BACKGROUND
Gudrun. The young daughter of the Niflungs. A woman gifted with both intelligence and beauty, she was born as the eldest daughter of King Gjuki of Burgundy. Her mother, Queen Grimhild, was a treacherous witch who taught her children both the arts of Magecraft and machinations.
The stereotypical spoiled princess. Willful and egoistical, she is the type of person that places her own wishes as foremost and sulks easily when things don’t go their way. Still, what lies behind that is a strong will to stick to one’s principles and the great pride that goes together with it. Also, although selfish, her demands are (rarely) unreasonable and it is not like she cannot think of others either. In fact, she is a woman who demonstrates her love is by thoroughly devoting herself to her beloved.
This is a story of long ago. The princess who was constantly pampered by her parents became used to always get what she wanted. But one day, a single man overturned that what she once held as the truth of the world. A passing visitor in her father’s court. A handsome prince of a fallen kingdom. A strong warrior whose name was praised far and wide.
Great hero, Sigurd the dragon slayer.
Many men had sought Gudrun’s hand before then, but she refused them all. In her eyes, none of them were worthy of being her husband. But Sigurd was different. As soon as she met him, the princess knew that she found her destined one.
To be blunt, it was love at first sight.
However, Sigurd himself paid little mind to her. While he was always respectful towards Gudrun, he otherwise remained oblivious to her advances. Most men would fall head over heels to Gudrun’s charms, but to Sigurd she was just “the daughter of his benefactor”.
When the time came for Sigurd to depart, Gudrun despaired from the thought of watching him leave her behind. Failing to accept such an unreasonable outcome, the princess begged the assistance of her mother. Thanks to Queen Grimhild’s machinations, a political marriage between Sigurd and Gudrun was arranged.
(Incidentally, it is believed that Gudrun was still ignorant about the real circumstances of this marriage – about the violation of Sigurd’s mind – at this point. She only came to learn the truth much after)
As Gudrun hoped, she and Sigurd got married. Having her dearest wish fulfilled, she believed from the bottom of her heart that she was the most fortunate person in the world. Those newlywed days were without a doubt the most joyous period of her life.
However, that happiness did not last. A dark shadow was cast on her perfect world by the arrival of a new member in the Niflung family. The Valkyrie, Brynhild.
Once a proud servant of Odin, but due to her defiance against the Chief God, Brynhild was incarcerated in an inviolable mountain and then cursed to marry the man who released her. Once again by means of Queen Grimhild’s trickery, the Valkyrie was fooled into thinking that her son Gunnar had saved her, when in fact it had been Sigurd.
As soon as she first set eyes on Brynhild, Gudrun knew that she would never come to like her. Whatever it was beauty, talents or pedigree, the princess was outclassed in every way and her feelings of jealousy were aroused. Still – more than anything – she couldn’t bear the manner how her husband changed after meeting the Valkyrie.
During the whole time they were together, Sigurd was always the ideal husband. Loyal. Caring. Respectful. Never once he did anything that would tarnish Gudrun’s honor nor he ever betrayed her trust in him. Still, she couldn’t help but be disturbed by the way how he treated Brynhild. Whenever the Valkyrie was around, the princess would often notice that the hero’s eyes sparkled with a love and longing that were never directed to her.
This situation brought great distress to Gudrun. At first she attempted to restrain herself but, as time passed, the turmoil in her heart for seeing Sigurd desire a woman other than herself only grew more fierce. Until finally, during a foolish quarrel about whose husband was superior, Gudrun lost control of herself and committed a mistake that couldn’t be taken back: she told Brynhild what she knew about the plot that led her into marrying Gunnar.
What happened next doesn’t even needs to be said. Brynhild incited Gunnar against Sigurd, spreading lies about liberties that were taken with her. Gunnar, who at the time was blind of greed towards Fafnir’s treasure, carried out a treacherous plot that ultimately took Sigurd’s life.
Gudrun never forgave herself for what happened that day. Although she mainly blamed her brother for what happened, she also had enough self-awareness to admit her own part in that tragedy. According to legends, she spent the next 13 years of her life in mourning clothes, constantly grieving for her beloved’s death.
Witch of Vengeance
Meanwhile, an ill omen approached from the east. The Hunnic Empire had grown strong and its conquered territories now reached the borders of Burgundy. It would be just a matter of time before the Huns set their eyes into Niflungs’ lands.
Without a hero on the level of Sigurd on their side, Burgundy had no chances of victory. So Gunnar, who was king at the time, constantly sought for a way that would protect the sovereignty of the Niflungs without having to face the Huns in the battlefield. When he was about to give up hope, a certain piece of information reached his ears: the king of the Hunnic Empire, the warlord Attila, was in search of a new wife after recently becoming a widower.
Thanking heavens for this godsend, Gunnar soon plotted to have his sister Gudrun taken by Attila as a bride. By doing so, he hoped to use the bonds of kinship that would be established between the two royal houses as leverage to keep the Huns from invading Burgundy. Fortunately for him, words of his sister’s beauty had reached even the far corners of the Hunnic Empire, so it wasn’t so hard for him to set a deal with the warlord.
On the other hand, Gudrun was far from pleased with this arrangement. While she never sought retribution against Gunnar for the death of Sigurd, neither had she forgiven him either. Instead, she had chosen to simply ignore him for the rest of their lives. However, seeing her happiness be reduced to a mere political coin was more of a humiliation than she could take. After this, she became dead set into taking her revenge.
After her marriage with Attila, Gudrun told her new husband the story of Fafnir’s treasure. She told him that, by the law of Burgundy, that treasure became rightfully hers after the death of Sigurd. She told him that, by marring her, Attila too had a claim on the gold. Finally, she told him that her brother unjustly keeping away what belonged to the both of them.
As Gudrun hoped, Attila’s greed was enticed and he got in conflict with Gunnar over the possession of the treasure. It didn’t take long for her brother to lose his life in Attila’s hand. However, contrary to expectations, Gunnar made sure that Fafnir’s treasure would be forever lost with his death. Mad for letting his prey escape, Attila released his frustrations by laying waste to Burgundy.
This outcome shocked Gudrun. Despite plotting for Gunnar’s demise, the destruction of her homeland was something that she never desired. Drowning in despair and regret for the second time in her life, the princess of the Niflungs decided to put an end to everything. As a bare minimum form of atonement towards her people, who were slaughtered by the Huns, Gudrun killed Attila and his men by burning down their fortress while they were still inside. Then, she took her own life by throwing herself on the Rhine River to drown.
Originally Posted by Seika
