Herkja was the name of a serving-woman of Atli's; she had been his concubine.
She told Atli that she had seen Thjothrek and Guthrun both together. Atli was
greatly angered thereby. Then Guthrun said:
1. "What thy sorrow, Atli, | Buthli's son?
Is thy heart heavy-laden? | Why laughest thou never?
It would better befit | the warrior far
To speak with men, | and me to look on."
Atli spake:
2. "It troubles me, Guthrun, | Gjuki's daughter,
What Herkja here | in the hall hath told me,
That thou in the bed | with Thjothrek liest,
Beneath the linen | in lovers' guise."
Guthrun spake:
3. "This shall I | with oaths now swear,
Swear by the sacred | stone so white,
That nought was there | with Thjothmar's son
That man or woman | may not know.
4. "Nor ever once | did my arms embrace
The hero brave, | the leader of hosts;
In another manner | our meeting was,
When our sorrows we | in secret told.
5. "With thirty warriors | Thjothrek came,
Nor of all his men | doth one remain;
Thou hast murdered my brothers | and mail-clad men,
Thou hast murdered all | the men of my race.
[Prose. The annotator derived all the material for this note from the poem itself, except for the reference to Herkja as Atli's former concubine.
Herkja: the historical Kreka and the Helche of the Nibelungenlied, who there appears as Etzel's (Attila's) first wife. Thjothrek: cf. Introductory Note.
2. The manuscript omits the names of the speakers through out.
3. Holy stone: just what this refers to is uncertain; it may be identical with the "ice-cold stone of Uth" mentioned in an oath in
Helgakvitha Hundingsbana II, 29. Thjothmar's son: the manuscript has simply "Thjothmar." Some editions change it as here, some assume that
Thjothmar is another name or an error for Thjothrek, and Finnur Jonsson not only retains Thjothmar here but changes Thjothrek to Thjothmar in
stanza 5 to conform to it.
5. Regarding the death of Thjothrek's men cf. Guthrunarkvitha II, introductory prose, note. It was on these stanzas of Guthrunarkvitha III that the
annotator based his introduction to Guthrunarkvitha II. The manuscript repeats the "thirty" in line 2, in defiance of metrical requirements.]
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Herkja hét ambótt Atla. Hon hafði verit frilla hans. Hon sagði Atla, at hon hefði sét Þjóðrek ok Guðrúnu bæði saman. Atli var þá allókátr. Þá kvað Guðrún:
1. "Hvat er þér, Atli, æ, Buðla sonr?
Er þér hryggt í hug? Hví hlær þú æva?
Hitt mundi æðra jörlum þykkja,
at við menn mæltir ok mik sæir."
Atli kvað:
2. "Tregr mik þat, Guðrún Gjúka dóttir,
mér í höllu Herkja sagði,
at þit Þjóðrekr und þaki svæfið
ok léttliga líni verðið."
Guðrún kvað:
3. "Þér mun ek alls þess eiða vinna
at inum hvíta helga steini,
at ek við Þjóðrek þatki áttak,
er vörðr né verr vinna knátti.
4. Nema ek halsaða herja stilli,
jöfur óneisinn, einu sinni;
aðrar váru okkrar spekjur,
er vit hörmug tvau hnigum at rúnum.
5. Hér kom Þjóðrekr með þría tegu,
lifa þeir né einir þriggja tega manna;
hnöggt þú mik at bræðrum ok at brynjuðum,
hnöggt þú mik at öllum höfuðniðjum.
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