Atlakvitha en Gronlenzka

Greenland Lay of Atli

       Guthrun, Gjuki's daughter, avenged her brothers, as has become well
known. She slew first Atli's sons, and thereafter she slew Atli, and burned the
hall with his whole company. Concerning this was the following poem made:

  1. Atli sent	of old to Gunnar
  A keen-witted rider, 		Knefroth did men call him;
  To Gjuki's home came he 		and to Gunnar's dwelling,
  With benches round the hearth,	and to the beer so sweet.

  Then the followers, hiding		their falseness, all drank
  Their wine in the war-hall, 	of the Huns' wrath wary;
  And Knefroth spake loudly, 	his words were crafty,
  The hero came from the south,	on the high bench sitting:

  "Now Atli has sent me	his errand to ride,
  On my bit-champing steed		through Myrkwood the secret,
  To bid you Gunnar,		to his benches to come,
  With helms round the hearth,	and Atli's home seek.

  2. "Shields shall ye choose there,	and shafts made of ash-wood,
  Gold-adorned helmets,	and slaves out of Hunland,
  Silver-gilt saddle-cloths,	shirts of bright scarlet,
  With lances and spears too,	and bit-champing steeds.

  3. "The field shall be given you	of wide Gnitaheith,
  With loud-ringing lances,	and stems gold-o'er-laid,
  Treasures full huge,		and the home of Danp,
  And the mighty forest	that Myrkwood is called."

  4. His head turned Gunnar,	and to Hogni said:
  "What thy counsel, young hero,	when such things do we hear?
  No gold do I know	on Gnitaheith lying
  So fair that other 	its equal we have not.

  5. "We have seven halls,	each of swords is full,
  (And all of gold	is the hild of each;)
  My steed is the swiftest,	my sword is sharpest,
  My bows adorn benches,	my byrnies are golden,
  My helm is the brightest	that came from Kmar's hall,
  (Mine own is better		than all the Huns' treasure.)"

  Hogni spake:
  6. "What seeks she to say,	that she sends us a ring,
  Woven with a wolf's hair?	methinks it gives warning;
  In the red rind a hair		of the heath-dweller found I,
  Wolf-like shall our road be		if we ride on this journey."

  7. Not eager were his comrades,	nor the men of his kin,
  (Ms. has written in: His comrades did not urge Gunnar....)
  The wise nor the wary,	nor the warriors bold.
  But Gunnar spake forth	as befitted a king,
  Noble in the beer-hall,	and bitter his scorn;

  8. "Stand forth now, Fjornir!	  and hither on the floor
  The beakers all golden	shalt thou bring to the warriors,
  -lacuna- (V. "Give us to drink in great cups, for it may
  well be that this shall be our last feast.")
  -lacuna-

  9. "The wolves then shall rule		the wealth of the Niflungs,
  Wolves aged and grey-hued,	if Gunnar is lost,
  And black-coated bears	with rending teeth bit,
  And make glad the dogs,	if Gunnar returns not."

  10. A following gallant		fared forth with the ruler,
  Yet they wept as their home	with the hero they left;
  And the little heir	of Hogni called loudly:
  "Go safe now, ye wise ones,	wherever ye will!"

  11. Then let the bold heroes	their bit-champing horses
  On the mountains gallop,	and through Myrkwood the secret;
  All Hunland was shaken	where the hard-souled ones rode,
  On the whip-fearers fared they	through fields that were green.

  12. Then they saw Atli's halls,		and his watch-towers high,
  On the walls so lofty		stood the warriors of Buthli;
  The hall of the southrons		with seats was surrounded,
  With targets bound		and shields full bright.

  13. Mid weapons and lances	did Atli his wine
  In the war-hall drink,	without were his watchmen,
  For Gunnar they waited,	if forth he should go,
  With their ringing spears	they would fight with the ruler.

  14. This their sister saw,	as soon as her brothers
  Had entered the hall,- 	little ale had she drunk:
  "Betrayed art thou, Gunnar!     what guard has thou, hero?
  'Gainst the plots of the Huns?	from the hall flee swiftly!"

  15. "Brother, 'twere far better		to have come in byrnie,
  With thy household helmed,	to see Atli's home,
  And to sit in the saddle	all day 'neath the sun,
  (That the sword-norns might weep	for the death-pale warriors,
  And the Hunnish shield-maids	might shun not the sword,)
  And send Atli himself 	to the den of the snakes;
  (Now the den of the snakes	for thee is destined.)"

  Gunnar spake:
  16. " - lacuna -
  Too late is it, sister, 		to summon the Niflungs,
  Long is it come	to the throng of our comrades,
  The heroes gallant,		from the hills of the Rhine."

  Break

  17. Then Gunnar they seized,		and they set him in chains,
  The Burgundians' king,	and fast they bound him.

  18. Hogni slew seven	with sword so keen,
  And an eighth he flung	in the fire hot;
  A hero should fight		with his foeman thus,
  As Hogni strove	in Gunnar's behalf.

  19. -lacuna-
  -lacuna-
  The leader they asked	if his life he fain
  With gold would buy,	the king of the Goths.

