he deemeth my honour to
be gone away from me, even as the feathers of this hawk;" and therewith
he bade deliver him from the gallows.

But in that while had Bikki wrought his will, and Randver was
dead-slain.

And, moreover, Bikki spake, "Against none hast thou more wrongs to
avenge thee of than against Swanhild; let her die a shameful death."

"Yea," said the king, "we will do after thy counsel."

So she was bound in the gate of the burg, and horses were driven at her
to tread her down; but when she opened her eyes wide, then the horses
durst not trample her; so when Bikki beheld that, he bade draw a bag
over the head of her; and they did so, and therewith she lost her life.
(1)

ENDNOTES
(1) In the prose Edda the slaying of Swanhild is a spontaneous
and sudden act on the part of the king. As he came back
from hunting one day, there sat Swanhild washing her linen,
and it came into the king's mind how that she was the cause
of all his woe, so he and his men rode over her and slew
her.--Tr.

CHAPTER XLII. Gudrun sends her Sons to avenge Swanhild.

Now Gudrun heard of the slaying of Swanhild, and spake to her sons, "Why
sit ye here in peace amid merry words, whereas Jormunrek hath slain your
sister, and trodden her under foot of horses in shameful wise? No heart
ye have in you like to Gunnar or Hogni; verily they would have avenged
their kinswoman!"

Hamdir answered, "Little didst thou praise Gunnar and Hogni, whereas
they slew Sigurd, and thou wert reddened in the blood of him, and ill
were thy brethren avenged by the slaying of thine own sons: yet not
so ill a deed were it for us to slay King Jormunrek, and so hard thou
pushest us on to this that we may naught abide thy hard words."

Gudrun went about laughing now, and gave them to drink from mighty
beakers, and thereafter she got for them great byrnies and good, and all
other weed (1) of war.

Then spake Hamdir, "Lo now, this is our last parting, for thou shalt
hear tidings of us, and drink one grave-ale (2) over us and over
Swanhild."

So therewith they went their ways.

But Gudrun went unto her bower, with heart swollen with sorrow, and
spake--

"To three men was I wedded, and first to Sigurd Fafnir's-bane, and he
was bewrayed and slain, and of all griefs was that the greatest grief.
Then was I given to King Atli, and so fell was my heart toward him that
I slew in the fury of my grief his children and