Herborg
Herborg, the Hunnish queen in the First Lay, who recounts loss, burial, and captivity.
Overview
Herborg tells Guthrun of losing kin, burying them herself, captivity, and abuse by a queen. Bellows notes that she appears only here and that her presence in Gunnar’s court is unclear. This record keeps her as a comforter inside the lament, without inventing nationality or full biography.
Key facts
Comforts through grief
In stanzas 6–10 Herborg tells of her suffering, yet Guthrun still cannot weep.
Limited to this poem
This name is used only in this poem’s lament setting; no biography beyond it is supplied.
Relationships
- Gudrunattempts to comfort
Herborg tells of loss, burial, and captivity; Guthrun still cannot weep.
Story appearances
- Guthrunarkvitha I: A Lament at the BodyFigure or event in the lament at Sigurd’s body
Herborg, the Hunnish queen in the First Lay, who recounts loss, burial, and captivity.
Ancient sources
MythWeave distinguishes ancient-source evidence from later adaptations and modern interpretation.