  Gunnar spake:
  20. "First the heart of Hogni	shall ye lay in my hands,
  All bloody from the breast		of the bold one cut
  With keen-biting sword,	from the son of the king."

  21. -lacuna-
  They cut out the heart	from the breast of Hjalli,
  On a platter they bore it,	and brought it to Gunnar.

  Then Gunnar spake forth,		the lord of the folk:
  22. "Here have I the heart	of Hjalli the craven,
  Unlike to the heart	of Hogni the valiant,
  For it trembles still	as it stands on the platter;
  Twice more did it tremble	in the breast of the man."

  23. Then Hogni laughed	when they cut out the heart
  Of the living helm-hammerer;	tears he had not.
  -lacuna-
  On a platter they bore it,	and brought it to Gunnar.

  24. Then Gunnar spake forth,		the spear of the Niflungs:
  "Here have I the heart	of Hogni the valiant,
  Unlike to the heart		of Hjalli the craven,
  Little it trembles	as it lies on the platter,
  Still less did it tremble	when it lay in his breast.

  25. "So distant, Atli,	from all men's eyes,
  Shalt thou be as thou  -lacuna -   from the gold.
  -lacuna-
  -lacuna-

  26. "To no one save me		is the secret known
  Of the Niflungs' hoard,	now Hogni is dead;
  Of old there were two,	while we twain were alive,
  Now is none but I,		for I only am living.

  27. "The swift Rhine shall hold		the strife-gold of heroes,
  That once was the gods',		the wealth of the Niflungs,
  In the depths of the waters		the death-rings shall glitter,
  And not shine on the hands	of the Hunnish men."

  Atli spake:
  28. "Ye shall bring the wagon,		for now is he bound."

  Break

  29. On the long-maned Glaum		rode Atli the great,
  About him were warriors		-lacuna-
  But Guthrun, akin		to the gods of slaughter,
  Yielded not to her tears	in the hall of tumult.

  Guthrun spake:
  30. "It shall go with thee, Atli,	as with Gunnar thou heldest
  The oaths ofttimes sworn,		and of old made firm,
  By the sun in the south,	by Sigutyr's mountain,
  By the horse of the rest-bed,		and the ring of Ull."

  31. Then the champer of bits	drew the chieftain great,
  The gold-guarder, down		to the place of death.
  -lacuna-

  32. By the warriors' host	was the living hero
  Cast in the den	where crawling about
  Within were serpents,	but soon did Gunnar
  With his hand in wrath	on the harp-strings smite;
  The strings resounded,-	so shall a hero
  A ring-breaker, gold	from his enemies guard.

  33. Then Atli rode	on his earth-treading steed,
  Seeking his home,		from the slaughter-place;
  There was a clatter of hoofs	on the steeds in the court,
  And the clashing of arms	as they came from the field.

  34. Out then came Guthrun	to meeting with Atli,
  With a golden beaker	as gift to the monarch;
  "Thou mayst eat now, chieftain,	within thy dwelling,
  Blithely with Guthrun	young beasts fresh slaughtered."

  35. The wine-heavy ale-cups		of Atli resounded,
  When there in the hall		the Hunnish youths clamored,
  And the warriors bearded,	the brave ones, entered.

  36. Then in came the shining one,		-lacuna-
  -lacuna-		and drink she bore them;
  Unwilling and bitter	brought she food to the warrior,
  Till in scorn to the white-faced	Atli did she speak:

  37. "Thou giver of swords,		of thy sons the hearts
  All heavy with blood	in honey thou hast eaten;
  Thou shalt stomach, thou hero,	the flesh of the slain,
  To eat at thy feast,	and to send to thy followers.

  38. "Thou shalt never call		to thy knees again
  Erp or Eitil,	when merry with ale;
  Thou shalt never see	in their seats again
  The sharers of gold 	their lances shaping,
  (Clipping the manes	or minding their steeds.)"

  39. There was clamour on the benches,	and the cry of men,
  The clashing of weapons,	and weeping of the Huns,
  Save for Guthrun only,		she wept not ever
  For her bear-fierce brothers,	or the boys so dear,
  So young and so unhappy,	whom with Atli she had.

  40. Gold did she scatter,	the swan-white one,
  And rings of red gold	to the followers gave she;
  The fate she let grow,	and the shining wealth go,
  Nor spared she the treasure	of the temple itself.

  41. Unwise then was Atli,	he had drunk to wildness,
  No weapon did he have,	and of Guthrun bewared not;
  Oft their play was better	when both in gladness
  Each other embraced	among princes all.

  42. With her sword she gave blood	for the bed to drink,
  With her death-dealing hand,	and the hounds she loosed,
  The thralls she awakened,	and a firebrand threw
  In the door of the hall;	so vengeance she had.

  43. To the flames she gave all	who yet were within,
  And from Myrkheim had come	from the murder of Gunnar;
  The timbers old fell,	the temple was in flames,
  The dwelling of the Buthlungs,	and the shield-maids burned,
  They were slain in the house,		in the hot flames they sank.

  44. Now the tale is all told,	nor in later time
  Will a woman in byrnie	avenge so her brothers;
  The fair one to three	of the kings of the folk
  Brought the doom of death	ere herself she died.

  Still more is told in the Greenland ballad of Atli.




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