阿特利格陵兰之歌 · 诗体埃达 / 文脉

Atlakvitha en Grönlenzka / The Greenland Lay of Atli

本页收录 Henry Adams Bellows 1923 年英译本。Bellows 译本已进入公有领域；本站保留其诗篇导言、英译正文和注释，不收现代中译或现代校勘文本。

Bellows 1923 英译

THE GREENLAND LAY OF ATLI

Bellows Introductory Note

There are two Atli poems in the Codex Regius, the Atlakvitha (Lay of
Atli) and the Atlamol (Ballad of Atli). The poems are not preserved or
quoted in any other old manuscript, but they were extensively used by
the compilers of the Volsungasaga. In the manuscript superscription to
each of these poems appears the word “Greenland,” which has given rise
to a large amount of argument. The scribe was by no means infallible,
and in this case his statement proves no more than that in the period
round 1300 there was a tradition that these two poems originated in the
Greenland settlement.

The two Atli poems deal with substantially the same material: the visit
of the sons of Gjuki to Atli’s court, their deaths, and the subsequent
revenge of their sister, Guthrun, Atli’s wife, on her husband. The
shorter of the two, the Atlakvitha, tells the story with little
elaboration; the Atlamol, with about the same narrative basis, adds
many details, some of them apparently of the poet’s invention, and with
a romantic, not to say sentimental, quality quite lacking in the
Atlakvitha. Both poems are sharply distinguished from the rest of the
collection by their metrical form, which is the Malahattr (used
irregularly also in the Harbarthsljoth), employed consistently and
smoothly in the Atlamol, and with a considerable mixture of what appear
to be Fornyrthislag lines (cf. Introduction) in the Atlakvitha.

It is altogether probable that both poems belong to the eleventh
century, the shorter Atlakvitha being generally dated from the first
quarter thereof, and the longer Atlamol some fifty years or more later.
In each case the poet was apparently a Christian; in the Atlamol
(stanza 82) Guthrun expresses her readiness to die and “go into another
light,” and in the Atlakvitha there is frequent use of mythological
names (e.g., Valhall, Hlithskjolf) with an evident lack of
understanding of their relation to the older gods. These facts fit the
theory of a Greenland origin exceedingly well, for the Greenland
settlement grew rapidly after the first explorations of Eirik the Red,
which were in 982–985, and its most flourishing period was in the
eleventh century. The internal evidence, particularly in the case of
the Atlamol, points likewise to an origin remote from Iceland, Norway,
and the “Western Isles”; and the two poems are sufficiently alike so
that, despite the efforts of Finnur Jonsson and others to separate
them, assigning one to Greenland and the other to Norway or elsewhere,
it seems probable that the manuscript statement is correct in both
instances, and that the two Atli poems did actually originate in
Greenland. An interesting account of this Greenland settlement is given
in William Hovgaard’s Voyages of the Norsemen to America, published by
the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1914, and an extraordinarily
vivid picture of the sufferings of the early settlers appears in
Maurice Hewlett’s Thorgils, taken from the Floamannasaga.

From the standpoint of narrative material there is little that is
distinctively Norse in either the Atlakvitha or the Atlamol. The story
is the one outlined in the prose Drap Niflunga (largely based on these
two poems), representing almost exclusively the southern blending of
the Attila and Burgundian legends (cf. introductory note to Gripisspo).
In the Atlakvitha, indeed, the word “Burgundians” is actually used.
Brynhild is not mentioned in either poem; Sigurth’s name appears but
once, in the Atlamol. Thus the material goes directly back to its
South-Germanic origins, with little of the Northern making-over which
resulted in such extensive changes in most parts of the Sigurth story.
The general atmosphere, on the other hand, particularly in the Atlamol,
is essentially Norse.

