ng words of kindness. Then she rent all her
needlework asunder and wept aloud, so that everyone in the house heard
her. For her heart was broken, and her pride was broken in the same
hour. She had lost her true love, Sigurd, the slayer of Fafnir, and she
was married to a man who was a liar.

Then Sigurd came and tried to comfort her, but she would not listen, and
said she wished the sword stood fast in his heart.

'Not long to wait,' he said, 'till the bitter sword stands fast in my
heart, and thou will not live long when I am dead. But, dear Brynhild,
live and be comforted, and love Gunnar thy husband, and I will give thee
all the gold, the treasure of the dragon Fafnir.'

Brynhild said:

'It is too late.'

Then Sigurd was so grieved and his heart so swelled in his breast that
it burst the steel rings of his shirt of mail.

Sigurd went out and Brynhild determined to slay him. She mixed serpent's
venom and wolf's flesh, and gave them in one dish to her husband's
younger brother, and when he had tasted them he was mad, and he went
into Sigurd's chamber while he slept and pinned him to the bed with a
sword. But Sigurd woke, and caught the sword Gram into his hand, and
threw it at the man as he fled, and the sword cut him in twain. Thus
died Sigurd, Fafnir's bane, whom no ten men could have slain in fair
fight. Then Gudrun wakened and saw him dead, and she moaned aloud, and
Brynhild heard her and laughed; but the kind horse Grani lay down and
died of very grief. And then Brynhild fell a-weeping till her heart
broke. So they attired Sigurd in all his golden armour, and built a
great pile of wood on board his ship, and at night laid on it the dead
Sigurd and the dead Brynhild, and the good horse, Grani, and set fire
to it, and launched the ship. And the wind bore it blazing out to
sea, flaming into the dark. So there were Sigurd and Brynhild burned
together, and the curse of the dwarf Andvari was fulfilled.(33)

(33) The Volsunga Saga.

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