The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga); with Excerpts from the Poetic Edda
General
The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga); with Excerpts from the Poetic Edda
Eddas -- Translations into English; Nibelungen -- Romances; Sagas -- Translations into English; Siegfried (Legendary character) -- Romances
"And then again I dreamed that two fair whelps lay before me yelling
aloud, and that the flesh of them I ate, though my will went not with
the eating."
Gudrun says, "Nowise good are these dreams, yet shall they come to pass;
surely thy sons are nigh to death, and many heavy things shall fall upon
us."
"Yet again I dreamed," said he, "and methought I lay in a bath, and folk
took counsel to slay me."
Now these things wear away with time, but in nowise was their life
together fond.
Now falls Atli to thinking of where may be gotten that plenteous gold
which Sigurd had owned, but King Gunnar and his brethren were lords
thereof now.
Atli was a great king and mighty, wise, and a lord of many men; and now
he falls to counsel with his folk as to the ways of them. He wotted well
that Gunnar and his brethren had more wealth than any others might have,
and so he falls to the rede of sending men to them, and bidding them
to a great feast, and honouring them in diverse wise, and the chief of
those messengers was hight Vingi.
Now the queen wots of their conspiring, and misdoubts her that this
would mean some beguiling of her brethren: so she cut runes, and took a
gold ring, and knit therein a wolf's hair, and gave it into the hands of
the king's messengers.
Thereafter they go their ways according to the king's bidding; and or
ever they came aland Vingi beheld the runes, and turned them about in
such wise as if Gudrun prayed her brethren in her runes to go meet King
Atli.
Thereafter they came to the hall of King Gunnar, and had good welcome at
his hands, and great fires were made for them, and in great joyance they
drank of the best of drink.
Then spake Vingi, "King Atli sends me hither, and is fain that ye go
to his house and home in all glory, and take of him exceeding honours,
helms and shields, swords and byrnies, gold and goodly raiment, horses,
hosts of war, and great and wide lands, for, saith he, he is fainest of
all things to bestow his realm and lordship upon you."
Then Gunnar turned his head aside, and spoke to Hogni--
"In what wise shall we take this bidding? might and wealth he bids us
take; but no kings know I who have so much gold as we have, whereas
we have all the hoard which lay once on Gnitaheath; and great are our
chambers, and full of gold, and weapons for smiting, and all kinds of
raiment of war, and well I wot that amidst all men my horse is the best,
and my sword the sharpest, and my gold the most glorious."
Hogni answers, "A marvel is it to me of his bidding, for seldom hath he
done in such a wise, and ill-counselled will it be to wend to him; lo
now, when I saw those dear-bought things the king sends us I wondered to
behold a wolf's hair knit to a certain gold ring; belike Gudrun deems him
to be minded as a wolf towards us, and will have naught of our faring."
But withal Vingi shows him the runes which he said Gudrun had sent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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