As has been said, the Atlakvitha is metrically in a chaotic state, the
normal Malahattr lines being frequently interspersed with lines and
even stanzas which apparently are of the older Fornyrthislag type. How
much of this confusion is due to faulty transmission is uncertain, but
it has been suggested that the composer of the Atlakvitha made over in
Malahattr an older Atli poem in Fornyrthislag, and this suggestion has
much to recommend it. That he worked on the basis of an older poem is,
indeed, almost certain, for in oral prose tradition a far larger number
of distinctively Norse traits would unquestionably have crept in than
are found in the material of the Atlakvitha. As for the Atlamol, here
again the poet seems to have used an older poem as his basis, possibly
the Atlakvitha itself, although in that case he must have had other
material as well, for there are frequent divergences in such matters as
proper names.

The translation of the Atlakvitha is rendered peculiarly difficult by
the irregularity of the metre, by the evident faultiness of the
transmission, and above all by the exceptionally large number of words
found nowhere else in Old Norse, involving much guesswork as to their
meanings. The notes do not attempt to indicate all the varying
suggestions made by editors and commentators as to the reconstruction
of defective stanzas and the probable meanings of obscure passages; in
cases which are purely or largely guesswork the notes merely point out
the uncertainty without cataloguing the proposed solutions.

Guthrun, Gjuki’s daughter, avenged her brothers, as has become well
known. She slew first Atli’s sons, and thereafter she slew Atli, and
burned the hall with his whole company. Concerning this was the
following poem made:

1. Atli sent | of old to Gunnar
A keen-witted rider, | Knefröth did men call him;
To Gjuki’s home came he | and to Gunnar’s dwelling,
With benches round the hearth, | and to the beer so sweet.

2. Then the followers, hiding | their falseness, all drank
Their wine in the war-hall, | of the Huns’ wrath wary;
And Knefröth spake loudly, | his words were crafty,
The hero from the south, | on the high bench sitting:

3. “Now Atli has sent me | his errand to ride,
On my bit-champing steed | through Myrkwood the secret,
To bid you, Gunnar, | to his benches to come,
With helms round the hearth, | and Atli’s home seek.

4. “Shields shall ye choose there, | and shafts made of
ash-wood,
Gold-adorned helmets, | and slaves out of Hunland,
Silver-gilt saddle-cloths, | shirts of bright scarlet,
With lances and spears too, | and bit-champing steeds.

5. “The field shall be given you | of wide Gnitaheith,
With loud-ringing lances, | and stems gold-o’erlaid,
Treasures full huge, | and the home of Danp,
And the mighty forest | that Myrkwood is called.”

6. His head turned Gunnar, | and to Hogni he said:
“What thy counsel, young hero, | when such things we hear?
No gold do I know | on Gnitaheith lying
So fair that other | its equal we have not.

Hogni spake:

8. “What seeks she to say, | that she sends us a ring,
Woven with a wolf’s hair? | methinks it gives warning;
In the red ring a hair | of the heath-dweller found I,
Wolf-like shall our road be | if we ride on this journey.”

9. Not eager were his comrades, | nor the men of his kin,
The wise nor the wary, | nor the warriors bold.
But Gunnar spake forth | as befitted a king,
Noble in the beer-hall, | and bitter his scorn:

10. “Stand forth now, Fjornir! | and hither on the floor
The beakers all golden | shalt thou bring to the warriors.
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .

11. “The wolves then shall rule | the wealth of the Niflungs,
Wolves aged and grey-hued, | if Gunnar is lost,
And black-coated bears | with rending teeth bite,
And make glad the dogs, | if Gunnar returns not.”

12. A following gallant | fared forth with the ruler,
Yet they wept as their home | with the hero they left;
And the little heir | of Hogni called loudly:
“Go safe now, ye wise ones, | wherever ye will!”

13. Then let the bold heroes | their bit-champing horses
On the mountains gallop, | and through Myrkwood the secret;
All Hunland was shaken | where the hard-souled ones rode,
On the whip-fearers fared they | through fields that were
green.

