Guðrúnarkviða III
Encyclopedia
Guðrúnarkviða III, The Third Lay of Gudrun
, is a short Old Norse poem that is part of the Poetic Edda
. It has not left any traces in Völsunga saga
and was probably not known by its compilers.
It is dated to the early 11th century, because that was the time when the ordeal by boiling water made its appearance in Scandinavia
and the poet speaks of it as a practice of foreign origin. According to Henry Adams Bellows
, the poem is based on material that came from northern Germany, where the ordeal by boiling water had long been current. He adds that it has so little local colour that it was probably composed based on a story that the poet had heard from a German.
The Guðrún lays show that the hard-boiled heroic poetry of the Poetic Edda also had place for the hardships of women.
's former concubines, was serving as a maid at his court. She reported to Atli that she had seen Guðrún together with king Þjóðrekr
, which made Atli very angry. He approached Guðrún and she asked him what was the matter.
Guðrún answered that she was innocent and could swear on the sacred white stone that she had not been with Þjóðrekr in that way. She had only talked with Þjóðrekr about their sorrows in secret. Þjóðrekr had arrived with thirty warriors and he had lost all of them, while Atli, her husband, had murdered all her brothers and all the men of her people. Gunnarr
could no longer come, and she could no longer greet Högni
. She had lost both her beloved brothers and she would like to avenge Högni with her sword. She declared that she wanted payment for her sorrows and she suggested the ordeal of boiling water, for which Atli should summon Saxi, the king of the Southrons, who could hallow the kettle. Then, the poem passes to the execution of the ordeal and what happened to Herkja:
Gudrun
Gudrun is a major figure in the early Germanic literature centered on the hero Sigurd, son of Sigmund. She appears as Kriemhild in the Nibelungenlied and as Gutrune in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.-Norse mythology:...
, is a short Old Norse poem that is part of the Poetic Edda
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
. It has not left any traces in Völsunga saga
Volsunga saga
The Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
and was probably not known by its compilers.
It is dated to the early 11th century, because that was the time when the ordeal by boiling water made its appearance in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and the poet speaks of it as a practice of foreign origin. According to Henry Adams Bellows
Henry Adams Bellows
Henry Adams Bellows was a lawyer, state legislator, and jurist born in Rockingham, Vermont. He was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives from Littleton, New Hampshire in 1839. He was subsequently elected again to the House from Concord, New Hampshire in 1856–1857, and served as...
, the poem is based on material that came from northern Germany, where the ordeal by boiling water had long been current. He adds that it has so little local colour that it was probably composed based on a story that the poet had heard from a German.
The Guðrún lays show that the hard-boiled heroic poetry of the Poetic Edda also had place for the hardships of women.
Synopsis
Herkja, one of AtliAtli
-Characters:* Atli, one of the names of the Norse god Thor* Atli in the Völsunga saga, believed to be a romanticized version of Attila the Hun* Atli Buðlason* Atli Hringsson* Atli Iðmundsson* Atli the Slender, a 9th-century earl of Sogn, Norway-Poetry:...
's former concubines, was serving as a maid at his court. She reported to Atli that she had seen Guðrún together with king Þjóðrekr
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, which made Atli very angry. He approached Guðrún and she asked him what was the matter.
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Gjúki Gjúki was the King of the Burgundians in the late 4th century until his death in or around 407. He was the father of Gundomar I, Giselher, and Gunther.... 's daughter, |
Guðrún answered that she was innocent and could swear on the sacred white stone that she had not been with Þjóðrekr in that way. She had only talked with Þjóðrekr about their sorrows in secret. Þjóðrekr had arrived with thirty warriors and he had lost all of them, while Atli, her husband, had murdered all her brothers and all the men of her people. Gunnarr
Gunther
Gunther is the German name of a semi-legendary king of Burgundy of the early 5th century...
could no longer come, and she could no longer greet Högni
Hagen (legend)
Hagen or Högni is a Burgundian warrior in tales about the Burgundian kingdom at Worms. Hagen is often identified as a brother or half-brother of King Gunther .In the Nibelungenlied, he is called Hagen of Tronje...
. She had lost both her beloved brothers and she would like to avenge Högni with her sword. She declared that she wanted payment for her sorrows and she suggested the ordeal of boiling water, for which Atli should summon Saxi, the king of the Southrons, who could hallow the kettle. Then, the poem passes to the execution of the ordeal and what happened to Herkja:
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