Gudrun

Gudrun is another mythical woman of Norse legend.

 

Gudrun was married to the Norse hero Sigurd, who tricked Brunhild the Valkyrie into her own marriage. Gudrun was also the last wife of Attila the Hun, though in the myths he is referred to as Atli or Etzel.

She features in both the Germanic and Scandinavian versions of the story and in both she is the sister of Gunnarr, King of Burgundy, and thus becomes sister-in-law to Brunhild the Shieldmaiden.

Unlike most women in Norse literature, Gudrun develops throughout the poems of the Elder Edda and her story continues. I will try to condense her tale as best I can here.

 

Gudrun had two brothers, Gunnarr and Högni. After a dispute with the Valkyrie, Brunhild had her husband, Gunnarr, wage war on Gudrun’s love, Sigurd. Gudrun’s brothers killed her husband and her young son and she was left devastated. In some versions, it is Gudrun’s stepbrother who, convinced by her brothers, stabbed her husband.

 

After a grieving period for her lost love, Gudrun was married off again, though not by her own choice. Gudrun had no wish to remarry but after a potion of forgetfulness, given to her by her mother, she accepted her new fate. This time her husband was Atli, or Attila the Hun. After the forgetting potion wore off, Gudrun came to despise Atli. In a cruel twist of fate, her new husband waged war on her brothers, killing them both. Atli was after their treasure, which Gudrun was the heiress to and they had refused to tell him the location of it. In response, Atli cut out Högni’s heart and threw Gunnarr into a snake pit.

 

Gudrun immediately declared revenge upon her husband for the slaughter of her remaining family members. By this point she had given Atli two sons but to avenge her brothers, she had both boys killed and crafted gold and silver goblets from their skulls. At the funeral feast for her brothers, Gudrun had the children’s blood mixed with mead and served to Atli in the skull goblets, as well as serving Atli their hearts for dinner. The mead was so strong that everyone fell asleep and Gudrun, with the help of her nephew, the son of Högni, killed Atli with Sigurd’s sword, before setting fire to the hall.

 

In one version, Gudrun herself chose to die in the flames that killed Atli and the guests. However, in the Eddas, she chose to kill herself by the sea. Much to her irritation, the fates (Nornir) intervened and ensured she drifted safely to Jonakr’s Kingdom. Once here, she was married one final time, to Jonakr. Svanhildr, her daughter by Sigurd, had been raised at Jonakr’s court and Gudrun had three more sons by Jonakr in this final marriage of hers.

 

Svanhildr was betrothed to King Jormunrek but he had her trampled to death by horses. Gudrun, distraught, sent her three sons to avenge their sister’s death. However, they were all killed in the process. Gudrun, alone with her grief and now being the very last of her family line, threw herself onto the funeral pyre to die.

 

Gudrun is a tragic and complex character in Norse mythology but one who has fascinated people for generations. Most are quick to judge her as a wicked and evil woman, but others view her as a badass woman of times long past.