14. Then they saw Atli’s halls, | and his watch-towers high,
On the walls so lofty | stood the warriors of Buthli;
The hall of the southrons | with seats was surrounded,
With targets bound | and shields full bright.

15. Mid weapons and lances | did Atli his wine
In the war-hall drink, | without were his watchmen,
For Gunnar they waited, | if forth he should go,
With their ringing spears | they would fight with the ruler.

16. This their sister saw, | as soon as her brothers
Had entered the hall,— | little ale had she drunk:
“Betrayed art thou, Gunnar! | what guard hast thou, hero,
’Gainst the plots of the Huns? | from the hall flee swiftly!

17. “Brother, ’twere far better | to have come in byrnie,
With thy household helmed, | to see Atli’s home,
And to sit in the saddle | all day ’neath the sun,
(That the sword-norns might weep | for the death-pale warriors,
And the Hunnish shield-maids | might shun not the sword,)
And send Atli himself | to the den of the snakes;
(Now the den of the snakes | for thee is destined.)”

Gunnar spake:

18. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
“Too late is it, sister, | to summon the Niflungs,
Long is it to come | to the throng of our comrades,
The heroes gallant, | from the hills of the Rhine.”

19. Then Gunnar they seized, | and they set him in chains,
The Burgundians’ king, | and fast they bound him.

20. Hogni slew seven | with sword so keen,
And an eighth he flung | in the fire hot;
A hero should fight | with his foemen thus,
As Hogni strove | in Gunnar’s behalf.

21. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
The leader they asked | if his life he fain
With gold would buy, | the king of the Goths.

Gunnar spake:

22. “First the heart of Hogni | shall ye lay in my hands,
All bloody from the breast | of the bold one cut
With keen-biting sword, | from the son of the king.”

23. . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
They cut out the heart | from the breast of Hjalli,
On a platter they bore it, | and brought it to Gunnar.

25. Then Hogni laughed | when they cut out the heart
Of the living helm-hammerer; | tears he had not.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
On a platter they bore it, | and brought it to Gunnar.

27. “So distant, Atli, | from all men’s eyes,
Shalt thou be as thou | . . . . . from the gold.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .

28. “To no one save me | is the secret known
Of the Niflungs’ hoard, | now Hogni is dead;
Of old there were two, | while we twain were alive,
Now is none but I, | for I only am living.

29. “The swift Rhine shall hold | the strife-gold of heroes,
That once was the gods’, | the wealth of the Niflungs,
In the depths of the waters | the death-rings shall glitter,
And not shine on the hands | of the Hunnish men.”

Atli spake:

30. “Ye shall bring the wagon, | for now is he bound.”

31. On the long-maned Glaum | rode Atli the great,
About him were warriors | . . . . . . . .
But Guthrun, akin | to the gods of slaughter,
Yielded not to her tears | in the hall of tumult.

Guthrun spake:

32. “It shall go with thee, Atli, | as with Gunnar thou heldest
The oaths ofttimes sworn, | and of old made firm,
By the sun in the south, | by Sigtyr’s mountain,
By the horse of the rest-bed, | and the ring of Ull.”

33. Then the champer of bits | drew the chieftain great,
The gold-guarder, down | to the place of death.
. . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . .

35. Then Atli rode | on his earth-treading steed,
Seeking his home, | from the slaughter-place;
There was clatter of hoofs | of the steeds in the court,
And the clashing of arms | as they came from the field.

36. Out then came Guthrun | to meeting with Atli,
With a golden beaker | as gift to the monarch:
“Thou mayst eat now, chieftain, | within thy dwelling,
Blithely with Guthrun | young beasts fresh slaughtered.”

37. The wine-heavy ale-cups | of Atli resounded,
When there in the hall | the Hunnish youths clamored,
And the warriors bearded, | the brave ones, entered.

38. Then in came the shining one, | . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . | and drink she bore them;
Unwilling and bitter | brought she food to the warrior,
Till in scorn to the white-faced | Atli did she speak:

39. “Thou giver of swords, | of thy sons the hearts
All heavy with blood | in honey thou hast eaten;
Thou shalt stomach, thou hero, | the flesh of the slain,
To eat at thy feast, | and to send to thy followers.

