllina ok hirðina alla. Um þetta er sjá kviða ort:
1. Atli sendi ár til Gunnars
kunnan segg at ríða, Knéfröðr var sá heitinn;
at görðum kom hann Gjúka ok at Gunnars Höllu,
bekkjum aringreypum ok at bjóri svásum.
2. Drukku þar dróttmegir, en dyljendr þögðu,
vín í valhöllu, vreiði sásk þeir Húna;
kallaði þá Knéfröðr kaldri röddu,
seggr inn suðræni sat hann á bekk háum:
3. "Atli mik hingat sendi ríða erendi
mar inum mélgreypa myrkvið inn ókunna,
at biðja yðr, Gunnarr, at it á bekk kæmið
með hjalmum aringreypum at sækja heim Atla.
4. Skjöldu kneguð þar velja ok skafna aska,
hjalma gullroðna ok Húna mengi,
silfrgyllt söðulklæði, serki valrauða,
dafar darraðar, drösla mélgreypa.
5. Völl lézk ykkr ok mundu gefa víðrar Gnitaheiðar,
af geiri gjallanda ok af gylltum stöfnum,
stórar meiðmar ok staði Danpar,
hrís þat it mæra, er meðr Myrkvið kalla."
|
