ndness. And when she said
this to him she rent the web she was weaving, and she wept aloud so that
all in the hall heard her, and all marveled to hear the proud Queen cry.

Then Sigurd came to her, and he offered in atonement the whole hoard of
Fafnir. And he told her how forgetfulness of her had come upon him, and
he begged her to forgive him for winning her in falseness. But she
answered him: "Too late thou hast come to me, Sigurd. Now I have only a
great anger in my heart."

When Gunnar came she told him she would forgive him, and love him as she
had not loved him before, if he would slay Sigurd. But Gunnar would not
slay him, although Brynhild's passion moved him greatly, since Sigurd
was a sworn brother of his.

Then she went to Hoegni and asked him to slay Sigurd, telling him that
the whole of Fafnir's hoard would belong to the Nibelungs if Sigurd were
slain. But Hoegni would not slay him, since Sigurd and he were sworn
brothers.

There was one who had not sworn brotherhood with Sigurd. He was Guttorm,
Gunnar's and Hoegni's half-brother. Brynhild went to Guttorm. He would
not slay Sigurd, but Brynhild found that he was infirm of will and
unsteady of thought. With Guttorm, then, she would work for the slaying
of Sigurd. Her mind was fixed that he and she would no longer be in the
world of men.

She made a dish of madness for Guttorm--serpent's venom and wolf's flesh
mixed--and when he had eaten it Guttorm was crazed. Then did he listen
to Brynhild's words. And she commanded him to go into the chamber where
Sigurd slept and stab him through the body with a sword.

This Guttorm did. But Sigurd, before he gasped out his life, took Gram,
his great sword, and flung it at Guttorm and cut him in twain.

And Brynhild, knowing what deed was done, went without and came to where
Grani, Sigurd's proud horse, was standing. She stayed there with her
arms across Grani's neck, the Valkyrie leaning across the horse that was
born of Odin's horse. And Grani stood listening for some sound. He
heard the cries of Gudrun over Sigurd, and then his heart burst and he
died.

They bore Sigurd out of the Hall and Brynhild went beside where they
placed him. She took a sword and put it through her own heart. Thus died
Brynhild who had been made a mortal woman for her disobedience to the
will of Odin, and who was won to be a mortal's wife by a falseness.

They took Sigurd and his horse Grani, and his helmet and his golden
war-gear and