41. There was clamor on the benches, | and the cry of men,
The clashing of weapons, | and weeping of the Huns,
Save for Guthrun only, | she wept not ever
For her bear-fierce brothers, | or the boys so dear,
So young and so unhappy, | whom with Atli she had.

42. Gold did she scatter, | the swan-white one,
And rings of red gold | to the followers gave she;
The fate she let grow, | and the shining wealth go,
Nor spared she the treasure | of the temple itself.

43. Unwise then was Atli, | he had drunk to wildness,
No weapon did he have, | and of Guthrun bewared not;
Oft their play was better | when both in gladness
Each other embraced | among princes all.

44. With her sword she gave blood | for the bed to drink,
With her death-dealing hand, | and the hounds she loosed,
The thralls she awakened, | and a firebrand threw
In the door of the hall; | so vengeance she had.

45. To the flames she gave all | who yet were within,
And from Myrkheim had come | from the murder of Gunnar;
The timbers old fell, | the temple was in flames,
The dwelling of the Buthlungs, | and the shield-maids burned,
They were slain in the house, | in the hot flames they sank.

46. Now the tale is all told, | nor in later time
Will a woman in byrnie | avenge so her brothers;
The fair one to three | of the kings of the folk
Brought the doom of death | ere herself she died.

Still more is told in the Greenland ballad of Atli.

Bellows Notes

Prose. On the marriage of Guthrun to Atli at the instigation of her
brothers, Gunnar and Hogni, and on the slaying of Atli and his two
sons, Erp and Eitil, cf. Drap Niflunga and note.

1. Line 1 apparently is in Fornyrthislag. Knefröth (the name is spelt
in various ways, and its meaning is uncertain): in the Atlamol (stanza
4) there are two messengers, one named Vingi and the other unnamed; the
annotator combines the two versions in the Drap Niflunga. Benches,
etc.: the adjective rendered “round the hearth,” which etymologically
it ought to mean, is made obscure by its application to “helmets” in
stanzas 3 and 17.

2. Falseness: i.e., Gunnar’s followers concealed their fear and hatred
of the Huns at the feast; but the word may mean “fear of treachery.”
War-hall: the word used is “Valhall,” the name of Othin’s hall of slain
warriors.

3. Myrkwood the secret (the adjective is literally “unknown”): the
forest which divided Atli’s realm from that of the Gjukungs; cf.
Oddrunargratr, 23 and note. Around the hearth: the adjective is the
same one which is applied to “benches” in stanza 1 (cf. note); it may
be an error here, or it may possibly have the force of “of your
followers,” i.e., Gunnar is to arm the men of his household (those who
are round his hearth) for the journey.

4. Slaves, etc.: some editions have “swords in plenty.” Scarlet: the
word apparently means “slaughter-red,” “blood-red,” but it may mean
something entirely different.

5. Gnitaheith: here the dragon Fafnir had his lair (cf. Gripisspo, 11).
Sigurth doubtless owned it after Fafnir’s death, and the Gjukungs after
they had killed Sigurth. Possibly they had given it to Atli in
recompense for the death of his sister, Brynhild, and he now offered to
restore it to them, or—as seems more likely—the poet was not very clear
about its ownership himself. Stems: i.e., the gilded stems of ships,
carved like dragons,—an evident northern touch, if the word is correct,
which is by no means certain. Danp: this name was early applied to a
mythical Danish king (cf. Rigsthula, 49 and note), but it may have been
fabricated by error out of the word “Danparstaþir” (the phrase here
used is “staþi Danpar”), used in the Hervararsaga of a field of battle
between the Goths and the Huns, and quite possibly referring to the
region of the Dnieper. The name seems to have clung to the Atli
tradition long after it had lost all definite significance. Myrkwood:
cf. note on stanza 3.

