36. "Evil waits me, | well I see it,
And gone is Sigurth's | wisdom good,
If I shall woo | for another to win
The maiden fair | that so fondly I loved."

Gripir spake:

37. "Ye three shall | all the oaths then take,
Gunnar and Hogni, | and, hero, thou;
Your forms ye shall change, | as forth ye tare,
Gunnar and thou; | for Gripir lies not."

Sigurth spake:

38. "How meanest thou? | Why make we the change
Of shape and form | as forth we fare?
There must follow | another falsehood
Grim in all ways; | speak on, Gripir!"

Gripir spake:

39. "The form of Gunnar | and shape thou gettest,
But mind and voice | thine own remain;
The hand of the fosterling | noble of Heimir
Now dost thou win, | and none can prevent."

Sigurth spake:

40. "Most evil it seems, | and men will say
Base is Sigurth | that so he did;
Not of my will shall | I cheat with wiles
The heroes' maiden | whom noblest I hold."

[37. In the Nibelungenlied Siegfried merely makes himself invisible in order to lend Gunther his strength for the feats which must be performed in order to win the redoubtable bride. In the northern version Sigurth and Gunnar change forms, "as Grimhild had taught them how to do." The Volsungasaga tells how Sigurth and Gunnar came to Heimir, who told them that to win Brynhild one must ride through the ring of fire which surrounded her hall (cf. the hall of Mengloth in Svipdagsmol). Gunnar tries it, but his horse balks; then he mounts Grani, but Grani will not stir for him. So they change forms, and Sigurth rides Grani through the flames. Oaths: the blood-brotherhood sworn by Sigurth, Gunnar, and Hogni makes it impossible for the brothers to kill him themselves, but they finally get around the difficulty by inducing their half-brother, Gotthorm (cf. Hyndluljoth, 27 and note) to do it.

39. The last half of line 4 is obscure, and the reading is conjectural.]

36. "Mein eru fyr höndum, má ek líta þat;
ratar görliga ráð Sigurðar,
ef ek skal mærrar meyjar biðja
öðrum til handa, þeirar ek unna vel."

Grípir kvað:

37. "Ér munuð allir eiða vinna
Gunnar ok Högni, en þú, gramr, þriði;
þá it litum víxlið, er á leið eruð,
Gunnar ok þú; Grípir lýgr eigi."

Sigurðr kvað:

38. "Hví gegnir þat? Hví skulum skipta
litum ok látum, er á leið erum?
Þar mun fláræði fylgja annat
atalt með öllu; enn segðu, Grípir."

Grípir kvað:

39. "Lit hefir þú Gunnars ok læti hans,
mælsku þína ok meginhyggjur;
muntu fastna þér framlundaða
fóstru Heimis, sér vætr fyr því."

Sigurðr kvað:

40. "Verst hyggjum því, vándr munk heitinn
Sigurðr með seggjum at sógöru;
vilda ek eigi vélum beita
jöfra brúði, er ek æðsta veitk."