Gjúkung
Grímhildr
Wife of Gjúki and mother of Gunnarr, Högni and Guðrún: a scheming queen whose potions bind Sigurðr to her family and force Guðrún to marry Atli.
Grímhildr, wife of King Gjúki, is the mother of Gunnarr, Högni and Guðrún Skáldskaparmál 41. In the poems she is the family's manipulator, and her work is done with drink and persuasion.
Grípisspá foretells that she will "drag down" Sigurðr. She will want him for her daughter, make him forget Brynhildr and send him to woo Brynhildr for Gunnarr Grípisspá 31 Grípisspá 33-35. Grípir later calls Sigurðr's death "Grimhild's work" Grípisspá 51. The later Völsunga saga makes the forgetting a magic potion, but the Eddic poems only hint at that.
Her potion is described in full in Guðrúnarkviða II. After Sigurðr's murder she gives Guðrún a cold, bitter drink of earth, sea-water and swine's blood, with runes in the cup, and Guðrún forgets her grief Guðrúnarkviða II 22-25. Then Grímhildr offers her treasure and lands to marry Atli, and threatens her with widowhood if she refuses. When Guðrún foretells that Atli will kill her brothers, Grímhildr weeps but does not give way Guðrúnarkviða II 26-33. The prose of Dráp Niflunga calls this "a draught of forgetfulness" Dráp Niflunga, prose 1.
Atlamál remembers her kindly once, as the mother who gave her children gold and necklaces Atlamál in grœnlenzku 68. It also has Guðrún accuse Atli of murdering her mother for gold Atlamál in grœnlenzku 53.
Note that the German Nibelungenlied gives a similar name, Kriemhild, to the daughter (the Norse Guðrún), not the mother.
In the sources
Quoted from the hosted translations; each line is checked against the text when the site is built. Select a reference to read it in context.
Tricked by another, prince, thou art, And the price of Grimhild's wiles thou must pay
A draught did Grimhild give me to drink, Bitter and cold; I forgot my cares
Seek not on men to avenge thy sorrows, Though the blame at first with us hath been
Where the sources disagree or fall silent
- Her fate: Atlamál has Guðrún accuse Atli of murdering her mother for gold, which no other source mentions.
