Gotthorm
The man Gunnar chooses to strike Sigurd in the Short Lay; this poem specifically says he did not share the oaths.
Overview
In the Short Lay, Gotthorm is not a freely expandable ‘third brother.’ Gunnar turns to him precisely because this poem says he did not share the oaths sworn by Sigurd, Gunnar, and Hogni. Stanza 21 has a gap, so we can say only that he is incited; he then drives a sword into Sigurd’s heart and is immediately killed in return. Other texts handle his identity and the killing differently, so this record keeps only the Short Lay’s indoor death version.
Key facts
Outside the oaths
Stanza 20 explicitly gives Gotthorm’s absence from the shared oaths as the reason he is chosen.
Limited to the Short Lay
Stanza 21 is incomplete and other materials have different versions of Sigurd’s death; the incitement details absent from this lay are not invented.
Relationships
- Gunnarselects him to strike
Gunnar says Gotthorm did not enter the oaths and must be roused.
- Sigurdstrikes him dead
After a gap, the Short Lay says the sword stands in Sigurd’s heart.
- Sigurdkills him in return
Sigurd rises in the hall and hurls his sword at Gotthorm, cutting him down.
- Grimhildfeeds wolf and snake flesh
Grimhild has Gotthorm given wolf and snake flesh.
- The Outdoor Killing South of the Rhineprepares the attack
After incitement, Gotthorm participates in the plot against Sigurd.
Story appearances
- The Short Lay of Sigurd: An Oath-Broken BedsideFigure or event in the Short Lay’s oaths, killing, or dying words
The man Gunnar chooses to strike Sigurd in the Short Lay; this poem specifically says he did not share the oaths.
- Fragment of a Sigurd Lay: The Outdoor Killing VersionFigure or event in the Fragment of a Sigurd Lay
The man Gunnar chooses to strike Sigurd in the Short Lay; this poem specifically says he did not share the oaths.
Ancient sources
MythWeave distinguishes ancient-source evidence from later adaptations and modern interpretation.