7. The stanza is clearly in bad shape; the manuscript indicates line 5
as beginning a new stanza. In line 5 the manuscript has “and shield”
after “helm.” Kjar: Gering ingeniously identifies this Kjar with Kjar
the father of Olrun, mentioned in the Völundarkvitha, introductory
prose and stanza 2, on the basis of a genealogy in the Flateyjarbok, in
which Authi, the grandfather of Kjar (by no means certainly the same
man) and Buthli, father of Atli, are mentioned as making a raiding
voyage together. This identification, however, rests on slight
evidence.

8. The manuscript does not name the speaker. One editor gives the first
sentence to Gunnar. She, etc.: Guthrun, seeking to warn her brothers of
Atli’s treachery, sends them a ring with a wolf’s hair as a sign of
danger; in the Atlamol (stanza 4) she sends a message written in runes;
cf. Drap Niflunga. Heath-dweller: wolf.

9. In line 1 the manuscript has “His comrades did not urge Gunnar,” but
the name, involving a metrical error, seems to have been inserted
through a scribal blunder.

10. The manuscript indicates no lacuna, but probably two lines have
dropped out, for the Volsungasaga paraphrase runs: “Give us to drink in
great cups, for it may well be that this shall be our last feast.”
Fjornir: Gunnar’s cup-bearer.

11. Bugge thinks this stanza is spoken by Gunnar’s terrified followers;
Grundtvig assigns it to Hogni. Apparently, however, Gunnar means that
if he and his men are not valiant enough to make the journey and return
safely, it matters little what may happen to them. Niflungs: regarding
the application of this name to Gunnar’s Burgundians cf. Brot, 17 and
note. Bears: these “black” bears have been used as arguments against
the Greenland origin of the poem. And make glad the dogs: i.e., by
giving them corpses to eat, but the phrase in the original is more than
doubtful.

12. Some editions in line 2 read “home of the Niflungs” instead of
“their home,” and others “home of the Huns,” the manuscript reading
being “home of the men.” Heir: the Atlamol (stanza 28) names two sons
of Hogni, Snævar and Solar, both of whom make the journey with their
father and are killed. The Volsungasaga, combining the two versions,
says that Snævar and Solar went with their father, and implies that it
was a third and still younger son who said: “Farewell, and have a good
time” (thus literally).

13. Myrkwood: cf. stanza 3 and note; the journey is here made by land,
whereas in the Atlamol it is made partly by boat; cf. Atlamol, 34 and
note. Whip-fearers: horses, but there is some uncertainty as to the
word.

14. In line 1 the manuscript has “land” instead of “halls,” which
involves a metrical error. Watch-towers: the word used is identical
with the name of Othin’s watch-tower, Hlithskjolf (cf. Grimnismol,
introductory prose). Buthli: the manuscript has “Bikki,” which has led
some editors to transfer this stanza to the Hamthesmol, placing it
between stanzas 16 and 17; it seems more likely, however, that “Bikki”
was a scribal error for “Buthli.” Regarding Bikki cf. Sigurtharkvitha
en skamma, 63 and note. Line 4 is apparently in Fornyrthislag.

15. Line 1 in the manuscript is apparently incorrectly copied, and some
editions omit “Mid weapons and lances” and assume a gap in either line
1 or line 3.

17. This may be the remains of two stanzas; the manuscript marks line 5
as beginning a new stanza. Editorial conjectures are numerous and
varied. Household: the phrase is the same “helms round the hearth”
commented on in stanza 3. Some editions insert a conjectural line after
line 3. Sword-norns, etc.: the line is exceedingly obscure, and the
phrase rendered “sword-norns” may mean “corpse-norns.” Apparently it
refers to the warrior-women of the Huns, the “shield-maids” of line 5
and of stanza 45. Roman writers refer to the warrior-women among the
early Germanic tribes, and the tradition, closely allied to that of the
Valkyries, attached itself readily to the ferocious Huns. Den of
snakes: concerning the manner of Gunnar’s death cf. Drap Niflunga.

