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.

Atli konungr þóttist nú hafa unnit mikinn sigr ok sagði Guðrúnu svá sem með nokkuru spotti eða svá sem hann hældist: "Guðrún," segir hann, "misst hefir þú nú bræðra þinna, ok veldr þú því sjálf."

Hún svarar: "Vel líkar þér nú, er þú lýsir vígum þessum fyrir mér, en vera má, at þú iðrist, þá er þú reynir þat, er eptir kemr, ok sú mun erfðin lengst eptir lifa at týna eigi grimmdinni, ok mun þér eigi vel ganga, meðan ek lifi."

Hann svarar: "Vit skulum nú gera okkra sætt, ok vil ek bæta þér bræðr þína með gulli ok dýrum gripum eptir þínum vilja."

Hún svarar: "Lengi hefi ek eigi verit hæg viðreignar, ok mátti um hræfa, meðan Högni lifði. Muntu ok aldri bæta bræðr mína svá, at mér hugni, en opt verðu vér konurnar ríki bornar af yðru valdi. Nú eru mínir frændr allir dauðir, ok muntu nú einn við mik ráða. Mun ek nú þenna kost upp taka, ok látum gera mikla veizlu, ok vil ek nú erfa bræðr mína ok svá þína frændr."

Gerir hún sik nú blíða í orðum, en þó var samt undir raunar. Hann var talhlýðinn ok trúði á hennar orð, er hún gerði sér létt um ræður. Guðrún gerir nú erfi eptir sína bræðr ok svá Atli konungr eptir sína menn, ok þessi veizla var við mikla svörfun.

Nú hyggr Guðrún á harma sína ok sitr um þat at veita konungi nokkura mikla skömm. Ok um kveldit tók hún sonu þeira Atla konungs, er þeir léku við stokki.

Sveinarnir glúpnuðu ok spurðu, hvat þeir skyldu. Hún svarar: "Spyrið eigi at. Bana skal ykkr báðum."

Þeir svöruðu: "Ráða muntu börnum þínum sem þú vilt. Þat mun engi banna þér. En þér er skömm í at gera þetta."

Síðan skar hún þá á háls.

Konungrinn spurði eptir, hvar synir hans væri. Guðrún svarar: "Ek mun þat segja þér ok glaða þitt hjarta: Þú vaktir við oss mikinn harm, þá er þú drapt bræðr mína. Nú skaltu heyra mína ræðu: Þú hefir misst þinna sona, ok eru þeira hausar hér at borðkerum hafðir, ok sjálfr drakktu þeira blóð við vín blandit. Síðan tók ek hjörtu þeira ok steikta ek á teini, en þú ázt."

Atli konungr svarar: "Grimm ertu, er þú myrðir sonu þína ok gaft mér þeira hold at eta, ok skammt lætr þú ills í milli."

Guðrún segir: "Væri minn vili til at gera þér miklar skammir, ok verðr eigi fullilla farit við slíkan konung."

Konungr mælti: "Verra hefir þú gert en menn viti dæmi til, ok er mikil óvizka í slíkum harðræðum, ok makligt, at þú værir á báli brennd ok barin áðr grjóti í hel, ok hefðir þú þá þat, er þú ferr á leið."

Hún svarar: "Þú spár þat þér sjálfum, en ek mun hljóta annan dauða."

Þau mæltust við mörg heiptarorð.

Högni átti son eptir, er Niflungr hét. Hann hafði mikla heipt við Atla konung ok sagði Guðrúnu, at hann vildi hefna föður síns. Hún tók því vel, ok gera ráð sín. Hún kvað mikit happ í, ef þat yrði gert.

Ok of kveldit, er konungr hafði drukkit, gekk hann til svefns. Ok er hann var sofnaðr, kom Guðrún þar ok sonr Högna.

Guðrún tók eitt sverð ok leggr fyrir brjóst Atla konungi. Véla þau um bæði ok sonr Högna.

Atli konungr vaknar við sárit ok mælti: "Eigi mun hér þurfa um at binda eða umbúð at veita, eða hverr veitir mér þenna áverka?"

Guðrún segir: "Ek veld nokkuru um, en sumu sonr Högna."

Atli konungr mælti: "Eigi sæmdi þér þetta at gera, þó at nokkur sök væri til, ok vartu mér gift at frænda ráði, ok mund galt ek við þér, þrjá tigu góðra riddara ok sæmiligra meyja ok marga menn aðra, ok þó léztu þér eigi at hófi, nema þú réðir löndum þeim, er átt hafði Buðli konungr, ok þína sværu léztu opt með gráti sitja."

Guðrún mælti: "Margt hefir þú mælt ósatt, ok ekki hirði ek þat, ok opt var ek óhæg í mínu skapi, en miklu jók þú á. Hér hefir verit opt mikil styrjöld í þínum garði, ok börðust opt frændr ok vinir, ok ýfðist hvat við annat ok var betri ævi vár þá, er ek var með Sigurði, drápum konunga ok réðum um eignir þeira ok gáfum grið þeim, er svá vildu, en höfðingjar gengu á hendr oss, ok létum þann ríkan, er svá vildi. Síðan misstum vér hans, ok var þat lítit at bera ekkjunafn, en þat harmar mik mest, er ek kom til þín, en átt áðr inn ágæzta konung, ok aldri komtu svá ór orrostu, at eigi bærir þú inn minna hlut."

Atli konungr svarar: "Eigi er þat satt, ok við slíkar fortölur batnar hvárigra hluti, því at vér höfum skarðan. Ger nú til mín sómasamliga ok lát búa um lík mitt til ágætis."

Hún segir: "Þat mun ek gera at láta þér gera vegligan gröft ok gera þér virðuliga steinþró ok vefja þik í fögrum dúkum ok hyggja þér hverja þörf."

Eptir þat deyr hann. En hún gerði sem hún hét. Síðan lét hún slá eldi í höllina.

Ok er hirðin vaknaði við óttann, þá vildu menn eigi þola eldinn ok hjuggust sjálfir ok fengu svá bana. Lauk þar ævi Atla konungs ok allrar hirðar hans. Guðrún vildi nú eigi lifa eptir þessi verk, en endadagr hennar var eigi enn kominn.

Völsungar ok Gjúkungar, at því er menn segja, hafa verit mestir ofrhugar ok ríkismenn, ok svá finnst í öllum fornkvæðum.

Ok nú stöðvaðist þessi ófriðr með þeima hætti at liðnum þessum tíðendum.