The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
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| The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs |
| | | XXXVI. Of the Journey of the Giukings to King Atli |
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| NOW tells the tale of Gunnar, that in the same wise it fared with him; for when they awoke, Glaumvor his wife told him many dreams which seemed to her like to betoken guile coming; but Gunnar areded them all in other wise. | 1 |
| “This was one of them,” said she; “methought a bloody sword was borne into the hall here, wherewith thou wert thrust through, and at either end of that sword wolves howled.” | 2 |
| The king answered, “Cur dogs shall bite me belike; bloodstained weapons oft betoken dogs’ snappings.” | 3 |
| She said, “Yet again I dreamed—that women came in, heavy and drooping, and chose thee for their mate; mayhappen these would be thy fateful women.” | 4 |
| He answered, “Hard to arede is this, and none may set aside the fated measure of his days, nor is it unlike that my time is short.” | 5 |
| So in the morning they arose, and were minded for the journey, but some letted them herein. | 6 |
| Then cried Gunnar to the man who is called Fjornir— | 7 |
| “Arise, and give us to drink goodly wine from great tuns, because mayhappen this shall be very last of all our feasts; for belike if we die the old wolf shall come by the gold, and that bear shall nowise spare the bite of his war-tusks.” | 8 |
| Then all the folk of his household brought them on their way weeping. | 9 |
| The son of Hogni said— “Fare ye well with merry tide.” | 10 |
| The more part of their folk were left behind; Solar and Gnœvar, the sons of Hogni, fared with them, and a certain great champion, named Orkning, who was the brother of Kostbera. | 11 |
| So folk followed them down to the ships, and all letted them of their journey, but attained to naught therein. | 12 |
| Then spake Glaumvor, and said— | 13 |
| “O Vingi, most like that great ill hap will come of thy coming and mighty and evil things shall betide in thy travelling.” | 14 |
| He answered, “Hearken to my answer; that I lie not aught: and may the high gallows and all things of grame have me, if I lie one word!” | 15 |
| Then cried Kostbera, “Fare ye well with merry days.” | 16 |
| And Hogni answered, “Be glad of heart, howsoever it may fare with us!” | 17 |
| And therewith they parted, each to their own fate. Then away they rowed, so hard and fast, that well-nigh the half of the keel slipped away from the ship, and so hard they laid on to the oars that thole and gunwale brake. | 18 |
| But when they came aland they made their ship fast, and then they rode awhile on their noble steeds through the murk wild-wood. | 19 |
| And now they behold the king’s army, and huge uproar, and the clatter of weapons they hear from thence; and they see there a mighty host of men, and the manifold array of them, even as they wrought there: and all the gates of the burg were full of men. | 20 |
| So they rode up to the burg, and the gates thereof were shut; then Hogni brake open the gates, and therewith they ride into the burg. | 21 |
| Then spake Vingi, “Well might ye have left this deed undone; go to now, bide ye here while I go seek your gallows-tree! Softly and sweetly I bade you hither, but an evil thing abode thereunder; short while to bide ere ye are tied up to that same tree!” | 22 |
| Hogni answered, “None the more shall we waver for that cause; for little methinks have we shrunk aback whenas men fell to fight; and naught shall it avail thee to make us afeard,—and for an ill fate hast thou wrought.” | 23 |
| And therewith they cast him down to earth, and smote him with their axe-hammers till he died. | 24 |
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