King Thjothrek was with Atli, and had lost most of his men. Thjothrek and Guthrun lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:
1. A maid of maids | my mother bore me,
Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved,
Till Gjuki dowered | me with gold,
Dowered with gold, | and to Sigurth gave me.
2. So Sigurth rose | o'er Gjuki's sons
As the leek grows green | above the grass,
Or the stag o'er all | the beasts doth stand,
Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.
3. Till my brothers let me | no longer have
The best of heroes | my husband to be;
Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle,
Till Sigurth they | at last had slain.
4. From the Thing ran Grani | with thundering feet,
But thence did Sigurth | himself come never;
Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer,
Wont the warrior's | weight to bear.
5. Weeping I sought | with Grani to speak,
With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked;
The head of Grani | was bowed to the grass,
The steed knew well | his master was slain.
[Prose. Thjothrek: the famous Theoderich, king of the Ostrogoths, who became renowned in German story as Dietrich von Bern.
The German tradition early accepted the anachronism of bringing together Attila (Etzel, Atli), who died in 453, and Theoderich
who was born about 455, and adding thereto Ermanarich (Jormunrek), king of the Goths, who died about 376. Ermanarich, in German
tradition, replaced Theoderich's actual enemy, Odovakar, and it was in battle with Jormunrek (i. e., Odovakar) that Thjothrek is
here said to have lost most WE his men. The annotator found the material for this note in Guthrunarkvitha III, in which Guthrun is
accused of having Thjothrek as her lover. At the time when Guthrunarkvitha II was composed (early tenth century) it is
probable that the story of Theoderich had not reached the North at all, and the annotator is consequently wrong in giving the poem
its setting.
2. Cf. Guthrunarkvitha I, 17.
4. Regarding the varying accounts of the manner of Sigurth's death cf. Brot, concluding prose and note. Grani: cf. Brot, 7.]
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Þjóðrekr konungr var með Atla ok hafði þar látit flesta alla menn sína. Þjóðrekr ok Guðrún kærðu harma sín á milli. Hon sagði hánum ok kvað:
1. Mær var ek meyja, - móðir mik fæddi, -
björt í búri, unna ek vel bræðrum, -
unz mik Gjúki gulli reifði,
gulli reifði, gaf Sigurði.
2. Svá var Sigurðr of sonum Gjúka
sem væri grænn laukr ór grasi vaxinn
eða hjörtr hábeinn of hvössum dýrum
eða gull glóðrautt af gráu silfri.
3. Unz mér fyrmunðu mínir bræðr,
at ek ætta ver öllum fremra;
sofa þeir né máttu-t né of sakar dæma,
áðr þeir Sigurð svelta létu.
4. Grani rann at þingi, - gnýr var at heyra, -
en þá Sigurðr sjalfr eigi kom;
öll váru söðuldýr sveita stokkin
ok of vanið vási und vegöndum.
5. Gekk ek grátandi við Grana ræða,
úrughlýra jó frá ek spjalla;
hnipnaði Grani þá, drap í gras höfði,
jór þat vissi, eigendr né lifðu-t.
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