of his way,
striving against none but tyrants and oppressors, and cheering all
by his kindly words and smile.

The Quarrel of the Queens

On a day the queens went down together to the Rhine to bathe, and as
they were entering the water Gudrun claimed precedence by right of
her husband's courage. Brunhild refused to yield what she deemed her
right, and a quarrel ensued, in the course of which Gudrun accused
her sister-in-law of not having kept her faith, producing the ring
Andvaranaut in support of her charge. The sight of the fatal ring
in the hand of her rival crushed Brunhild, and she fled homeward,
and lay in speechless grief day after day, until all thought she must
die. In vain did Gunnar and the members of the royal family seek her
in turn and implore her to speak; she would not utter a word until
Sigurd came and inquired the cause of her unutterable grief. Then,
like a long-pent-up stream, her love and anger burst forth, and she
overwhelmed the hero with reproaches, until his heart so swelled
with grief for her sorrow that the tight bands of his strong armour
gave way.

"Out went Sigurd
From that interview
Into the hall of kings,
Writhing with anguish;
So that began to start
The ardent warrior's
Iron-woven sark
Off from his sides."

Saemund's Edda (Thorpe's tr.).

Words had no power to mend that woeful situation, and Brunhild
refused to heed when Sigurd offered to repudiate Gudrun, saying,
as she dismissed him, that she would not be faithless to Gunnar. The
thought that two living men had called her wife was unendurable to
her pride, and the next time her husband sought her presence she
implored him to put Sigurd to death, thus increasing his jealousy
and suspicion. He refused to deal violently with Sigurd, however,
because of their oath of good fellowship, and so she turned to Hoegni
for aid. He, too, did not wish to violate his oath, but he induced
Guttorm, by means of much persuasion and one of Grimhild's potions,
to undertake the dastardly deed.

The Death of Sigurd

Accordingly, in the dead of night, Guttorm stole into Sigurd's chamber,
weapon in hand; but as he bent over the bed he saw Sigurd's bright
eyes fixed upon him, and fled precipitately. Later on he returned
and the scene was repeated; but towards morning, stealing in for
the third time, he found the hero asleep, and traitorously drove his
spear through his back.

Although woun