Jörmunrekr- Norse FigureMortal"King of the Goths"

The Trampling of Svanhild

Jörmunrekr married the young Svanhild, daughter of Guðrún and Sigurðr. His counselor Bikki whispered that Svanhild had lain with Jörmunrekr's own son Randvér. The accusation was false, but Jörmunrekr acted on it without hesitation. He had Randvér hanged and condemned Svanhild to be trampled to death under the hooves of horses. The Völsunga saga adds a detail that amplifies the horror: when Svanhild looked at the horses with her piercing eyes, they would not tread upon her. Jörmunrekr ordered a sack thrown over her face. Then the horses did their work.

Guðrúnarhvöt opens in the aftermath. Guðrún, who had already lost Sigurðr and survived the destruction of the Gjukungs, now goaded her surviving sons to avenge their sister.

The Last Stand of Hamðir and Sörli

Hamðismál tells the vengeance. Hamðir and Sörli, Guðrún's sons by King Jónakr, rode to Jörmunrekr's hall knowing they would not return. On the way they killed their half-brother Erpr when he offered to help and they took his riddle for mockery. They reached Jörmunrekr at night and attacked him in his bed, hewing off his hands and feet. But because they killed Erpr, who would have struck the head, Jörmunrekr lived long enough to call for his men. He ordered his warriors to stone the brothers, since no blade could cut them. Hamðir and Sörli died under the hail of rocks, acknowledging too late that Erpr's help would have finished the killing.