56. A great kinship had I,-- | the truth may I hide not,--
From a wife bringing slaughter | small joy could I win.
We lay seldom together | since to me thou wast given,
Now my kin all are gone, | of my gold am I robbed;
Nay, and worst, thou didst send | my sister to hell."

Guthrun spake:

57. "Hear me now, Atli! | the first evil was thine;
My mother didst thou take, | and for gold didst murder her,
My sister's daughter | thou didst starve in a prison.
A jest does it seem | that thy sorrow thou tellest,
And good do I find it | that grief to thee comes."

Atli spake:

58. "Go now, ye warriors, | and make greater the grief
Of the woman so fair, | for fain would I see it;
So fierce be thy warring | that Guthrun shall weep,
I would gladly behold | her happiness lost.

59. "Seize ye now Hogni, | and with knives shall ye hew him,
His heart shall ye cut out, | this haste ye to do;
And grim-hearted Gunnar | shall ye bind on the gallows,
Swift shall ye do it, | to serpents now cast him."

Hogni spake:

60. "Do now as thou wilt, | for glad I await it,
Brave shalt thou find me, | I have faced worse before;
We held thee at bay | while whole we were fighting,
Now with wounds are we spent, | so thy will canst thou work."

[56. Possibly a line has been lost from this stanza. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza, which is impossible unless something has been lost. Gold: the meaning of this half line is somewhat doubtful, but apparently Atli refers to Sigurth's treasure, which should have been his as Brynhild's brother. Sister: Brynhild; regarding Guthrun's indirect responsibility for Brynhild's death cf. Gripisspo, 45 and note. *Note*: This stanza has been conformed from Bellows original 51 lines 3-4 and Bellows original stanza 52.

57. The manuscript does not name the speaker. The Volsungasaga gives the speech, in somewhat altered form, to Hogni. "Why speakest thou so? Thou wast the first to break peace; thou didst take my kinswoman and starved her in a prison, and murdered her and took her wealth; that was not kinglike; and laughable does it seem to me that thou talkest of thy sorrow, and good shall I find it that all goes ill with thee." This presumably represents the correct form of the stanza, for nowhere else is it intimated that Atli killed Guthrun's mother, Grimhild, nor is the niece elsewhere mentioned. Some editions make a separate stanza of lines 4-5, Grundtvig adding a line after line 3 and two more after line 5. Other editors are doubtful about the authenticity of either line 3 or line 5.

58. The manuscript does not indicate the speaker.

60. The text of the first half of line 3 is somewhat uncertain, but the general meaning of it is clear enough.]

56. Mægð gat ek mikla, mák-a-k því leyna,
kona váliga, knák-a ek þess njóta;
hljótt áttum sjaldan, síz komt í hendr ossar,
firrðan mik frændum, féi oft svikinn,
senduð systur helju, slíks ek mest kennumk."

Guðrún kvað:

57. "Getr þú þess, Atli, gerðir svá fyrri,
móður tókt mína ok myrðir til hnossa,
svinna systrungu sveltir þú í helli,
hlægligt mér þat þykkir, er þú þinn harm tínir;
goðum ek þat þakka, er þér gengsk illa."

Atli kvað:

58. "Eggja ek yðr, jarlar, auka harm stóran
vífs ins vegliga, vilja ek þat líta;
kostið svá keppa, at klökkvi Guðrún,
séa ek þat mætta, at hon sér né ynði-t.

59. Takið ér Högna ok hyldið með knífi,
skerið ór hjarta, skuluð þess görvir,
Gunnar grimmúðgan á galga festið,
bellið því bragði, bjóðið til ormum."

Högni kvað:

60. "Ger, sem til lystir, glaðr munk þess bíða,
röskr munk þér reynask, reynt hefi ek fyrr brattara;
höfuð hnekking, meðan heilir várum,
nú erum svá sárir, at þá mátt sjalfr valda."