der the influence of a wicked
potion, but neither mother nor magic drives the memory of Sigurd from
her mind. She lives to bring destruction upon her husband's murderers,
and those murderers are her own flesh and blood. Through her appeals to
Atli's greed, and through Knefrud's lies in the Niblung court, the visit
of her proud brothers to her pliant husband is brought about. The saga
makes Atli the arch-plotter, and the motive his desire to possess the
gold. This sentence exculpates Gudrun from any wrong intention towards
her brothers: "Now the queen wots of their conspiring, and misdoubts her
that this would mean some beguiling of her brethren." (Chap. XXXIV.) In
Chap. XXXVIII, we are told that Gudrun fights on the side of her
brothers. We see at once the superiority of the poet's motive for a
modern tragedy.

It is impressed upon the reader of an epic that the plan of its maker
does not call for fine analysis of character. The epic poet is concerned
necessarily with large considerations, and his personages do not split
hairs from the south to the southeast side. One sign of this is seen in
the epic formulae employed to characterize the personages of the story.
Such formulas are in _Sigurd the Volsung_ in abundance, as we have noted
on another page. But there are also many departures from the epic model
in this poem. Some of these we have referred to in the remarks on Book
III, where we noted Sigurd's mental sufferings. In Book IV we have a
discrimination of character that is not epic, but dramatic in its
minuteness. In the speech and the deeds of the Niblungs their pride and
selfishness is clearly set forth, but the individual members of that
race are distinguished by traits very minutely drawn. Thus Hogni is the
wary Niblung, and is averse to accepting Atli's invitation:

"I know not, I know not," said Hogni, "but an unsure bridge is the sea,
And such would I oft were builded betwixt my foeman and me.
I know a sorrow that sleepeth, and a wakened grief I know,
And the torment of the mighty is a strong and fearful foe."

(P. 281.)

Gunnar is here distinguished as a hypocrite by word and deed; Gudrun
remembers Sigurd in her exile and schemes and plots to make her husband
Atli work her vengeance on the Niblungs; Atli is greedy for gold and
Gudrun's task is not hard; Knefrud is a liar whose words are winning,
and overcome the scruples of the Niblungs. In these careful
discriminations of character we se