ost thy sons, and
their heads are become beakers on the board here, and thou thyself hast
drunken the blood of them blended with wine; and their hearts I took and
roasted them on a spit, and thou hast eaten thereof."

King Atli answered, "Grim art thou in that thou hast murdered thy sons,
and given me their flesh to eat, and little space passes betwixt ill
deed of thine and ill deed."

Gudrun said, "My heart is set on the doing to thee of as great shame as
may be; never shall the measure of ill be full to such a king as thou
art."

The king said, "Worser deeds hast thou done than men have to tell of,
and great unwisdom is there in such fearful redes; most meet art thou
to be burned on bale when thou hast first been smitten to death with
stones, for in such wise wouldst thou have what thou hast gone a weary
way to seek."

She answered, "Thine own death thou foretellest, but another death is
fated for me."

And many other words they spake in their wrath.

Now Hogni had a son left alive, hight Niblung, and great wrath of heart
he bare against King Atli; and he did Gudrun to wit that he would
avenge his father. And she took his words well, and they fell to counsel
together thereover, and she said it would be great goodhap if it might
be brought about.

So on a night, when the king had drunken, he gat him to bed, and when he
was laid asleep, thither to him came Gudrun and the son of Hogni.

Gudrun took a sword and thrust it through the breast of King Atli, and
they both of them set their hands to the deed, both she and the son of
Hogni.

Then Atli the king awoke with the wound, and cried out; "no need of
binding or salving here!--who art thou who hast done the deed?"

Gudrun says, "Somewhat have I, Gudrun, wrought therein, and somewhat
withal the son of Hogni."

Atli said, "Ill it beseemed to thee to do this, though somewhat of wrong
was between us; for thou wert wedded to me by the rede of thy kin, and
dower paid I for thee; yea, thirty goodly knights, and seemly maidens,
and many men besides; and yet wert thou not content, but if thou should
rule over the lands King Budli owned: and thy mother-in-law full oft
thou lettest sit a-weeping."

Gudrun said, "Many false words hast thou spoken, and of naught I account
them; oft, indeed, was I fell of mood, but much didst thou add thereto.
Full oft in this thy house did frays befall, and kin fought kin, and
friend fought friend, and made themselves big one against t