18. The manuscript indicates no lacuna and does not name the speaker;
perhaps a line similar to line 1 of stanza 24 (or 26) should be
inserted here. Rhine: Gunnar’s Burgundian home is here clearly
localized. After this stanza it is probable that a passage describing
the battle has been lost.

19. These two lines, apparently the remains of a full stanza, may
belong after stanza 20. Burgundians’ king: the phrase may mean
“Burgundians’ men,” i.e., they bound all the Burgundians who were left
alive after the battle. This is the only place in the poems in which
the name “Burgundian” appears; that the poet had no very clear
conception of its meaning is indicated by the fact that in stanza 21 he
calls Gunnar “king of the Goths.”

20. Apparently a Fornyrthislag stanza, though most editions have
attempted to expand the lines into Malahattr. The exploits of Hogni
(Hagene), with the names of many of his victims, are told in the
Nibelungenlied. The fire: in the Nibelungenlied Kriemhild has the hall
set on fire, and the Burgundians fight amid the flames. Line 4 is
clearly defective, and some editors regard the name “Gunnar” as all
that is left of the first two lines of stanza 21.

21. Again apparently the remains of a Fornyrthislag stanza. Editors
have attempted various combinations of the lines. Gold: presumably
Sigurth’s treasure.

22. The manuscript does not indicate the speaker; perhaps a first line
similar to line 1 of stanza 24 should appear here. Some editors,
however, assume that a line is missing after line 3. Gunnar demands
proof that Hogni is dead because, as stanza 28 shows, he is unwilling
to die himself until he is assured that the secret of the treasure will
perish with him. He did not, of course, intend that the heart should be
cut from the living Hogni.

23. Most editions assume a gap (lines 1–2, 2–3 or 3–4). Hjalli: Atli’s
cook, killed to deceive Gunnar, as Atli hoped to wring the secret of
the hoard from Hogni if Gunnar remained silent. In the Atlamol (stanzas
59–60) Atli’s men prepare to kill Hjalli, but he is spared at Hogni’s
intercession.

25. Helm-hammerer (literally “helmet-smith”): warrior, i.e., Hogni. No
gap indicated in the manuscript.

26. Line 1 may belong elsewhere (stanzas 18 or 22).

27. Apparently the remains of two Fornyrthislag lines; the manuscript
combines them with lines 1–2 of stanza 28. Gunnar foretells Atli’s
speedy death.

28. Apparently in Fornyrthislag. The manuscript indicates line 3 as the
beginning of a stanza, and many editions combine lines 3–4 with stanza
29. This stanza explains Gunnar’s demand for Hogni’s heart in stanza
22. 29. The manuscript marks line 3, and not line 1, as the beginning of a
stanza. Rhine, etc.: the stanza shows the blending of three different
traditions with regard to the treasure: the German tradition of the
gold of the Rhine (cf. Völundarkvitha, 16, and Sigurtharkvitha en
skamma, 16), the tradition, likewise German, of the hoard of the
Nibelungen (Niflungs), early blended with the first one, and finally
the northern tradition of the theft of Andvari’s treasure by Othin,
Hönir, and Loki (cf. Reginsmol, 1–9).

30. Apparently all that is left of a full stanza. The manuscript does
not name Atli as the speaker, and Grundtvig inserts: “Then Atli called,
| the king of the Huns,” as a first line. Some editors combine this
line with the two lines of stanza 33. Wagon: in Brot, 16, Gunnar is led
to his death in the serpents’ den on horseback, not in a wagon.

31. The stanza in the original is hopelessly confused. Glaum: this
horse of Atli’s is mentioned by name elsewhere. Long-maned: uncertain.
The manuscript indicates no gap, but something has evidently been lost.
Gods of slaughter: perhaps the phrase, usually applied to Othin and the
other gods, is here used simply to mean “heroes,” i.e., Atli, Gunnar,
and Hogni. Line 4 suggests Guthrun’s tearlessness after Sigurth’s death
(cf. Guthrunarkvitha II, 11).

