Guðrúnarkviða in þriðja

The Third Lay of Guðrún

Det tredje Gudrúnkvädet

11 stanzas

Summary

A

Guðrúnarkviða III is a short dramatic poem about a trial by ordeal. Guðrún is accused by her servant Herkja of adultery with Þjóðrekr.

Guðrún must prove her innocence through the kettle-ordeal: she plunges her hand into boiling water and draws out precious stones unharmed. Herkja, forced to undergo the same test, is burned and dragged to a bog.

The poem is one of the few Eddic poems dealing with the ordeal motif and shows influence from Continental Germanic legal tradition.

The story

Herkja hét ambáttAtla,hon hafði verithýrr hans mesta;hon sagði Atlaum Guðrúnu,at þær hefðiÞjóðrekr í hvílu.
Herkja was the name of a bondwomanof Atli,she had beenhis greatest favourite;she told Atliconcerning Guðrún,that she and Þjóðrekrhad lain together.

English translation: own translation.

Atli gekk þáí einmælimeð Þjóðrekþjóðkonungi;"hvat hefir þú héraf Guðrúnueða hefir þúhennar beðit?"
Atli then wentinto private speechwith Þjóðrekr,the people's king;"what have you done herewith Guðrún,or have you soughther bed?"

English translation: own translation.

"Þess mun ek verðaat vita við þik,hvart þú fregnat fullu mér;þá er Guðrúní garð gekk,var ek hanahugr at kenna."
"I shall let youknow this much:if you question mefully;when Guðrúnwalked into the courtyard,I knew herin my heart."

English translation: own translation.

"Hvat er þér Guðrún,Gjúka dóttir,hin bezta konaborinn í heimi?Eða hvar er þérhersveit þín?Fékk þú til þessat fara af löndum?"
"What is Guðrún to you,Gjuki's daughter,the finest womanborn in the world?And where is nowyour war-host?Were you forcedto flee your lands?"

English translation: own translation.

Þjóðrekr svaraði,þróttr var honum á:"Þat mun ek verðaat vita við þik;eigi mynda ekAtla kvillaá dróttninginduga at standa."
Þjóðrekr answered,strength was in him:"I shall let youknow this of me;I would neverbetray Atliby standingclose to the queen."

English translation: own translation.

Fór Þjóðrekr þaðan,fór hann undan;Atli var reiðr,rann honum á;er gekk Guðrúngegn at honum,ok spurði hann,hvat þat væri.
Þjóðrekr departed,he went from there;Atli was wrathful,rage came upon him;then Guðrún walkedtoward him,and asked himwhat was the matter.

English translation: own translation.

"Sagði mér Herkjahér í gær,at þú ok Þjóðrekrí þak sofið;muntu þú gangatil ketils hvers,ok leysa þikaf lýðungi."
"Herkja told mehere yesterday,that you and Þjóðrekrslept under the same roof;you shall goto the boiling kettle,and clear yourselfbefore the people."

English translation: own translation.

Guðrún gekk þáglaðlig til ketils,hvít handarí hvatan þrek;tók ór ketlikostum stórum,eptir í bálbrann laukar.
Guðrún walked thengladly to the kettle,with white handsinto the fierce heat;she drew from the kettleprecious gems,and in the firethe herbs burned on.

English translation: own translation.

Þá lét AtliHerkju þá ganga,ok sagði hennisœkja at ketli;brann hon þá uppbæði hendr ok fætr,ok leiddu hanaí fen myrkt.
Then Atli madeHerkja step forward,and told herto seek the kettle;she was burned badlyon both hands and feet,and they led herto the dark bog.

English translation: own translation.

Svá varð Guðrúnuguðr at launaðr,er hennar sakarsannliga renndu;Þjóðrekr gleymdiþar af sér,var þar á hvílðuhvárt þeira.
So was Guðrúnrewarded with victory in the strife,when her accusersrightly fell;Þjóðrekr forgothimself there after,and the two of themfound rest together.

English translation: own translation.

Þat er síðansagt í þjóðum,at Guðrúngeymðisk lengifrá öðrum konumöllu besta,er hon lifðilanga stund.
It is told thereafteramong the peoples,that Guðrúnlong surpassedall other womenin every respect,while she livedfor a long time after.

English translation: own translation.

Key concepts

  • Guðrún , the accused queen who proves her innocence through divine trial
  • Þjóðrekr , the Continental Germanic hero whose presence at Atli's court reflects the saga tradition's geographic reach

Interpretive traditions

A What we know

Guðrúnarkviða III is preserved in Codex Regius.

The kettle-ordeal was an actual legal practice in medieval Scandinavia and on the Continent. The poem's depiction corresponds to known ordeal procedures.

B What we think we know

The poem's late dating (probably 12th-13th c.) is supported by the ordeal motif's Christian connotations and the relatively late language.

The relationship between Guðrún and Þjóðrekr in the poem, whether it implies an actual liaison or solely a false accusation, is debated.

C What we do not know

Herkja's identity outside this poem is unknown. Whether she reflects an older saga tradition or is a poetic creation cannot be determined with current evidence.

Sources and further reading

Primary sources

  • Neckel, Gustav, och Hans Kuhn. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 5. uppl. Heidelberg: Winter.

Translations

  • Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.). 1923. The Poetic Edda. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. (PD)
  • Larrington, Carolyne (trans.). 2014. The Poetic Edda. Rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Scholarly works

  • Lindow, John. 2001. Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Simek, Rudolf. 1993. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer.
  • de Vries, Jan. 1956–1957. Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte. 2 vols. Berlin: de Gruyter.
  • Turville-Petre, E. O. G. 1964. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.