Sinfiotli loved a woman who was
loved by Borghild's brother. A battle came in which the youths were on
opposite sides, and Sinfiotli killed Borghild's brother, and it was in
fair combat.

Sinfiotli returned home. To make peace between him and the Queen,
Sigmund gave Borghild a great measure of gold as compensation for the
loss of her brother. The Queen took it and said, "Lo, my brother's worth
is reckoned at this; let no more be said about his slaying." And she
made Sinfiotli welcome to the Hall of the Branstock.

But although she showed herself friendly to him her heart was set upon
his destruction.

That night there was a feast in the Hall of the Branstock and Borghild
the Queen went to all the guests with a horn of mead in her hand. She
came to Sinfiotli and she held the horn to him. "Take this from my
hands, O friend of Sigmund," she said.

But Sinfiotli saw what was in her eyes and he said, "I will not drink
from this horn. There is venom in the drink."

Then, to end the mockery that the Queen would have made over Sinfiotli,
Sigmund who was standing by took the horn out of Borghild's hand. No
venom or poison could injure him. He raised the horn to his lips and
drained the mead at a draught.

The Queen said to Sinfiotli, "Must other men quaff thy drink for thee?"

Later in the night she came to him again, the horn of mead in her hand.
She offered it to Sinfiotli, but he looked in her eyes and saw the
hatred that was there. "Venom is in the drink," he said. "I will not
take it."

And again Sigmund took the horn and drank the mead at a draught. And
again the Queen mocked Sinfiotli.

A third time she came to him. Before she offered the horn she said,
"This is the one who fears to take his drink like a man. What a Volsung
heart he has!" Sinfiotli saw the hatred in her eyes, and her mockery
could not make him take the mead from her. As before Sigmund was
standing by. But now he was weary of raising the horn and he said to
Sinfiotli, "Pour the drink through thy beard."

He thought that Sigmund meant that he should pour the mead through his
lips that were bearded and make trouble no more between him and the
Queen. But Sigmund did not mean that. He meant that he should pretend to
drink and let the mead run down on the floor. Sinfiotli, not
understanding what his comrade meant, took the horn from the Queen and
raised it to his lips and drank. And as soon as he drank, the venom that
was in the drink went to his