32. The manuscript does not indicate the speaker. Sigtyr
(“Victory-God”): Othin; what particular mountain (if any) is meant is
unknown. Horse of the rest-bed: probably this means “bedpost,” i.e.,
the support of the marriage-bed. Ull: the archer-god, cf. Grimnismol, 5
and note. Nothing is known of his ring.

33. Apparently the remains of a Fornyrthislag stanza. Some editors
combine the two lines with the line here indicated as stanza 30.
Champer of bits: horse. The manuscript indicates no gap.

34. Six Fornyrthislag lines which editors have tried to reconstruct in
all sorts of ways. The manuscript marks line 5 as the beginning of a
new stanza. Regarding the serpents’ den, Gunnar’s harp-playing, and the
manner of his death, cf. Drap Niflunga and Oddrunargratr, 27–30, and
notes. In Atlamol, 62, Gunnar plays the harp with his feet, his hands
being bound, and some editors change hand in line 4 to “foot.” Lines
5–6 may be interpolated, or, as Bugge maintains, lines 1–4 may have
been expanded out of two lines.

35. The manuscript marks line 3 as beginning a new stanza. Two
(possibly three) of the lines appear to be in Fornyrthislag. Field: so
the manuscript, involving a metrical error; many editions have “wood.”

36. Young beasts: Guthrun means Atli’s sons, Erp and Eitil, but of
course he thinks she refers to newly slaughtered beasts; cf.
Guthrunarkvitha II, 41–45.

37. Youths: a conjectural addition. The brave ones is also conjectural,
the manuscript having “each.” No gap indicated in the manuscript; some
editions insert as line 3 or line 4 a slightly altered version of line
2 of stanza 45.

38. No gap indicated in the manuscript, but the two fragments cannot be
fitted together as one line. The shining one: Guthrun.

39. Giver of swords: generous prince, i.e., Atli. Honey: cf.
Guthrunarkvitha II, 42. To send to thy followers: literally, “to send
from thy high seat.”

40. Apparently a Fornyrthislag stanza. Merry with ale: presumably this
refers to Atli, but the manuscript reading makes it apply to the two
boys. Sharers of gold: princes. Line 5 is either interpolated or all
that is left of a separate stanza.

41. The text of the whole stanza has required a considerable amount of
emendation. Lines 3–5 may have been expanded out of two lines, or line
5 may be an interpolation, possibly from stanza 12 of the
Guthrunarhvot. Weapons: the word literally means “good-weaving,” and
may refer to silken garments, but this hardly fits the noun here
rendered “clashing.” Wept not: cf. stanza 31 and note.

42. Line 1 appears to be in Fornyrthislag. Guthrun distributes Atli’s
treasures among his followers apparently to prevent their wrath at the
slaying of Erp and Eitil from turning against her; Atli, as stanza 43
shows, is too drunk to realize or prevent what she is doing.

43. The second half of line 4 is apparently an error, but none of the
editorial suggestions have improved it.

44. Guthrun allows the dogs and the house-thralls, who had no part in
Gunnar’s death, to escape before she burns the dwelling with all who
are left therein. In Atlamol, stanzas 83–84, Atli is slain by a son of
Hogni (Hniflung?) with Guthrun’s help.

45. Some editions transfer line 2 to stanza 37; others reject line 3 as
interpolated. Myrkheim (“Dark-Home”): probably identical with Myrkwood;
cf. stanza 3. Temple: probably both here and in stanza 42 the word
means little more than the place where Atli’s treasures were kept; the
poet was by no means literal in his use of terms connected with the
heathen religion. Buthlungs: sons of Buthli, i.e., Atli and his family.
Shield-maids: cf. stanza 17 and note.

46. The entire stanza is very likely a later addition. Three kings:
Atli and his two sons, Erp and Eitil.